Builders of Blankenburg
Builders of Blankenburg Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 1 double-sided game board
- 98 assorted cards: 10 characters, 21 basic plans, 10 grand plans, 17 visitors, 25 citizens, 15 events
- 130 coins: 10 gold, 120 silver
- 95 resource blocks: 25 wood, 25 stone, 15 marble, 15 iron, 15 glass
- 84 coat of arms tokens
- 1 key to the town (first player token)
- 5 resource dice
- 6 player screens
- 1 rulebook
Setting up the Game
Each player starts the game with one unit of wood, one unit of stone, twelve pieces of silver, all the coat of arms tokens of their choice, and a player screen to conceal all their silver pieces. Players place one coat of arms token on the prestige track. The six basic plan cards marked with stars are randomly dealt, one to each player. One of the remaining starred basic plans is placed face up on the board, along with one random grand plan, as communal plans. The remaining starred plans are shuffled into their respective decks and placed alongside the board. In addition, each player draws a character card, which is placed face up in front of the player and adjustments made if indicated. Wood and stone are known as base or basic resources, while glass, marble and iron collectively are known as rare.
The game board provides the spaces in which the town is constructed, each color coded for the district it belongs to. Towards the bottom of the board there is a track for the town's citizens numbered I-XII, plus spaces for the current event, visitor, and the two communal plans. The marketplace in the center of the board holds resources that can be purchased each turn, while the bidding wheel in the lower left holds the resources selected and rolled for the bid. The prestige track along the top of the board keeps score among the players by using one of their coat of arms tokens.
The five citizen cards marked with stars are shuffled, with a number equal to the number of players placed face up on the citizen track. The remaining citizen cards are shuffled and placed next to the board. The visitor and event decks are also shuffled and placed next to the board. The five resources and gold coins are separated and placed in piles within reach. A number of each resource one fewer than the number of players is placed on the corresponding marketplace spaces. Finally, the first player token (key to the town) is given to the player whose birthday occurs next.
This game is set up for two players. Note 2 citizens to start and 1 of each good in the marketplace. The noble has extra silver and gold, while the merchant starts with an extra resource.
Example: Andy, Beth, Chris and Diane are playing. They each take their wood, stone, silver and coat of arms tokens. Since this is a four player game, after each player draws one of the starred basic plans, one is placed as a communal plan and the sixth is shuffled back into its deck. One grand plan is flipped over as communal as well. Four starred citizens are added to the first four spots on the citizen track, with the fifth shuffled back into the citizen deck. Each player draws a character card. Beth draws the Noble. As a result, she takes an additional four silver and one piece of gold to start the game. For a four player game, the marketplace is initially stocked with three of each resource. Andy's birthday is only a week away, so he takes the key to the town to mark him as the first player to start the game.
Each citizen card shows the citizen's name and the three different places they wish to stay in order of preference. Every citizen is also willing to stay at an inn if none of their choices are available. The citizens marked with a star are separated and make up the starting citizens in the town. This is done to ensure a level of balance in the early game by having enough citizens likely to frequent each of the six starting structures.
The Cards
Each player receives a character card, which provides them with a special ability or bonus. For example, the noble allows the player to start the game with additional silver and a piece of gold. The plan cards consist of both basic and grand plans, marked on the backs as I and II, respectively. When held by a player, these are called plans, but once built and on the board they are called structures. To build a plan, you must spend the resources it notes at the bottom, shown as blocks of the following five colors: brown (wood), gray (stone), clear (glass), white (marble) and black (iron). Plans range from the easiest basic plan that requires just two resources, to powerful grand plans that require as many as eight resources to build. Under a structure's name, it shows its symbol. Its border color shows the district in which it can be built. On the upper right is a gold circle showing prestige earned by building the structure and a silver circle showing income earned for people staying there. The bottom right shows the maximum number of people who can stay there each turn. Some basic plans are marked with stars and make up the starting plans dealt to players.
