After a massive earthquake in 1755 that tore down Lisbon and most of Portugal’s southern coast, it was necessary to rebuild an entire nation. The demand for window glass increased so much that William Stephens, a British businessman, saw the opportunity to expand his business in Portugal by investing in the glass industry. Utilizing his commercial skills and civic education, Stephens was able to nurture an unprecedented industry that provided medical care, education, and culture for the workers and their families.

In Stephens, players compete amongst one another in the role of master glassmakers working at the now-famous Stephens Factory to become the most prestigious figure in town…after Stephens, of course. Through clever and cunning planning, all players will develop their works, invest in new businesses, and promote the creation of jobs. Through a unique action-selection mechanism, on their turn players choose from a variety of options, either by activating the Stephens factory or by activating one of their personal investments.

The game ends when the Napoleonic forces arrive in town, at which time the player with the most prestige wins.

Each turn you will choose a single action to perform a variety of options using a distinct action selection mechanism; you either:

• Take a single glassware from a factory on the game board and perform the corresponding action

— OR —

• Take a single disk from your player board to assign a worker to a new profession and unlock a permanent ability for yourself.