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Barcelona: The Rose of Fire

Barcelona: The Rose of Fire Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

  • Introduction
  • Components
    • The board
    • 82 action cards
    • Other components
  • Goal
  • How to Play
    • General rule for breaking ties
  • Setting Up the Game
    • First player
  • The Sequence of Game Play
    • Phase structure
    • End of phase procedure
    • End of period procedure
  • Individual Turns
    • I. Place a city tile
    • II. Construct a building
    • III. Place striking workers in Raval
    • IV. Place obelisk
  • End of Phase Procedure
    • 1. Rebellion!
    • 2. Assignment of the "Labor strike" card
    • 3. Assignment of a prestige card
    • 4. Assignment of the popularity cards
    • 5. Dealing out the city cards
    • 6. Assignment of the first player marker
  • End of Period Procedure
    • 1. Score buildings
    • 2. Quell protests
  • End of the Game
    • End of phase procedure
    • End of period procedure
  • Action Cards
    • City cards
    • Popularity cards
    • Prestige cards
    • Labor strike
  • Influence
    • Influence counters
    • Influence cards
  • Social Conflict Track
    • Events on the social conflict track
    • Anarchy
  • Two Player Games
    • Optional rule: no labor strike
  • Auca of Prestige

Introduction

In Barcelona, The Rose of Fire two to four players play against each other to become the most prosperous and influential upper middle class family. The game is set in the period between 1854 and the start of the 20th century, in those few decades when Barcelona went from a normal city to one of Europe's great metropolises.

Components

The board

  1. In the center of the lower part of the board is Raval (1), one of the poorest neighborhoods in Barcelona. It is characterized by blocks of apartment buildings that make it the most densely populated neighborhood in the city's historic center, and it is here that players put striking workers when constructing a new building.
  2. To the left of Raval is the space for the barricades (2), where striking workers go when there are too many in Raval. They represent the insurgents who carry out small acts of urban protest, such as rebellions or the construction of barricades.
  3. Below them is the Castle of Montjuïc (3). This castle sits atop the summit of Montjuïc mountain and houses the city's military garrison. At the start of the game, place sixteen black soldiers there. As the game plays out take the soldiers you need from there and put them in Raval to represent suppression by the army.
  4. Below Raval, there is the social conflict track (4). During the game the "Bomb" marker moves along this track.
  5. The top and right quadrants of the board consist of a grid made up of 118 squares that represent the Eixample (5), the city planning design by Ildefons Cerdà for the expansion of the city beyond its medieval city walls. The Eixample is divided into three districts: Left (5A), Right (5B) and Sant Martí (5C). The three districts are empty at the start of the game, but as the game moves along the players' actions will make the Eixample grow as city tiles and buildings are placed in the grid boxes. Each district has three starting points that indicate the development zones in which players can place their first city tiles. Within the same district, each of the three starting points is a different color. These colors correspond to the three different kinds of city tiles.
  6. In the lower left corner of the board is the Auca of Prestige (6). The Auca is a typically Catalan form of comic and in the game it is used by the players to keep track of the level of prestige they have obtained. At the beginning of the game, the prestige markers are placed in frame "1" of the Auca (which is framed in green). Once a player reaches frame "15", then each time the prestige marker should move forward, instead the player gets 1 victory point added to his or her score. Likewise, if the marker reaches the "-5" frame, the player's score will be reduced by one victory point for each space beyond that point the player should have moved back.

82 action cards

Each turn the players play action cards in order to carry out actions. There are four different kinds of actions (these can be distinguished by the illustrations on the front and back of the cards). The cards in the player's hand are determined in each end of phase procedure. The action cards can be one of the following types:

  • 36 city cards. The city cards allow players to place a city tile and construct a building on the board.
  • 39 popularity cards. These cards allow players to place a city tile and construct a building on the board. They also provide them with special opportunities in the game.
  • Six prestige cards. During each end of phase procedure, just one player will receive a prestige card.
  • One "Labor strike" card. This card has a negative value and is assigned to a player during each end of phase procedure.

