Cigar Empire

Your Cigar Empire box contains the following items. Before your first game, punch out all cardboard pieces and sort them into the vacuum-formed tray insert.

Cigar Empire is a game of property trading, shrewd negotiation, and calculated risk. Your goal is to build a tobacco empire so powerful that every other player is financially ruined and forced into bankruptcy.

Acquire tobacco plantations, shipping routes, and exclusive utilities across five legendary growing regions. Develop your properties with Rolling Tables (up to 4 per property) and crown your holdings with a Cigar Lounge to maximise rent collection. The last player with money wins.

1. Unfold the board and place it in the centre of the table.
2. Shuffle the Smoke & Mirrors deck and place it face-down on its designated board space. Do the same for The Smoke Room deck.
3. Sort all Rolling Tables and Cigar Lounges near the board — this is the bank's building reserve.
4. One player becomes the Banker. The Banker manages all bank transactions but may also play. Keep bank funds visibly separate from personal funds. The bank never runs out of money — if needed, use paper slips.
5. Each player selects a token and places it on Light Up! (GO) — Space 0.
6. The Banker distributes starting funds to each player:

   Denomination	Bills	Value
   $500	2	$1,000
   $100	2	$200
   $50	2	$100
   $20	1	$20
   $10	1	$10
   $5	1	$5
   $1	5	$5
   Total		$1,500

7. All remaining bank money goes into the Banker's tray.
8. The player who most recently smoked a cigar goes first. Play proceeds clockwise.

On each turn, follow these steps in order:

1. Optional — Roll the Cigar Die (Vitola Variant only): If playing the Vitola Variant, you may roll the Cigar Die before your main roll for a one-turn bonus. See Section 18.
2. Roll the two standard dice and move your token that many spaces clockwise. If you roll doubles, take your turn normally, then roll again. Roll doubles three times in a row and go directly to Customs Detention.
3. Act on the space you land on — buy, pay rent, draw a card, pay tax, or follow the space's instruction (see Section 7).
4. Build or trade (optional): Before or after your dice roll, you may buy buildings, sell buildings back to the bank, mortgage properties, or trade with other players. You may not trade mid-roll resolution.
5. Pass the dice to the next player clockwise.

The board has 40 spaces arranged around the perimeter. Here is every space and what happens when you land on it.

Corner Spaces

• Light Up! (GO) — Space 0: Collect $200 from the bank each time you pass or land here.
• Free Humidor — Space 10: A safe resting space. No money changes hands. You may just be visiting Customs Detention if you land here after passing Space 30.
• Go To Customs — Space 20: Move your token immediately to Space 30 (Customs Detention). Do not pass GO, do not collect $200.
• Customs Detention — Space 30: If sent here, you are Detained. If you land here normally, you are "Just Visiting" — no penalty. See Section 12.

Tax Spaces

• Humidity Tax — Space 4: Pay $200 to the bank. No exceptions.
• Leaf & Ring Tax — Space 38: Pay $100 to the bank. No exceptions.

Buying from the Bank

When you land on an unowned property (tobacco plantation, Shipping Route, or Utility), you may buy it from the bank at the printed price. Pay the bank, take the Title Deed card, and place it face-up in front of you.

Declining to Buy — Auction

If you land on an unowned property and choose not to buy it, the property goes to immediate auction. The Banker runs the auction:

1. Any player — including the player who declined — may bid.
2. The auction starts at $1. There is no minimum bid increment.
3. The highest bidder pays the bank and takes the Title Deed.
4. If no one bids, the property remains with the bank.

Paying Rent

When you land on a property owned by another player, you must pay rent immediately. The owner must ask for rent before the next player rolls — otherwise rent is waived for that turn. Rent amounts are printed on each Title Deed card and listed in Section 10.

If you cannot afford rent, see Section 15 (Bankruptcy).

Development is the engine of Cigar Empire. Once you own all properties in a colour group (a monopoly), you may begin building on any property in that group during your turn — before or after rolling the dice.

Rolling Tables (Houses)

• You may build up to 4 Rolling Tables per property.
• Buildings must be built evenly across your monopoly group: no property may have more than one Rolling Table more than any other property in the same group.
• Buy Rolling Tables from the bank at the price printed on each Title Deed card.
• Place the Rolling Table token on the property's space on the board.

