In 1769 William Stephens, a British industrial businessman, bought the glass factory in Marinha Grande, a small town surrounded by a huge pine forest planted in the sand. This special location, the prominent support of the Marquis of Pombal, and the protection of King José I, made the factory grow reaching the same level of Europe’s largest competitors becoming an important development factor for the whole region and the entire nation of Portugal.

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William and his brother John, with their strong civic education, were able to create an unprecedented industry regarding medical care, education, and culture for the workers and their families. Much more than one factory, the Stephens created a village.

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Even under the destructive and oppressive Napoleonic invasion, the city held out and, with the impulse of the royal glass factory, returned to the path of the great industrial center that still exists today.

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In Stephens, you take on the role of a master glassmaker working at the famous Stephens' factory, striving to become the most prestigious person in town - second only to William Stephens himself, of course.

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Through clever planning, you will develop your work, invest in new local businesses, and promote the creation of new jobs. On your turn, you must choose a single action to perform from a variety of options using a distinct action selection mechanism:

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You either take a single wooden cube from a factory on the game board into your personal supply and perform the corresponding action, or you take a single wooden disk from your player board to assign a worker to a new job and unlock a permanent ability for yourself.

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While you and the other master glassmakers strive to prosper and grow your personal investments, the French army advances toward the town. Stephens is played over an undefined number of sequential turns until the arrival of the Napoleonic forces in the town. At that time, the player with the most victory points is the winner.