Other components

  • 80 striking workers. These wooden counters in four different colors represent the striking workers and have-nots leading the protests expressing the discontent of Barcelona's growing population.
  • Ten obelisk counters. Every time a block, made up of four city tiles (2x2), is completed on the board, an obelisk is placed in the center of this block.
  • Four family card boards. Each player receives a family card at the start of the game. These cards represent some of the richest, most influential Catalan families, whose philanthropy and patronage drove the development of the city into the modern era.
  • 90 city tiles. These square cardboard tiles come in three different colors (with 30 tiles in each color). The front of the tiles shows an octagonal city block of houses typical of Barcelona's Eixample. The players place their city tiles on squares of the Eixample grid to build the city. When they complete a square (2x2) block, first an obelisk is placed then the block is scored. After that the tiles are turned over to show the other "completed" side with leafy trees around the edges and a colored point in the center.
  • Seven immigration counters. The immigration counters represent the large numbers of immigrants dreaming of the "Catalan paradise" who came to the city to seek a better life. The players must take this amount into consideration when building their buildings.
  • Sixteen soldiers (black). These black wooden counters represent the soldiers from the Spanish army that make up the garrison of Barcelona.
  • 36 influence counters. Each of these counters bears one of the three influence symbols representing the support the players provide to a specific cause or important individual: support for the Spanish Crown, interests in the colonies and prestigious personalities.
  • 80 building counters. Each player has a group of 20 building counters in the color of their family. These include five upper class buildings, five middle class buildings, five working class buildings and five low cost buildings.

Goal

You are charged with managing the wealth of some of the richest upper class families of Barcelona. Your objective is to obtain power and wealth (in the form of VP). To do so, you will have to compete with other influential families from the Catalan capital, take advantage of both the recently begun expansion of the city beyond the limits of Barcelona's old medieval walls; and the waves of immigrants drawn to the city by the offer of jobs. Most of what we know as Barcelona today will be the result of your efforts and struggles.

However, the threat of social conflicts is always present. The masses of unemployed workers and outsiders is rapidly growing. Rioting, protests and strikes place the city's safety at risk.

How to Play

Generally, during the game the players play action cards from their hand in order to place city tiles and construct buildings on the board. The more impressive the buildings players build are, the more VP they earn, but at the same time the level of social conflict in the city also rises, as more striking workers are placed in Raval.

Phase after phase, the players decide how they want to play the cards and must try to foresee and plan out the composition of their hand in the next phase. The players get popularity cards if they are able to have the greatest number of different building types in the districts of Barcelona. Completing blocks earns them prestige and the possibility to take a prestige card. On the other hand, the player that caused the most disturbances in the city is penalized by having to keep the "Labor strike" card in their hand.

General rule for breaking ties

Whenever two or more players have tied in any situation (e.g. when deciding who has the most in order to assign popularity cards, the "Labor strike" card, etc.), check the player's position on the Auca. The player with the most prestige wins the tie.

If players are still tied, the tie is broken based on the turn-taking order. The first player wins ties over those to his left, and then each successive player over those to his left.

Setting Up the Game

  • Each player gets a family card and takes the elements of the corresponding color, namely, the building counters, the VP marker, the prestige marker and the striking workers.
  • Put the influence counters in the red bag, to create a reserve to draw from. Then each player takes an influence marker at random and leaves it face down next to their family card. This counter indicates your family's alignment and you must keep it separate from the rest of the influence counters that you receive during the game (which are placed on top of your family card).
  • Based on the number of players, place the "Bomb" marker in the appropriate starting space on the social conflict track. It is placed on II, III or IIII for games with two, three or four players respectively.
  • Place the nine influence cards face up along one edge of the board.
  • Put the sixteen soldiers in the Castle of Montjuïc.
  • Place the prestige marker of each player in frame "1" of the Auca (which is framed in green) and the VP markers on the victory points scoreboard.
  • Divide the city tiles into three piles, one for each color.
  • Shuffle action cards in three different decks, one for the city, one for popularity and one for prestige.
  • Mix up the six immigration counters, either facedown or in a bowl.
  • Deal four city cards face down to each player (five cards if it is a game with just two players).
  • Keep the black bag for extra striking workers at hand.