Cigar Lounges (Hotels)

• Once a property has 4 Rolling Tables, you may upgrade it to a Cigar Lounge by paying the Lounge price and returning all 4 Rolling Tables to the bank.
• A property may only have 1 Cigar Lounge. A Lounge is the maximum level of development.
• You do not need to upgrade all properties in a group to the same level before adding a Lounge; even development still applies on the way to 4 Rolling Tables.

Building Costs

Rolling Table and Cigar Lounge prices vary by group. Consult the Title Deed card or the rent table in Section 10. As a quick guide:

Selling Buildings

You may sell Rolling Tables or Cigar Lounges back to the bank at any time for half the purchase price. Buildings must be sold evenly across the group (the reverse of buying). A Cigar Lounge is exchanged for 4 Rolling Tables, then those are sold individually if desired.

Building Shortage

If the bank runs out of Rolling Tables or Cigar Lounges, no more may be built until another player sells some back. You cannot substitute other objects.

The table below shows rent for every property at every development level. Monopoly (no buildings) means you own all properties in the colour group — base rent doubles automatically.

Group 1 — Connecticut (Purple)

Group 2 — Cuba (Light Blue)

Group 3 — Dominican Republic (Pink)

Group 4 — Nicaragua (Orange)

Group 5 — Honduras (Red)

Group 6 — Premium Blend (Yellow)

Group 7 — Grand Reserve (Green)

Group 8 — Ultra Premium (Dark Blue)

Shipping Routes

There are four Shipping Routes evenly spaced around the board. They cannot be developed with Rolling Tables or Cigar Lounges, but their rent scales with how many you own.

The rent charged is based on the total number of Shipping Routes owned by that player, not just the one landed on. If a player owns all four, every Route pays $200 rent.

Utilities

There are two Utilities. Unlike properties, rent on Utilities is calculated from the dice roll that landed you there.

For example, if you roll a 9 and land on a Utility owned by a player who owns both, you pay 10 × 9 = $90.

Customs Detention sits at Space 30. You are sent there — and become Detained — in three ways:

1. You land on the Go To Customs space (Space 20).
2. You draw a card from Smoke & Mirrors or The Smoke Room that reads "Go to Customs Detention."
3. You roll doubles three consecutive times in a single turn.

When Detained, move your token directly to Space 30. You do not collect $200 for passing GO, and your turn ends immediately.

Getting Out of Customs Detention

On each subsequent turn while Detained, you have three options:

1. Roll doubles: Roll the two standard dice. If you roll doubles, you are released — move your token forward the number shown and take your turn normally. You do not get an extra roll for the doubles.
2. Pay the $50 fine: Pay $50 to the bank before rolling your dice. You are released and move as normal.
3. Play a "Get Out of Customs Free" card: If you hold one (from Smoke & Mirrors or The Smoke Room), play it and you are immediately released. The card is returned to the bottom of its deck.

When you need cash and cannot raise it through trade, you may mortgage your properties to the bank. A mortgaged property generates no rent and cannot be built upon.

How to Mortgage

1. Sell all buildings on the property (and all other properties in the same colour group) back to the bank for half price first. You cannot mortgage a property that still has buildings on it.
2. Turn the Title Deed card face-down. The mortgage value is printed on the back of the card (half the purchase price).
3. Collect the mortgage value from the bank.

Unmortgaging

1. Pay the bank the mortgage value plus 10% interest (rounded up to the nearest dollar).
2. Turn the Title Deed face-up. The property is now active again.

Mortgaged Properties & Trading

You may trade mortgaged properties to other players. When a mortgaged property changes hands, the new owner must either:

• Pay the bank the full unmortgage cost (mortgage value + 10%) immediately, or
• Pay the bank a 10% interest fee at the time of acquisition, with the intention to unmortgage it later (paying the full mortgage value + 10% when they do).

Players may trade with each other at any time during their own turn (before or after rolling, but not mid-resolution). Trading is the heart of Cigar Empire — use it to complete monopolies, break opponents' colour groups, or raise emergency cash.

What Can Be Traded

• Title Deed cards (properties, Shipping Routes, Utilities) — mortgaged or unmortgaged
• Cash
• "Get Out of Customs Free" cards
• Future favours are not binding — only cash and cards are enforceable

Trading Rules

• All trades are between exactly two players. Group deals are handled as a sequence of two-player trades.
• Buildings cannot be traded between players — they must be sold back to the bank first.
• A trade is finalised when both players physically exchange their agreed items. There is no "taking it back" once the deal is done.
• The Banker is not party to trades. All traded funds pass directly between players.

