The game board is a map of central Europe divided into 10 regions. The map has 25 cities and 20 towns connected by trade routes. The regions are separated by dashed lines and colored differently. There are no special requirements for expanding trade across region boundaries. The cities are shown on the map as large circles with numbers in their centers.
Players open cities for trade by placing the round city markers on cities with matching numbers.
The towns are shown as small buildings without numbers, but located at intersections along the trade routes. Passage through a town is controlled by the player who has opened a branch office there. The trade routes connect the cities and towns. The number on a trade route is the amount it costs to open a new branch in one of the cities or towns from the other city or town. The scoring track displays the players influence points.