First player

Once the players have taken their seats around the table, it is randomly decided who will be the first player during the first phase and that player is then given the first player marker.

The Sequence of Game Play

The game consists of three different periods:

I) The tearing down of the medieval walls II) Expansion III) The period of Modernisme

  • Period I and period II are made up of two phases each, while period III is made up of one single phase. This means a full game is made up of a total of five phases. The turn marker is used to indicate the division of the game into periods and phases (see the board).
  • An end of phase procedure must be performed after each phase (see "End of Phase Procedure"). When the required number of phases has been played, the corresponding period comes to an end with the end of period procedure (see "End of Period Procedure").

Phase structure

At the beginning of each phase, the first player sets the immigration rate and then has his or her first individual turn available.

1. Setting the immigration rate. In order to establish the immigration rate for the phase in play, the first player randomly selects an immigration counter and places it in the empty box located to the far left of the turn track.

  • Note: in the first four phases an immigration rate of "6" cannot be set. If a "6" counter comes up, another counter must be selected and the "6" counter is returned to the pile.
  • At the start of phase 5, the first player selects a counter and places it on the track, regardless of its value.

2. Individual turns. Beginning with the first player, the players will take turns moving clockwise around the table.

  • Generally, an individual turn is made up of the active player playing an action card from his or her hand.

When all the players have played all the cards in their hands, the phase is finished and an end of phase procedure must be performed.

For more details, see "Individual turns", below.

End of phase procedure

This procedure takes place when all the players have played all the cards in their hands.

  • Generally, the consequences of what the players have done in the previous phase are determined in each end of phase procedure. Also the action cards for each player's hand for the next phase are determined at this point.

For more details see "End of Phase Procedure", below.

End of period procedure

When players have gone through all the phases of a period, then an end of period procedure takes place.

  • Generally, the players earn VP based on the buildings they have in completed blocks, and the board and the reserve of striking workers is prepared for the next period.

For more details see "End of Period Procedure", below.

Individual Turns

During an individual turn, the active player chooses a card from his or her hand and plays it. The sequence described below is applied every time the active player plays a card from their hand in order to place a new city tile on the board. The three first steps are done in the indicated order and the fourth step is only done if the active player has completed a block. So, if the active player has played a card that is not an event (see "Action Cards"), carry out the following steps:

I. Place a city tile II. Construct a building III. Place striking workers in Raval IV. Place obelisk

I. Place a city tile

Most of the action cards clearly show the color of the city tile that the player can place on the board during their individual turn (unless the card is chosen to be played for its event). Once the card has been shown, the player takes the tile from the appropriate pile of tiles and places it on the table.

  • Each new city tile must always be placed (with its front face up) in an empty box on the grid, next to another tile of the same color (regardless of whether that tile has its front or back face up) or at a starting point of the same color.

II. Construct a building

The player places one of their buildings on top of the tile. This building can only be one of the types indicated on the card that has been played (the types are indicated by silhouettes).

Table 1 - Building Counters

SilhouetteTypeStatus
1 Roof (*)Upper Class1
2 RoofsMiddle Class2
3 RoofsWorking Class3
4 RoofsLow Cost4

(*) The cards that allow the construction of an upper class building include the text "Take two influence counters from the reserve. Choose 1 to keep and put the other one back. Bomb +1." This means that if the active player plays one of these cards and constructs an upper class building, then he or she gets two influence counters from the reserve. One of these is kept and the other is returned into the reserve. Additionally, the "Bomb" marker is moved to the next marker on the social conflict track.

III. Place striking workers in Raval

Generally, the player who builds a building is required to place striking workers of his or her color in Raval.

  • The amount of striking workers placed by the player is the current immigration rate minus the status of the building that was just constructed.
  • A player can have a maximum of five striking workers in Raval at any time (six, if it is a game with only two players). If a player exceeds this limit, he or she must remove two striking workers and place one of them in the barricades space (the other is returned to that player's pool). If this does not reduce the number of their striking workers enough, the player must repeat this operation as many times as needed until the player's strikers are below the allowed limit.

Example - Place striking workers in Raval: A) After the construction of a building, the blue player must put 3 striking workers in Raval and this puts the player over the limit of 5. B) Therefore, the blue player must reduce the number of striking workers twice (2 to the barricades and 2 back to his/her pool), so that there are 4 left in Raval.

