The Battle of Versailles
The Battle of Versailles Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Objective of the Game
The Battle of Versailles is a game for 2 players where one takes the role of France and the other the United States. They face each other in a duel where they will have to put their best dresses into play in order to attract the celebrities of the moment or play events that confuse the opposing team. They must also play their part in the reconstruction of the Palace of Versailles.
The French player has 5 actions per round to represent a 2½ hour show, while the American player has only 3 actions per round, since their performance only lasted 37 minutes.
The victory conditions are different for each side, and both must choose the best strategy to fulfil them:
- France must try to keep its place at the top of the industry, while the United States must try to steal its prestige.
- France must contribute to the renovation of Versailles for the sake of self-esteem and national honor.
- The United States must show how innovative its dresses are.
- Both teams must fight to attract the most influential celebrities of the moment.
Components
- 1 Versailles board
- 9 runway tiles (5 'Play a card' tiles, 1 'Draw cards' tile, 1 'Designer' tile, 1 'Income' tile and 1 'Prestige' tile)
- 10 designer cards (5 French and 5 American)
- 70 playing cards (35 French and 35 American)
- 30 Versailles tiles
- 1 prestige pawn
- 1 model figurine
Game Preparation
A. Place the board of Versailles on one side of the table.
B. Divide the Versailles tiles by color and shuffle each deck. Place 6 tiles of each color randomly face down in their corresponding spaces. Turn the 2 tiles on the center column face up. Return the remaining tiles to the box as they will not be used in this game.
C. Place the prestige pawn in the zero space of the prestige track on the board.
D. Build the runway in the center of the table. Place the runway tiles face up so that the icon in the lower left corner of each card is face up on the side of the French player. They must be in the following order:
- First place the 'Draw cards' tile.
- Then place the 5 'Play a card' tiles in this order: one double (with the stripes on both sides), one simple (with only the French stripe), double, simple, double.
- Finally place the remaining 3 action tiles in this order: 'Income' tile, 'Designer' tile and 'Prestige' tile.
Follow the same structure in your next games, but if you want different strategies, you can place the 'Play a card' tiles in random order. You may also place the last 3 tiles in the order you prefer.
E. Place the model figurine on top of the 'Draw cards' tile.
F. Choose your team and sit on the corresponding side of the table.
G. Shuffle your designer deck, which is composed of 5 cards each. Place it face up, next to the 'Designers' runway tile.
H. Shuffle your team deck, which should have 35 cards. Place it face down next to the 'Draw cards' runway tile.
Gameplay
Each game of The Battle of Versailles can last a maximum of 5 rounds. In each round different runway actions are performed until one team meets their victory conditions and the game ends.
At the end of the fifth round if neither player has met any of the victory conditions, whoever has the most points on the prestige track wins (see Victory Conditions below).
Each round consists of the following sequence that must be carried out in order:
- Perform the action that is indicated on the tile where the model is placed.
- Move the model to the next runway tile.
- Repeat steps 1 and 2 until the model has finished the last runway tile.
- Once the model has paraded the whole runway, you must:
- Discard active designers and reveal two new ones (one for each team).
- Return the model figurine to the first action tile of the runway.
A new round then begins.
The Runway Tiles
During each round, the model will parade through all the runway tiles. When the model lands on a tile, its action is triggered. You must perform the actions indicated on your side of the tile each time.
There are 5 types of 'Action' tiles. The general structure of the runway tiles is as follows:
- Action type: 'Draw cards' (see below), 'Play a card' (see Play a Card Action), 'Designer' (see Designer Action), 'Income' (see Income Action), 'Prestige' (see Prestige Action).
- Starting position: During the preparation, place this side face up with the icon facing the French player.
- Lights: Lights show the upgrade value of the tile. The more lights there are on your side, the better the action.
- Action: Indicates the action the player can perform on that turn. Some cards have a side with a blue or red stripe, which indicates how the card should always be placed: red for French, blue for American. This icon indicates who decides the initiative.
- Reverse action: Icon that describes the action on the other side of the card and what you get if you upgrade it.
