A2. Strategy

Table of Contents

In the first year, make sure you get a nice company, and try to find some friends in order to have a good first year. Plan your R&D carefully. Starting with increasing slots is often a good strategy, or at least a safe one.

As the game progresses, make sure to have open slots for the more lucrative types of companies when they come up: rubber in the b era, and oil in the c era. It is often the case that only one or two rubber (and oil) companies can start really well—and it is often the owner of the shipping lines who decides which one!

Shipping companies are a good stealthy way to make money. They do not seem to earn much but can be very lucrative towards the end of the game –especially if you count the fact that you do not have to pay your own shipping fees. Even more importantly, owning the right shipping company often gives you the option to determine which areas are going to develop, and which aren’t. However, to make your company really useful you will have to merge it into a shipping emporium of 3 or more companies...

The game revolves around mergers. Although it is of course important to own the right companies and operate them well, Indonesia fortunes are made or broken during the merger phase. Make sure you always have enough cash to defend your own crown jewels, and to prevent “raids” on poor players.

Mergers can be done for many reasons: to get someone else’s company, to sell your own company and raise cash, to get a free slot, to take advantage of an order of play position, to speed up the game, to influence the direction of shipping lines, to increase or decrease the hull size of a particular shipping route, etc... as you gain experience you may discover even more different reasons to initiate mergers...

One subtle thing to keep in mind is the order of play: think about when you would like to be the first to move, and plan ahead. Order of play can be very crucial, especially in the later phases!

Have fun playing Indonesia, The Splotter Team