IV. Place obelisk

At the end of each individual turn, if the active player has completed a block (meaning a square with four city tiles) then an obelisk is placed in the center of the block to indicate it has been completed. The four city tiles that make up the block cannot belong to any pre-existing block. If the city tile that is placed could complete two or more blocks, the active player chooses which block to complete and indicates it by placing the obelisk within the chosen 2x2 block.

Then, all of the players who have at least one building in the completed block get prestige and advance their marker on the Auca. Specifically:

  • all the players who have at least one building (of any type) in the completed block get one prestige point;
  • also, the player with buildings adding up to the highest sum of status points in the block gets another prestige point.

A change in the group of buildings within a completed block (for example, one caused by a popularity card) does not change the awarded prestige points.

End of Phase Procedure

At the end of each phase, and before the start of the next phase, all the players have to take several steps to determine the consequences of their actions and create their hand for the next phase.

  1. Rebellion!
  2. Assignment of the "Labor strike" card
  3. Assignment of a prestige card
  4. Assignment of the popularity cards
  5. Dealing out the city cards
  6. Assignment of the first player marker

1. Rebellion!

The first player is in charge of determining what the results of placing striking workers in Raval, and must carry out the following steps:

  • Take all the striking workers in Raval and put them in the black bag (note: do not take strikers from the barricade space. Leave those there!).
  • Put as many soldiers in this bag as there are players in the game or the total number of striking workers in the barricades (whichever number is higher, up to a maximum of eight soldiers).
  • Take a number of counters from the bag matching the current immigration rate and leave them in the barricades space.
  • All the players lose as many prestige points as the number of striking workers of their color now in the barricades (and their indicators on the Auca move back accordingly).
  • If any soldiers have been taken out of the bag, move the "Bomb" marker on the social conflict track the same amount of spaces as the number of soldiers taken out.

2. Assignment of the "Labor strike" card

The player with the most striking workers in the barricades takes the "Labor strike" card and adds it to his or her hand. Now the players return all the striking workers in the barricades to their respective pools. The soldiers are returned to the Castle of Montjuïc. So, at the end of this step, Raval and the barricades should be empty.

3. Assignment of a prestige card

The player with the most prestige on the Auca takes a prestige card and adds it to his or her hand.

4. Assignment of the popularity cards

The players compare the number of middle class buildings (status 2), working class buildings (status 3) and low cost buildings (status 4) that they have constructed in each district of the Eixample (if there are only two players, just compare the Left and Right districts). Note: now you should NOT take the upper class buildings into account.

  • The player who has the most buildings of one type in a district receives a popularity card and adds it to his or her hand. If this player has already reached the limit of cards for his or her hand, the card cannot be kept and is not assigned to anyone.

In total, there are nine majority comparisons to be made, with a maximum of nine popularity cards being assigned (in a two player game there are only six comparisons to be made). To get a popularity card in one of these comparisons, a player must have at least one building of the corresponding type built in the relevant district.

Example - Assignment of popularity cards at the end of the first phase: In the Right district of the Eixample, Green receives a card due to his middle class building (status 2). Yellow, Green and Blue tie with one working class building each (status 3), but the card goes to Blue as he is the one with the highest prestige at that moment. Yellow wins the card for the low cost buildings (status 4) thanks to his two buildings of that sort that outnumber those of Red and Green. Remember that you don't get any popularity cards for the upper class buildings (status 1).

5. Dealing out the city cards

Each player counts the number of cards in their hands and if it is less than the maximum number, the player draws as many city cards as he or she needs to reach the limit.

  • In a two player game, both begin each phase with five cards in their hands. In a game with three or four players, each player starts every phase with four cards in their hand.

6. Assignment of the first player marker

Give the first player marker to the player who received the "Labor strike" card.