Draw Cards Action
Each player draws as many cards from their team deck as indicated by their side of the 'Draw cards' tile at the same time. The different options are:
- Draw 4 cards
- Draw 5 cards
- Draw 5 cards, Discard 1 card
- Draw 6 cards, Discard 1 card
Play a Card Action
There are 5 'Play a card' tiles. When the model reaches a 'Play a card' tile, you must perform the actions indicated on your side of the tile. The French team should always have the red color on its side and the American should have the blue side. If the 'Play a card' icon appears on both sides of the tile, choose and place a card from your hand face down next to this tile. Whoever has the initiative will decide who plays their card first.
In some cases, there is more than one action to perform. Example: Discard a card + Play a card. The different actions are:
- Play a card
- Discard a card
- Draw a card
- Wildcard features (see Designer Action)
The Battle of Versailles is a card driven game. Each type of card has its own characteristics and during your turn you must choose which card you play and how you play it. Each card shows:
- A. Type of card
- B. Name
- C. Dress features and prestige (dress cards only)
- D. Prestige and effect of playing the card (celebrity cards only)
- E. Effect (event cards only)
- F. Team color and Draw cards / Income
Instead of playing the card by the effect of its type (dress, event, celebrity), players can play it by:
- Drawing cards: Place the card on the discard pile and draw from your team deck the number of cards indicated by the icon (+2/+3 cards depending on the side).
- As an income action, by placing the card face down on the 'Income' tile. The total earnings will be added up when the model reaches the 'Income' action tile (see Income Action).
Event Cards
How to play an event card. Perform the action described and place the card on the discard pile.
If an event allows for a dress to be moved, a dress from either side can be moved. However, the dress must remain on the same side. It may never switch teams. A dress that is partially covered by another dress cannot be moved. The dress must be placed on a valid space, which means on a tile that has your team's color.
If an event allows two action tiles to exchange place, everything associated with that action (the model, dresses, deck of cards, designers, income cards) must move with the tile. Action tiles of any type can be exchanged as long as they are adjacent.
Example: USA plays an event card where it discards an opponent's dress and then exchanges the current card with the next one. To exchange the card, the dresses associated with that action tile are also moved. The model also moves with the tile. Finally, the card is discarded and the game moves to the next turn by moving the model to the next tile. As a result, USA has made France lose a turn.
Dress Cards
How to play a dress card. Dress cards are usually played on the 'Play a card' action tiles. When playing, place it next to the current 'Play a card' tile.
If there is already another dress (because a dress card has been played there in previous turns), partially cover it, so that only the feature or prestige icon of the dress is visible at the top of the card.
In case that a dress card is played through a secondary action or by the action of a Versailles tile, the dress is placed on the runway tile that is active at that time, i.e., where the model is located. If the active tile is not a 'Play a card' tile, then the player can choose any 'Play a card' tile to place the dress card. Dresses can only be played or moved to actions that have your team color.
Design features: each dress has one or two qualities that will be counted during the 'Designers' action (see Designer Action), and a prestige value that will be counted in the 'Prestige' action (see Prestige Action).
Dress feature icons: Fluid Fabrics, Disco Influence, Ethnic Inspiration, Geometric Shapes, Free Flowing Silhouettes, Casual, Prints, Sobriety, Sophistication, Classic style, Masculine inspiration.
Example: USA plays a dress card. They must play it on the tile where the model is located. Since there is already a dress card played previously, the new card partially covers the existing card leaving only the first icon visible.
Celebrity Cards
How to play a celebrity card. Place the celebrity card in one of the free spaces that is closest to you on the main board. Perform the action indicated in the space.
American side spaces (draw a card, then in order): Draw a card; Immediately play a dress card from your discard pile; Immediately play an additional card from your hand in this turn; Upgrade one of the 5 'Play a card' tiles.
If you are performing the 'Play a card' action and you play a dress card, you must play it on the tile where the model is. If the model is not on a 'Play a card' tile, you can choose any other valid space.
If there is no free space, discard a celebrity card from your opponent (the one closest to you) and place yours on the space. In this case, the action indicated in the space is not performed.
Finally, trigger the celebrity ability you have just played.
IMPORTANT: If you have seven celebrities in play at the end of your turn, congratulations. You are the winner!
Example: USA plays a celebrity card. They place it on the first available space. The 'Draw cards' action is triggered because the space is free. The action of that celebrity card is then triggered, upgrading the 'Draw cards' action tile.
