Wellerman
Current Status: Pre-Production
The Wellerman game design is essentially complete with a small number of demonstration version created. We are looking at economical options to produce physical copies in quantity for retail sales.
Now available on Tabletopia
A complete virtual version of Wellerman is now available on Tabletopia. The game is currently free to play for all comers and will remain so until the close of our Kickstarter campaign (see below), after which it will become a Premium game.
About the Game
2-5 Players, 30-60 minutes
Designers: Phil Northcott & Allan Noordvyk, Graphic Design: Allan Noordvyk
You captain a 19th century Weller Brothers supply ship. Your Wellerman sails from Dunedin, New Zealand with four cargo holds which carry sugar, tea, or rum. Use available wind cards to beat the other captains to the destinations where your cargo is currently the most prized. But, the more money your ship earns on a run, the more your crew drinks on shore leave... and jolly crews are slow to return to sea.
A game so good it has its own theme song
The Game Board
The game board represents the Pacific Ocean. Each season your crew and fine vessel sets out from port at Dunedin in New Zealand to bring goods to the whalers out at sea.
Whaler Cards
When drawn the Whaler cards are placed at various destination locations around the Pacific Ocean. The crew of these ships are in need of the 3 staples of life: sugar, tea, and rum. But demand varies from ship to ship. Its your job to deliver these goods in the way that brings the best pay to you and your crew.
Wind Cards
The winds are fickle but they are your only propulsion. Fortunately, in none of the cards in your hand seem to help, you can follow the winds that blew for the player before you. But of course the other players know this and may have played a card that is useful for them, but not for you.
Your Wellerman
Each player controls a trading ship, a Wellerman, that can carry 4 units of goods (some combination of sugar, tea, and rum) to destinations around the Pacific Ocean map.
Each Wellerman is represented by a card (holding the cargo) and a token on the map (showing its current location).
Your Crew
Your ship is not much good without a crew, and your success is shared with them. The more successful you are on a supply run, the more the crew has coin in their pocket to celebrate on shore. But alas, a jolly crew is slow to load cargo and put out to port next time.
The Warehouse
The Weller brothers try to keep their warehouse stocked with goods that are needed, but in the end they have what they have. Other than unsold goods returned from unsuccessful voyages, new goods of different sorts will trickle in over time and fast loading crews will have first pick.
If you've heard of a Wellerman, it is most likely from the folk song from which this game takes its inspiration. Click the icon at left to hear it.