End of Period Procedure

At the end of a period, and before the start of the next period, all the players must carry out these two steps:

  1. Score completed blocks
  2. Quell protests

1. Score buildings

Players earn victory points based on the buildings constructed in completed blocks, as indicated in this table:

Table 2 - Scoring

SilhouetteTypeVP
1 RoofUpper Class4
2 RoofsMiddle Class3
3 RoofsWorking Class2
4 RoofsLow Cost1

As you score each of the completed blocks, remove its obelisk and return the buildings to each player's pool. Also, turn the city tiles in order to have them showing their "completed" side. Be careful not to score or eliminate any building constructed on city tiles that do not make up part of any completed block.

2. Quell protests

At the end of periods I and II, empty the black bag containing the striking workers and divide them by color. The player who has the fewest striking workers in the bag is rewarded with a prestige award (see "Prestige award"). Finally, return the strikers to their respective pools.

End of the Game

At the end of the fifth phase, count up the total VP you have achieved. To do this, follow the usual end of phase and end of period directions, with the following exceptions and changes.

End of phase procedure

  1. Rebellion! This step is carried out as usual.
  2. Assignment of the "Labor strike" card. The player who received the "Labor strike" card loses a certain number of VP, depending on the position of their marker on the Auca. If the marker is in one of the negative prestige frames, the player loses 4 VP. If not, then the player only loses 2 VP (as indicated on the card).
  3. Assignment of a prestige card. The player who received a prestige card gets 4 VP (as indicated on the card).
  4. Assignment of the popularity cards. Unlike how this step is done during the game, the players now receive no popularity cards. Instead, they get 1 VP for each majority comparison they win.
  5. Dealing out the city cards. No cards are dealt.

End of period procedure

  1. Scoring the blocks. Just like it is done normally, players get VP according to the buildings constructed in completed blocks.
  2. Scoring the buildings outside blocks. Now players also score the buildings located outside the completed blocks. For each of these buildings, regardless of its type, players receive 1 VP.
  3. Scoring influence. Players get the VP granted by influence cards obtained during the game. Add the VP on these cards to the score of each of the players holding them. Additionally, each player adds a certain number of VP to their score depending on the number of influence counters they have not spent and which are therefore still within their family's power:
    • three unused influence counters: 1 VP
    • five unused influence counters: 2 VP
    • six unused influence counters: 3 VP

The winner is the player with the most victory points. In case of a tie, apply the general rule for breaking ties.

Action Cards

Players begin each phase with a full hand of action cards. Except for the first phase, the players' hands are generally made up of a combination of city cards, popularity cards, (possibly) the "Labor strike" card, and/or a prestige card. The exact composition of a player's hand depends on how things went in the end of phase procedure. The following paragraphs explain the different types of action cards used in the game.

City cards

Take a city card from the appropriate colored deck and play it in order to place a city tile on the board. The same card also allows the player to construct a building of either of the two building types indicated by the silhouettes in the top part of the card.

Popularity cards

A popularity card can always be played in order to place a city tile on the board, just as you would with any city card. Likewise, the top part of the popularity cards shows the city tile that can be placed by the player and what kind of building he or she may construct. Some of these cards show a city tile symbol in 3 colors. This is a wildcard and indicates that the active player can place a tile of any color.

Some popularity cards bear the word event and have a dotted line so they can be easily identified. When one of these cards is played, the player chooses whether to play it normally, like any other city card (ignoring the event text), or to play it for its event instead. In the latter case, follow the instructions on the card and the player will place no city tile that turn.

All of the popularity cards that do not bear an event have a special ability that will be played in addition to the placement of a city tile and the construction of a building. The effects of these abilities can be resolved at any time during an individual turn, but before the consequences of a block completion are applied.

Cards left on the table. Popularity cards are usually discarded after being played, except when their text indicates the card must remain on the table. In this case, when someone has played them, the cards are left on the table and are discarded only when the effect they describe has occurred or when its conditions have been met.

Prestige award. Some cards reward the player with a prestige award. When this happens, the player gets a certain number of prestige points depending on his or her current position on the Auca:

  • one prestige point if the player has the most prestige;
  • three prestige points if the player has the least prestige; or
  • two prestige points if neither of the above applies (i.e., the player has neither the most nor the least prestige or is tied with another player for either of the two positions).