Example: USA plays a celebrity card. If all spaces are occupied, they discard the French celebrity closest to their characters or to their side of the game if they have none and replace it with their card. Because the space had already been occupied, the action on the board below is not performed. The action of the new celebrity card is activated, however, upgrading the 'Income' action tile.
Designer Action
Starting with whoever has the initiative and from left to right, each side checks how many pairs of icons it has from its designer in play. For each pair you have that matches the designer's skill, the indicated bonus is awarded.
There are 10 cards representing the 10 designers who were part of the Battle of Versailles. 5 cards for each team.
Every designer has a number of skills. Each skill has a condition and associated bonuses. To get the bonus you must have a pair of the designer's skill icons visible amongst your dresses. One bonus is awarded for each pair of icons you have. If you have more than one, the bonuses are awarded from left to right.
Wildcard icon: The 'Play a card' and 'Designer' action tiles can offer a designer wildcard icon. This wildcard icon is only used in the 'Designers' action to complete one of the designer's skill pairs. The wildcard icon is NOT valid for the American victory condition of having 6 different qualities in the same column of dresses.
If the Designer tile on the side of a team shows the icon for it, that team needs 3 matching icons to get the indicated bonus instead of 2.
Example: The skills of the American designer need 'geometric shapes', 'disco influence' and 'ethnic inspiration' icons. Among the dresses on display there is 1 'geometric shapes' icon, 2 'ethnic inspiration' icons, 3 'disco influence' icons and a wildcard icon offered by one of the 'Play a Card' tiles. USA may choose to use the wildcard icon to form a pair of 'geometric shapes' or to form the second 'disco influence' pair. They choose to form a second 'disco influence' pair. The skills bonuses are awarded from left to right:
- 0 pairs of 'geometric shapes'
- 2 pairs of 'disco influence' upgrade the 'Prestige' action tile twice
- 1 'ethnic inspiration' pair upgrades the 'Income' action tile once.
Income Action
The side that has the initiative decides whether or not to play a card from their hand to add income. If they play it, place the card face down next to the 'Income' tile, next to any other cards you may have played as an income during the round. The opponent then does the same.
Both sides then reveal their income cards at the same time and add up the amounts of their cards played, adding the 'Income' tile bonus if any. Compare the totals.
Whoever has the highest amount of income chooses 2 Versailles tiles. Then, if the opponent has at least half the income earned by the other player, they can choose 1 Versailles tile. If they have less than half the income, they will not be able to take any Versailles tiles from the palace. In case of a tie, France wins.
When taking a tile, only those that are face up are available. The Versailles tiles trigger immediate actions. Once a tile is taken, its effect is triggered immediately. The tiles that are orthogonally adjacent must then be turned over.
Once the tile action is complete, it must be left face up in your play area. Most tiles have flags that can give France victory if it collects enough. Finally, the cards played as income must be removed from the game. These cards cannot be recovered or reused. Income cards are the only ones that do not return to the discard pile.
Example: USA and France play a face-down income card. They reveal the cards they have played. France also reveals the card it has played during that round. France has a total of 10 francs. USA has a total of 5 francs. France earns the income and chooses 2 Versailles tiles face up from the palace. First, they choose a tile, perform its action, reveal the adjacent tiles, choose the second and perform its action. Adjacent tiles are revealed. USA has exactly half the income of France, so they choose only 1 Versailles tile and performs its action. Adjacent tiles are revealed for future rounds. Finally, the cards played as income are removed from the game.
Prestige Action
When the model reaches this tile, both players add up their total prestige based on:
- The prestige points visible in their played 'Dress' cards
- The prestige points of the designer in play
- The prestige points bonus of the 'Prestige' action tile
- The prestige points of the celebrities played on the board
Players compare their prestige total and apply the difference obtained in the prestige track on the main board.
If France gets more prestige points than the United States, the prestige pawn moves to the French side. If the United States gets more prestige points than France, the pawn moves to the American side.
Example: USA adds up its current prestige: 13 (3+5+5) points for dresses, 0 points for designer, 0 points for the Prestige action bonus, 4 (1+2+1) points for celebrities. USA has a total of 17 prestige points.
