After one hundred years in service the Panama Canal still is one of the most important & impressive engineering achievements in modern times Built in 1914 it held a prominent role in the deployment of military vessels during WWI & in the conflicts that have followed Nowadays commercial usage is the core business of the Channel; its economic impact is profound & has not only developed the region but in fact helped define shipping throughout the world In the wake of the Canal’s opening hull designs were influenced accordingly; ships fell into three categories those that could travel through easily & in groups (Feeder class) massive ocean going ships too big to enter the Canal (ULCV or Ultra Large Container Vessels) & the new standard
- designed to the maximum limits of the Panama Canal These ships are called PANAMAX In Panamax each player manages a shipping company established in the Colón Free Trade Zone Companies accept contracts from both US coasts China & Europe & deliver cargo in order to make money attract investment & pay dividends At the same time the players accumulate their own stock investments & try to make as much money as possible in an effort to have the largest personal fortune & win the game Panamax features several original mechanisms that blend together; an original dice (action) selection table pickup-&-deliver along a single bi-directional route a chain reaction movement system – “pushing” ships to make room throughout the Canal & a level of player interaction that is part self-interest part mutual advantage & the freedom to choose how you play On their turn players remove a die from the Action table to select Contracts & Load Cargo or Move ships until the pool of dice is emptied ending the Round Over the course of three rounds these actions are blended during the turn to create a logistics network which each player uses to ship their cargo minimize transportation fees & increase the net worth of their Company Each Company has a limited amount of Stock that the players can purchase in exchange for investing – receiving a dividend each round The questions for the players will be which companies are likely to yield higher dividends? There&s more to explore & several ways to win but we ask that you join us at the table & celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the Panama Canal with a session of Panamax!