Prestige cards

Prestige cards are similar to popularity cards. The main difference is that prestige cards always give VP to the player. In each end of phase procedure a prestige card is assigned to a player and is included in his or her hand.

Labor strike

The "Labor strike" card is assigned to a player during the end of phase procedure, and is added to his or her hand and counted for the number of cards limit. This card is played during the player's individual turn like any other card.

Influence

Players accumulate power in the city of Barcelona by getting influence counters from the reserve and using them to obtain influence cards. These cards represent the main events and figures in the city's history.

Influence counters

Players take one or two counters from the influence reserve when specified by the effect on an action card. The influence cards have one of three possible symbols: a crown, colonies or personalities. Each player keeps the counters they have obtained face down on top of their family card.

  • A player can have a maximum of six influence counters on his or her family card. If this limit is exceeded at any time, the player must choose which counters to keep and discard those above the limit.

With regard to the influence counter that determines their family's alignment, players can reveal it and use it to perform one of these three actions during the game:

  1. Use it with other counters to acquire an influence card, according to the usual rules.
  2. Activate their special ability depending on the symbol shown on the card:
    • Crown: when you play a popularity card with an event, spend the counter so that you can place a city tile and construct a building, as well as playing the event in question. Once the city piece is placed, the building is constructed and all possible resulting effects have been put into play, only then the event is applied.
    • Colonies: during the end of phase procedure, you receive one additional popularity card (while still respecting the card limit for your hand).
    • Personalities: during a prestige award, you gain three prestige points regardless of your position on the Auca.
  3. Alternatively, you may keep your family's alignment counter secret until the end of the game, when you then reveal it in order to gain a bonus of +2 VP for each influence card you have of the same type (however, in anarchy you do not gain any points, since you have to discard all your cards).

Influence cards

There are nine influence cards, each of which grants a certain number of VP. As a free action during their individual turn, players can acquire an influence card in exchange for giving up a specific number of influence counters. The number and type of counters that must be discarded depend on the requirements of the card in question, but a player can discard two influence counters of the same type in exchange for one counter of another type (for example, two crown counters can be exchanged for one colony counter). The discarded counters are returned to the pile of reserve counters.

Social Conflict Track

The social conflict track represents the progressive increase in division between the social classes within the Catalan society and permits a measurement of the worsening situation in the city up to a citywide uprising. At the beginning of the game, the "Bomb" marker is placed in the starting space (this position varies depending on the number of players). As the players construct upper class buildings, or due to rebellions (see "Rebellion!") or events determined by the cards, the "Bomb" will advance along the track towards anarchy.

Events on the social conflict track

The social conflict track has three symbols that indicate the three important trends in Barcelona's history. When the "Bomb" marker reaches a space with a symbol, the corresponding event is activated. If an event is activated during a player's turn, the effects of the event are applied at the end of that turn. If the event is activated during an end of phase procedure, the effects are immediately applied.

  • Each of these events eliminates from the game all the influence cards bearing that event's same symbol which have not yet been acquired by the players.

Below there are descriptions of the events on the social conflict track.

1. The Third Carlist War (crown). The Third Carlist War broke out in 1871, when Amadeo I of Savoy was crowned king of Spain instead of the Carlist pretender, Charles VII. On 27 February 1876, after four years of war, the Carlist pretender was exiled to France. On that same day, King Alfonso XII of Spain entered Pamplona.

  • When this event is activated, discard all the crown influence cards that are still available.

2. The disaster (colonies). The Spanish-American war was a conflict between Spain and the United States that ended in 1898 with the Treaty of Paris. This treaty granted the USA temporary control over Cuba, and indefinitely ceded Spain's colonial control over Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippines to the United States. The defeat was a devastating blow to the sense of national pride of the Spanish and led to the end of the Spanish Empire.

  • When this event is activated, discard all the colonies influence cards that are still available.

3. La Setmana Tràgica (personalities). The Setmana Tràgica, which means "The Tragic Week" in English, is the name used for a series of violent clashes in Barcelona and other Catalan cities during the last week of July 1909. The clashes were between the Spanish armies and the working class, with the latter supported by anarchists, socialists and republicans.

  • When this event is activated, discard all the personalities influence cards that are still available.