France adds up its current prestige: 9 points for dresses, 3 points for designer, 3 points for Prestige action bonus, 3 points for celebrities. France has a total of 18 prestige points.
The difference between USA and France is only 1 prestige point in France's favor. In this case, France moves the prestige pawn to square 1 on its side.
Runway Tiles Upgrade
All runway tiles can be upgraded by Event, Designer, and Versailles effects. Upgrades are represented by the runway lights. The more lights that are switched on, the better the associated action.
When upgrading a runway tile, rotate or flip it so you have one more light switched on. If a runway tile is already at its maximum level, it cannot be upgraded but the player can gain a prestige point as compensation.
End of Game
The game ends when one of the following conditions is met:
- Celebrities (applicable to both the United States and France): If someone manages to fill the 7 spaces with their celebrities, they win the game immediately.
- French Pride (applicable to France only): If France manages to collect 15 or more French flags on the Versailles tiles, they immediately win the game.
- Dress qualities (applicable only to the United States): If the United States manages to display 6 different qualities in the same column of dresses (covered icons and wildcard icons do not count), they win the game immediately.
- Prestige (applicable to both the United States and France): If someone reaches the end of the Prestige track, they win the game immediately.
If none of these conditions are met at the end of round 5, the player with most prestige wins. The zero space belongs to France.
Historical Notes
Eleanor Lambert Eleanor Lambert was the mastermind behind the Battle of Versailles. Considered the godmother of 20th century American fashion, she was unrivalled as a publicist and fashion agent. She dedicated her whole career to making American designers internationally known; she invented the famous Vanity Fair Best-Dressed List, created the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), and New York Fashion Week.
Gerald Van der Kemp Curator of the Palace of Versailles, Van der Kemp was looking for sponsors to finance the 60 million dollars needed to renovate the building. When Lambert proposed the idea of organizing an event, he agreed immediately. The event was called Grand Divertissement à Versailles: the 'battle' was a term invented by the press to generate anticipation.
Bill Blass The Indiana designer arrived in New York in 1940 and began his career reproducing patterns by Balenciaga and Christian Dior. He worked in Anna Miller's workshop, and later created his own brand of American casual style. A friend of Óscar de la Renta, Jackie Kennedy and Nancy Reagan, he competed in Versailles to build his confidence and establish himself as one of the most influential designers in the United States.
Óscar de la Renta Born in the Dominican Republic, he studied Fine Arts in Madrid and took his first steps in the fashion world with Balenciaga. In 1965 he worked at Jane Derby until her death in 1973, when the company was renamed Oscar de la Renta. His design was sophisticated and impeccable. He was Eleanor Lambert's star client, and his French connections—he had studied fashion in Paris and his first wife was Françoise de Langlade, editor of Vogue Paris—took him straight to Versailles. Yves Saint Laurent invited him to participate.
Halston He began his career with hat design: he became famous in 1961 thanks to the pill-box hat worn by Jacqueline Kennedy at her husband's presidential inauguration. Throughout his career he dressed celebrities like Liza Minnelli, Bianca Jagger and Elizabeth Taylor. His work was very disruptive at the time: he introduced African American models to his parades and his urban, sophisticated designs were liberating for women. He wanted his work to be internationally recognized and the Battle of Versailles was his big chance to do so.
Anne Klein Her real name was Hannah Golofski. In 1948 she married textile entrepreneur Ben Klein and they created the Junior Sophisticates brand. Klein introduced the working girl style, a new look for career women who wanted to be leaders in their professions without having to dress like men. The French considered her clothes too commercial and banal, and Pierre Bergé did not want Klein to participate in the Battle of Versailles. De la Renta convinced him.
Stephen Burrows Like Halston, Burrows was a regular on the New York party scene and a fan of disco aesthetics. He was the first African American designer to win a Coty Award, sharing it with Calvin Klein in 1973. Black models were always well represented in his shows. Master of the color block technique, he perfected vivid color combinations inspired by ethnic fashion.
Hubert de Givenchy Despite having never worked for him, he considered Balenciaga his mentor and friend. In fact, when the Spanish designer retired, he recommended his customers shop at Givenchy. He studied under the influence of designers Lucien Lelong and Elsa Schiaparelli and was a leading representative of haute couture. Sophisticated and minimalist, he created the famous little black dress worn by his friend Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's and her style in Sabrina.
