BoardGameArchiveHow to Play Clans of Caledonia: Market, Expansion & Contracts
Clans of Caledonia is a five-round economic game about expanding across Scotland, producing raw and processed goods, trading on a dynamic market and fulfilling export contracts.
Rules, examples and scoring explanations
Clans of Caledonia is a five-round economic game about expanding across Scotland, producing raw and processed goods, trading on a dynamic market and fulfilling export contracts.
Scope: base game only, excluding Industria.
Players alternate actions until they pass
On your turn, take one main action or a legal free/bonus action. Common actions include expanding a unit onto the map, upgrading shipping or technology, trading goods, taking a contract or fulfilling a contract.
Expansion must respect adjacency and terrain
Place workers, livestock, fields and production buildings onto legal map spaces connected to your existing network, paying the space and unit costs. Shipping extends reach across water when developed.
Neighbourhood bonuses reward building near rivals
Expanding next to an opponent’s relevant production unit can let you buy that produced good using the neighbourhood rules. This makes dense regions economically useful even when competition is high.
Market trades change prices
Buying and selling goods moves market prices. Large trades can make the next transaction more or less attractive, so the order of trades matters.
Export contracts convert goods into rewards
Take available contract tiles, then later pay the required goods to fulfill them. Contracts can provide money, glory, import goods and other benefits while also contributing to end-game comparisons.
Production happens after the action phase
Once everyone passes, deployed units produce milk, wool, grain and processed goods according to their type and technology. Then resolve round scoring/preparation before the next round.
One round of Clans of Caledonia, step by step
A base-game session lasts five rounds. In the Action phase, players take one main action at a time in turn order. Available actions include expanding on the map, upgrading the market or shipping, trading, fulfilling contracts, and obtaining contracts when eligible. A player may pass when they no longer want to act this round; when everyone has passed, production and end-of-round procedures follow.
Example: on your first action you may expand a cheese dairy, while a rival upgrades shipping. When your next action comes around, you could trade for missing milk or advance another part of your engine. You are not obliged to finish all your actions for the round before the next player acts.
The base game and Industria expansion can differ in details; this guide refers to the original base-game mechanisms.
Milk to cheese: why building order matters
Scotland’s raw materials feed production chains. Cows yield milk, sheep yield wool, fields produce grain, and processing buildings convert appropriate supplies into goods such as cheese, bread or whisky. Production occurs after the Action phase, so producing and consuming in the proper sequence is essential.
Illustrative plan: if you want a cheese-based export contract, you may need both a milk-producing cow and a cheese dairy in your network, as well as sufficient goods and money for construction. Paying for the dairy without ensuring milk will be available can delay the contract.
Use the detailed base-game rulebook for each production cost and processing order. These examples explain dependencies, not exact amounts or a guaranteed opening.
How market trading changes prices
The market is dynamic: purchasing or selling goods changes the market track, influencing what subsequent transactions cost or earn. The market action requires attention to the current price and the direction the price marker moves as you trade.
Example: when you buy several units of a scarce good, subsequent purchases can become less attractive as the price changes. Selling a large amount can likewise reduce the amount another player expects to earn from the market. If a contract requires a large set of ingredients, trading early may be more economical than waiting until other players move the price.
Do not use a fixed buy/sell price for every round: the marked market track is part of the game’s strategy. The exact steps per good and any trade limits are defined by the official rules.
Contracts: taking one versus fulfilling one
An export contract is an objective that typically requires delivering a particular mix of goods. Taking a contract commits you to a target, while fulfilling it spends the requested goods and earns its indicated rewards. Rewards can include money, glory, imported goods and other benefits depending on the contract.
Illustrative decision: you hold a contract requiring cheese and another product. You could trade to finish it immediately or expand the production network first so future contracts can be supplied more reliably. Fulfillment is not the same as simply owning the necessary livestock; the goods must be available and spent following the contract’s rules.
When comparing contracts, account for what you must sacrifice to fulfill them, not only the printed reward.
Neighbourhood bonuses and shipping upgrades
Building near an opponent can open the neighbourhood bonus, which lets you buy certain goods associated with their adjacent production when the conditions are met. This makes map proximity more economically valuable than a simple “avoid rivals” approach.
Example: an empty space near a rival’s dairy might give access to a useful neighbourhood opportunity, but a farther empty space may connect a safer route to more expansion sites. The better choice depends on your cash, contracts and shipping reach.
Shipping upgrades enable connections across water and expand the legal areas where you can build. They can be worth planning early if the most useful territory lies beyond your current movement capabilities.
Clans of Caledonia beginner checklist
- Plan the supply chain: identify which basic goods your intended contracts require.
- Watch the action economy: one main action per turn means rivals can claim spaces or contracts before you return.
- Compare production timing: an unproductive building is expensive if it cannot activate this round.
- Use the market carefully: trading large amounts can shift prices against your later needs.
- Respect shipping limits: determine whether an attractive distant space is actually reachable.
- Prepare for round-five scoring: avoid engine investments too late to repay their costs.
Source: Karma Games’ official Clans of Caledonia resources. This is an independent strategy walkthrough, not a replacement for the full rules.
Final scoring follows round 5
Add glory earned during play plus final contract, import-good, settlement/network, money and other listed scoring categories.
Publisher reference: Karma Games: Clans of Caledonia. Checked September 21, 2026.