In Roads & Boats, each player builds a civilization over a long period of time, like in many other games. Unlike most games, however, the emphasis is not on warfare, population growth, city or statebuilding, but on logistics, or rather: on transport.

Each player starts the game with three donkeys, a pile of wooden boards, a number of stones and two geese. With these few resources, you try to build such diverse things as woodcutters, roads, boats, mines, a stock exchange... but beware! There is no concept of territory in this game: you cannot own land, nor buildings, so the things you build can be used by any other player...

The game can be played by two to four players, but it can also be used as a one-person puzzle.