The Tudor requires 4 resources, 1 each of wood, stone, glass and marble. The Cathedral takes 8 total resources to build: 1 wood, 3 stone, 2 glass and 2 marble.
The event cards each feature instructions that are followed when they are drawn each turn. Certain events will allow players to pay for some form of benefit, while others will require payment. Any benefits offered are always optional.
The visitors have one or two places they wish to stay, plus special instructions that are followed when the card is drawn. Like on the events, these instructions may allow players to pay for a benefit, or possibly require a forced payment. Each visitor will normally stay in the town for one turn. If for some reason a new visitor does not come to the town the following turn, a face up visitor can remain in the town an additional turn. Any time cards are discarded for any reason, they are placed at the bottom of their respective deck, never into a separate discard pile. In this way, any structures demolished during the game become available to build again later.
Game Play
Each turn consists of a number of phases as follows:
- Bidding
- Building
- Income
- Marketplace
Each phase includes certain actions. Players must wait for certain phases to perform some actions.
Bidding Phase
The first player selects a number of different resources equal to one fewer than the number of players and places them on the bidding wheel. They then roll a number of dice equal to the number of players, adding the resources to the bidding wheel. Each wood or stone icon rolled adds two of that resource, while each other icon represents one of that resource. During the first turn, reroll the dice if the initial roll results in fewer resource types than players.
Resource die showing wood, stone, glass, marble, iron, and nothing.
Each player then secretly selects an amount of silver to bid, by placing it in their hand. All players will simultaneously show their bids. The highest bidder takes all the resources in one category, to a max of three, plus a piece of gold if available on the bidding wheel. The next highest bidder then gets to choose from all the remaining resources, also gaining a piece of gold should one remain. Gold will only be available in the bid if the latest citizen added shows the gold coin icon, or if called for by another card. This continues until each player who bid at least one silver has received resources. In the case of a tie in amount bid, the first player, or player nearest clockwise to the first player wins. If a player bids zero silver, they are not allowed to choose any resources, but instead gain three silver. Leftover goods after the bidding phase remain on the wheel for the next turn, to a maximum of three of each resource.
Example: Andy bids two, Beth three, Chris two, and Diane bids zero. Beth wins the bid and takes the three stone. Andy and Chris bid two each, but Andy wins because he is first player. Andy chooses the two iron and Chris takes the one wood. Diane bid zero, so she collects three silver. The two glass remain on the bidding wheel for the following turn.
Example: Andy is first player, so he gets to select three resources for the bid, since this is a four player game. He chooses to add wood, stone and glass to the bid. He then rolls four resource dice, getting stone, iron, iron, and glass. These resources are added to the bid resulting in a total of (1) wood, (3) stone, (2) iron and (2) glass.
Building Phase
Beginning with the first player, each player in turn has the opportunity to build plans from their hand, or the communal plans. To do so, there must be room available in the appropriate district on the board and the player must have the type and amount of resources noted on the plan card. A piece of gold can be substituted for any resource. The resources used to build the plan are placed back in their respective piles; the plan is placed on the appropriate space on the board, and the player places one of their coat of arms tokens on it to note ownership. They also move their coat of arms forward on the prestige track equal to the prestige noted on the plan just built.
This shop could be built for 2 wood and 1 stone. If you had 1 wood, 1 stone, and 1 piece of gold you also could build it. In this case it was built by the red player.
The four district colors are: Civic (red), Commercial (green), Religious (blue), and Residential (yellow).
Example: As first player, Andy has first opportunity to build, but has nothing he is capable of building at this time. Beth is next clockwise and builds a chapel using two stone and one wood. She places it in the religious district and puts one of her coat of arms tokens on it. She still has two stone remaining and builds the communal cottage plan using this, placing a coat of arms token on it in the residential district. Next, Chris builds a shop using two wood and one stone. He places it in the commercial district and places one of his coat of arms tokens on it. Diane is not able to build anything at this time and the building phase ends.
