Docklands is a trading and shipping game for 3–5 players based on the "Container" board game. Each player runs a shipping company — manufacturing commodities, buying and selling containers, and sailing to Dubai to sell cargo at auction. Each player starts with $200, 1 factory, 1 warehouse, and an empty ship.

End the game with the most money. Your score comes from your cash on hand, containers scored on your Dubai island using your secret card, and bonuses for any containers remaining in your harbor exchange and on your ship. Winning auctions to collect the right containers for your island can be highly valuable. Loans are a penalty at the end.

You have 2 actions per turn. You may also take or repay loans at any time — loans do not cost an action.

• Manufacture — Produce 1 container per factory into your factory store. Pay $10 union fee to the player on your right. Once per turn only.
• Trade — Buy containers from one other player's factory store into your harbor exchange. Limited by the number of warehouses you own.
• Buy Factory — Add a factory (costs $60, $90, or $120). Max 4 factories.
• Buy Warehouse — Add a warehouse (costs $40, $50, $60, or $70). Max 5 warehouses.
• Dock Ship — Move your ship to any player's harbor or to Dubai. Docking at a harbor lets you load containers from their harbor store onto your ship (max 5). Loading does not cost an action if you docked this turn.

When your ship docks at Dubai, all other players secretly bid on your cargo. Once all bids are in, you choose to:

• Accept — The highest bidder pays their bid; you receive 2× that amount. The cargo goes to the winner's Dubai island.
• Decline — You pay the highest bid to the bank and keep the cargo on your own Dubai island.

The game ends on the turn that causes a 2nd commodity color to be fully depleted from the supply pool. That player finishes their turn, then final scoring occurs immediately — remaining players do not take a turn.

Each player's total is the sum of:

• Cash in hand — Full value.
• Dubai island containers — Valued using your secret scoring card. The most common color on your island is discarded as surplus (ties: the two-value color is discarded first). If you have all 5 colors, your two-value color scores $100 instead of $50.
• Harbor exchange — $20 per container remaining.
• Ship cargo — $30 per container remaining.
• Loans — $110 penalty per outstanding loan.

The player with the most money wins.