You are declared bankrupt when you cannot pay a debt — rent, a tax, a card penalty, or an unmortgage fee — even after mortgaging all your properties and selling all your buildings back to the bank.

Going Bankrupt to Another Player

If you owe a debt to another player and cannot pay in full, you must hand over everything you own to that player:

• All cash you have on hand
• All Title Deed cards (mortgaged and unmortgaged)
• Any "Get Out of Customs Free" cards

The receiving player takes on all mortgaged properties. They must immediately pay 10% interest on each mortgaged property to the bank, or choose to unmortgage them at the full rate. They do not have to unmortgage immediately, but must pay the 10% fee.

Going Bankrupt to the Bank

If you cannot pay a tax, card penalty, or other bank-owed debt, all your assets are returned to the bank. Title Deed cards go back into the bank's possession and are available for purchase again. Buildings go back to the reserve. Cash is returned to the bank's supply.

Leaving the Game

A bankrupt player removes their token from the board and takes no further turns. Their properties (if owed to the bank) become available for any player who lands on them.

Winning

The game ends when all players but one are bankrupt. The last player standing is the winner — the undisputed Cigar Emperor. For a shorter game, agree on a time limit before play begins; when time is up, the player with the highest total net worth (cash + property values at purchase price + half-price for buildings) wins.

The Smoke & Mirrors deck sits on Spaces 2, 17, and 33. Draw the top card whenever you land on one of these spaces, follow its instructions, then return it to the bottom of the deck — unless it is a "Get Out of Customs Free" card, which you keep until used.

Card back: Dark mahogany with gold S&M monogram and cigar smoke swirl.

The Smoke Room deck sits on Spaces 7, 22, and 36. Draw the top card whenever you land on one of these spaces, follow its instructions, then return it to the bottom of the deck — unless it is a "Get Out of Customs Free" card, which you keep until used.

Card back: Deep green with gold SR monogram and leather armchair silhouette.

The Vitola Variant adds a layer of chance and strategy using the custom Cigar Die included in the box. Each face of the Cigar Die shows a different cigar format (vitola), each granting a distinct one-turn bonus.

At the start of your turn, before rolling the standard dice to move, you may choose to roll the Cigar Die. The result applies for that turn only — it does not carry over. Rolling the Cigar Die is always optional; you may decline without penalty.

Variant Rules & Interactions

• Churchill: The 3 extra spaces are resolved after your main move. If the extra movement would take you past GO, collect $200 as normal. Act on wherever you end up.
• Torpedo: The targeted player must hand over $50 cash. If they have less than $50, take everything they have — this does not constitute bankruptcy; it is just a theft.
• Gordo: Applies only to rent collected from other players landing on your properties during your turn (which can only happen via cards that move other players, or if the variant is used in a team variant). In standard play, Gordo most commonly means the rent on a property you land on is not doubled — it only benefits you if you also collect rent somehow during your own turn. House rule suggestion: Gordo doubles rent received for the entire round, until your next turn.
• Corona: Full immunity — no rent is owed on any space landed on this turn, including Utility rolls and Shipping Route rent. Taxes are still paid.
• Toro: If the drawn Smoke & Mirrors card sends you to a new space, resolve movement and that space's effect normally.
• The Cigar Die has no effect on Customs Detention — you may not use it to escape.

• The middle monopolies win games. Groups 3 (Dominican Republic), 4 (Nicaragua), and 5 (Honduras) are statistically landed on most often, offer strong rent-to-building-cost ratios, and are cheaper to develop than the Ultra Premium group.
• Build to 3 Rolling Tables fast. The jump from 2 to 3 Rolling Tables is often the largest single increase in rent. Don't leave money on the table waiting for a full Cigar Lounge.
• Control the building supply. With only 32 Rolling Tables in the game, buying them quickly can lock other players out of development entirely — even if you don't need all of them yet.
• Use auctions offensively. When an opponent declines to buy a property you don't want either, bid just enough to drain their cash — but know when to stop.
• Shipping Routes compound. Owning 3 or 4 Shipping Routes generates reliable passive income without building costs. Combined with a strong monopoly, they can be decisive.
• Mortgage to survive, not to win. Mortgaging buys time but loses rent income. Always have a plan to unmortgage before the 10% fees erode your advantage.
• Trade early. Monopolies rarely form naturally. The player who makes the first fair trade often wins, because they start developing while others are still negotiating.