Yves Saint Laurent Christian Dior died prematurely in 1957 and was replaced by his young apprentice Yves Saint Laurent, only 21 years old at the time. He opened the fashion house that bears his name in 1962 with Pierre Bergé, his professional and personal partner. Saint Laurent became a celebrity thanks to his extravagant personality and momentous contributions to the history of women's fashion. The women's tuxedo, Sahara jackets or the iconic Mondrian dress were all created by him.
Emanuel Ungaro A student of Cristóbal Balenciaga, on leaving the house he joined the team of André Courrèges: the futuristic designer. A great defender of prêt-a-porter, in 1967 he opened his first boutique on Avenue Montaigne, where he showed his hyper-feminine designs combining textures and prints. In 1999 he received the Golden Needle, the highest fashion award in Spain.
Pierre Cardin He dressed actors and celebrities such as Jeanne Moreau, Charlotte Rampling or Claude Pompidou, wife of President Charles Pompidou. In 1950 he opened his atelier on rue Richepene. Despite the reluctance of many other French designers, Cardin was among the first to create prêt-a-porter collections. He has gone down in history as the designer of the futuristic geometric shapes style that revolutionized 1960s fashion.
Marc Bohan He took on the role of creative director at Dior after the departure of Saint Laurent, and there he stayed for three decades. Bohan, introverted and discreet, had a completely different personality to his predecessor, always working in the shadows. His name barely appeared on the invitations to the Battle of Versailles. Like Dior had done with New Look, Bohan changed the form of the silhouette with his Slim Look collection and was one of Caroline of Monaco's favorite designers.
Major Renovation Louis XIII built Versailles. His son, Louis XIV extended it. And the French Revolution ended the era of opulence that the monarchs had enjoyed there. Today the Palace of Versailles is one of the biggest tourist attractions and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979, but it was not always so. In 1973 it was in terrible condition and needed a renovation costing about 60 million dollars. Versailles needed to raise funds to recover its former glory.
Kay Thompson The actor, dancer and singer Kay Thompson oversaw choreography for the American team. She revived the song Bonjour, Paris! she had performed with Fred Astaire and Audrey Hepburn in the film Funny Face (1957) especially for the occasion and had Liza Minnelli sing it at the Battle of Versailles.
The American Finale Dressed by Halston, Liza Minelli closed the show accompanied by all the models that had paraded. The applause and ovations resounded through the theater.
Final Applause "The French threw their programs in the air," Christine Anderson wrote in her article on December 2, 1973, Triumphs Fly from Versailles for The Knoxville News Sentinel. The reporter pronounced the Americans the winners of the Battle of Versailles.
Max Factor Max Factor donated 25,000 dollars to be the main sponsor of the American team in the battle. Most of the money went to production costs and financing for casting models: including the flight to Paris with Olympic Airways.
Compliments to Burrows After the battle, French designers were generous to their American colleagues and spared no praise. Saint Laurent was especially fascinated with Burrows and the way he combined the kinetic energy of street culture with that of high fashion.
What a Character Tom Fallon, Halston's friend and assistant, described his personality as follows: "We were going to work together, chatting away, but by the time we got to the building, Halston had arrived. At first it surprised me, then I understood: he had put on his Halston mask. His voice changed as he spoke to the crème de la crème of the time."
Magic Trick At the Oscar de la Renta show, Billie Blair did a magic trick: she pulled a one-color scarf from her sleeve and instantly the models appeared dressed in the same color on stage.
After-Show Fervor "The minute the Versailles show was over, those chic Frenchwomen...rushed backstage to buy up the American clothes," according to an article published in the Oakland Tribune on December 13, 1973, describing the euphoria of the moment.
Absence of Madame Grés Madame Grés was the most noted absence among French designers, a fact much commented on by the press. Princess Grace of Monaco went to the show wearing one of the designer's dresses, possibly as a tribute and vindication.
Controversial Contribution The controversial American company Monsanto, which produced artificial hair for wigs, donated 15,000 dollars for the event. The company was responsible for the creation of a pesticide that was used in the Vietnam War, so it needed positive publicity. In exchange for the donation, the company wanted American models to wear their wigs at the parade. Lambert would not allow it.