Anarchy

If the "Bomb" marker reaches the anarchy space on the social conflict track and, if during an end of the phase procedure, at least one soldier has been taken out during a rebellion, anarchy overtakes the city with uncontrollable rioting of the working class and poor. If this happens the following rules apply:

  • The players immediately discard all the influence cards they have acquired up to that point and the VP granted by these cards are not scored.
  • For any score thereafter, the players get victory points based on the buildings they have constructed in completed blocks as normal, but an "inverted" scoring table is used (see the following table).

Table 3 - Anarchy scoring

SilhouetteTypeVP
1 RoofUpper Class1
2 RoofsMiddle Class2
3 RoofsWorking Class3
4 RoofsLow Cost4

Two Player Games

If you play this game with only two players, adjust the rules as indicated below:

  • The Sant Martí district is not used. So city tiles can only be placed in the Left and Right districts of the Eixample.
  • Each player receives five cards at the start of the game and the end of each phase (instead of four).
  • The players can have a maximum of six striking workers in Raval at any one time (instead of five).

Optional rule: no labor strike

In a game with just two players, the "Labor strike" card may be considered too harsh a penalty, especially if we consider that it is highly likely the other player will get the prestige card. So with this optional rule, the player who receives the "Labor strike" card does not add it to his or her hand (therefore, he or she can still have five other cards) and the card does not need to be played. The player only keeps the card in order to show that he or she will get the first player marker in the end of phase procedure.

Auca of Prestige

FrameVerse
-5The Josepets were kicked out the door, then saved by the Little Sisters of the Poor.
-4An ugly riot all over town and his factory was burned down.
-3His workers arms take up with his orders they're fed up.
-2The bird of bad omen, unstoppable lit upon our man's head, implacable.
-1With far too much waving of the lip he unwittingly let something slip.
1A great man from the very start not a vice he had, just all heart.
2An elegant man is always greeted, he is decided and a bit conceited.
3For all the wise he is an example. A shining truth, a glowing temple.
4Selfless and strict as the family head, ruthless and winning in business instead.
5Frills, buttons and bows arranged neatly. He runs his factory quietly and discretely.
  • In the top left of the board is the turn track (7). At the beginning of each turn a (randomly selected) immigration counter is placed in the first empty box of this track. The number of counters present on the turn track shows the players what turn is currently in play. Finally, the track also shows when one part of the game ends and the next begins (see "The sequence of game play").
  • Along the right edge of the board there are the victory points (VP) track (8), that is used to display the players' score during the game. Each player keeps track of the total VP he or she has achieved using their VP marker. These points are obtained primarily by constructing buildings on the board and by getting influence cards. If a player's score exceeds 40 VP, their VP marker goes back to the start of the track with the "+40" side up, and then the player continues moving up the track as more points are obtained.
  • Nine influence cards. These nine cards are organized into three groups according to their influence symbol. There are three bearing the crown, three for the colonies and three for personalities. Each of these can be obtained by trading in the required number of influence counters (as indicated on the card) and each grants a certain number of VP (indicated in the upper right corner of the card).
  • Four prestige markers, one for each player. These are placed on the Auca.
  • Four VP markers, one for each player. These are placed on the VP track.
  • One "Bomb" marker to be placed on the social conflict track.
  • One first player marker.
  • Two cloth bags, one red bag and one black bag. These are used to hold the reserves of influence markers and strikers during the game.
  • 6Liberals and conservatives both get some so long as he is on top when it's done.
    7Cuba, Philippines, cause him no worry; in Paris his fabrics sell out in a hurry.
    8Generous, he flourishes his pen and houses for the poor are built then.
    9He has Eixample buildings along the course; he drives his autocar, no need for a horse.
    10He has a mansion in Vallvidrera and for his beloved, a flat in la Sagrera.
    11He loves the good live and cremats, and terulias in Els Quatre Gats.
    12While on the stage in the Liceo envy is fine, he knows to flatter the governor while in line.
    13He ordered a bust of Victoria Eugenia and was praised in the Pope's encyclical media.
    14Alfonso XIII takes him stalking; his good name and reward interlocking.
    15He's received the key to the city. His name will live on for eternity.