
- BGG rank
- BGG #568
- BGG rating
- 7.4
Macao
- 2–4 players
- 50–100 min
- Complexity 3.1/5
- 2009

2022
Rules assistance for Amsterdam
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
For 1 player

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Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Amsterdam is a board game released in 2022 for 1–4 players, 60–120 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Stefan Feld and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Set Collection, and Dice Rolling.
Amsterdam is a reimplementation of Macao with a new setting, improved card balance, and new gameplay elements. It challenges players to build combinations of abilities, as well as to correctly calculate the advantage of delayed gratification for actions. In the game, players are merchants in Amsterdam near the turn of the 20th century. At the start of the game, two district cards are placed on each of the twelve spaces on the designated board. At the beginning of a round, the next two district cards, as well as two building and two profession cards (each from a deck of 54 of each type) are drawn to form the offer of six cards. Each of these cards has a cost in colored action cubes and grants a new action, special ability, or way to score points. In turn order, each player takes a card from those on offer. Finally, a market card is revealed that allows players to exchange money for victory points on their turn. Next, the six colored dice are rolled. Each player decides which of the six dice they would like (players may choose the same die), then takes as many action cubes in that color as the number of pips. Players place their new action cubes on their rotatable windrose as many spaces in the future as the number on the dice. Finally, the wheel is spun, so that players gain access to all cubes that were located on the 1 space of their windrose. Action cubes are used to purchase cards that a player has taken, claim one of the nine types of goods around the city of Amsterdam, and ferry goods or workers through canals to warehouses. Players earn points for delivering their goods, as well as for bonuses on cards they purchase, and the player with the most points at the end of the twelfth round wins.
Amsterdam supports 1–4 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Amsterdam is 60–120 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Amsterdam for ages 12 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Amsterdam has a complexity rating of 3.4 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-weight game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Amsterdam belongs to these categories: Economic and Renaissance. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Set Collection, and Dice Rolling. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Amsterdam are: Stefan Feld. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Amsterdam as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.