African American Models Burrows worked hard to bring his favorite models, almost all African American. Of the over 30 models wearing American designs, 10 of them were black. A milestone for the time and the context of the moment.
French Contribution The French designers contributed 30,000 dollars each to finance their shows. By contrast, the total American budget did not exceed 50,000 dollars.
Halston is Leaving! Halston's ego was the cause of more than one disagreement. He had already arrived at Versailles when he threatened to leave the country: "Halston is leaving!" he said, referring to himself in the third person. It was his good friend Liza Minnelli who convinced him to stay.
Termites in the Stage 'None seemed aware that the proceeds might be used to get rid of termites riddling the glorious 18th-century carved woodwork that provided the spectacular backdrop for the best-dressed crowd on Earth,' Monique wrote in her U.S. article Fashions at Versailles for the Daily News on November 29, 1973.
Dress Code The invitations announcing the Battle of Versailles were designed with gold letters, just like the colors of the theater. The event was scheduled for nine o'clock at night on November 28, with a black tie dress code.
Rehearsal Difficulties Whether intentional or not, the Americans had to rehearse at night in terrible conditions: without food or heating, with poor lighting and even without toilet paper, according to some of the models.
Anne Klein Veto Pierre Bergé did not want Anne Klein to participate. Many of the French were against the idea of ready-to-wear and considered Klein's clothes too commercial. But Lambert planned to show that American designers were more in tune with the fashion of the time, implying that French fashion was outdated.
Reduced Dresses Blass insisted on reducing the number of looks of each designer from 70 to 20, which allowed the American show to be much shorter and have a greater impact. It lasted about 30 minutes compared to the two-hour long French show.
Meters and Yards Illustrator Joe Eula, a friend of Halston, made a mistake when designing the backdrop: he confused meters with yards. He had to hand paint it again with hardly any time to spare before the show.
'Louis XIV, We Are Here' Journalist Scott Sullivan wrote a column for Newsweek magazine titled: 'Louis XIV, We Are Here', in clear reference to an American victory.
I'm Just a Gigolo Zizi JeanMaire performed I'm Just a Gigolo dressed in a tuxedo during the Saint Laurent parade.
Uninvited Óscar de la Renta invited Raquel Welch but had to cancel the invitation because Liza Minnelli was not willing to share the stage with her.
Iconography
- Draw cards action — the round action performed at the 'Draw cards' runway tile.
- Upgrade Draw cards tile — improves the 'Draw cards' action.
- Draw cards — draw the shown number of cards.
- Play a card action — the round action performed at a 'Play a card' runway tile.
- Upgrade Play a card tile — improves a 'Play a card' action.
- Discard 1 card — discard the indicated number of cards.
- Designer action — the round action performed at the 'Designer' runway tile.
- Upgrade Designer tile — improves the 'Designer' action.
- Repeat a Versailles tile effect you have gained — trigger again an effect you already own.
- Income action — the round action performed at the 'Income' runway tile.
- Upgrade Income tile — improves the 'Income' action.
- Repeat a Versailles tile effect of your opponent — trigger again an effect your opponent owns.
- Prestige action — the round action performed at the 'Prestige' runway tile.
- Upgrade Prestige tile — improves the 'Prestige' action.
- Steal 1 Versailles tile from your opponent — take one of your opponent's Versailles tiles; no effect is activated.
- Play a card from your hand — play an additional card from hand.
- Wildcard dress feature — a dress feature icon usable for any designer pairing (not for the American dress-quality victory condition).
- Swap 2 adjacent runway tiles — exchange the position of two neighboring runway tiles.
- Celebrity card — a card representing a celebrity attendee.
- Prestige Points — value added to your prestige total.
- Move a dress of yours or your opponent to another dress column — relocate a dress card within the rules for moving dresses.
- Dress card — a card representing a designer dress.
- Victory Points — points counted toward victory.
- Play a discarded dress — return a dress card from the discard pile into play.
- Event card — a card representing a one-time event effect.
- Income — value added to your income total.
- Play a discarded celebrity — return a celebrity card from the discard pile into play.