Demolition
A player has the option of demolishing one of their structures prior to building. A demolished structure is removed from the board and discarded. If the plan required one or more wood to build, the owner receives a piece of wood back. If the plan required one or more stone to build, the owner receives one stone back also. You never gain back more than one wood and one stone through demolition. Rare resources that were used in construction are lost when demolished. Resources gained from demolition can be immediately used to build a new plan. The new plan can even be placed in the exact same location as the demolished structure, but only when it is of greater prestige than the structured just demolished. If the space is still available the next turn, this requirement will no longer apply. There is no penalty associated with demolishing a basic structure, but if a player demolishes a grand structure they lose 1 prestige to represent the displeasure of the populace for removing an important structure. Even though it hurts to lose a point of prestige, it can be beneficial if you have an even better structure to build. When and where to demolish structures is one of the key strategies in the game.
Some cards in the game lead to structures being damaged. Once damaged, the structure cannot be occupied and is not counted as existing for purposes of bonuses associated with end of game scoring. To show damage, flip the coat of arms on the structure to its gray side. Damaged structures can only be repaired during the building phase. The cost to repair a basic structure is 2 silver and the cost to repair a grand structure is 4 silver. A player is allowed to demolish a damaged structure if they wish.
Example: It is now later in the game. Chris has the resources necessary to build the castle, but the civic district is full. Thankfully he had built a tower earlier and is now able to demolish it and build the castle in its place. For demolishing the tower, Chris receives one piece of stone (the tower originally cost three stone to build). Since the tower was a basic structure, he does not lose any prestige for demolishing it. Diane owns the monastery, which had been damaged earlier by an earthquake. During the building phase she pays four silver to repair the monastery since it is a grand structure. After doing so she flips her coat of arms token back to its colored side.
Income Phase
To begin the income phase, the first player flips over the top card of the event deck, reads it, and places it on the board. Events have an effect on the turn for all players. Next, flip the top card of the visitor deck and read what effect that visitor has, also placing it on the board. If the turn's event prevents a new visitor from arriving, the last visible visitor will remain in the town. Some cards will allow players to pay for some type of benefit, while others require payment of a certain amount. Should an individual have insufficient funds to pay as required, they must pay all their silver and then lose a point of prestige due to the shame of bankruptcy.
Finally, starting with the visitor and continuing with the citizens from highest number to lowest, each card is checked to see where they stay for the turn. If the first choice on the card is available, the owner of that structure receives income as noted on the plan card. Should more than one player own the desired structure, ties are won by the first player and then players in clockwise order, just like the bidding round. Each structure notes how many people can stay there. Income is earned for each individual who stays at the structure during the turn. Should the first choice of structure not exist, or be already filled, move on to the second choice and so on. Should no choices be available, that visitor or citizen will stay at an inn. Should no player own an inn, the visitor or citizen stays at the inn printed on the board and nobody receives income from that person.
Example: To start the income phase, Andy flips over the top event of the deck, revealing the blizzard. This card requires each player to pay one silver per residential building owned. No players have any residential buildings at this time, so it has no effect. Next, he flips over the top visitor, revealing the novice architect. This card allows each player to take a plan of their choice, either basic or grand, for free.
To easily manage income, simply place a stack of silver coins on each structure whenever anybody stays there. This keeps track of which structures are occupied. Each silver stack represents one person for structures that have a higher capacity. At the end of the income phase each player collects the income on their structures.
Finally, starting with the novice architect, they look at the visitor and each citizen to see where they prefer to stay. If the appropriate structure does not exist, the person in question will stay at the inn. The novice architect thus stays at the inn for free since there is no university or Tudor available. Next, the priest stays at Beth's chapel, paying one silver. The butcher then stays at Chris' shop, paying two silver. The baker stays at Beth's cottage, paying one silver. Finally, the chandler stays at the inn for free. He would have stayed at the shop or chapel, but both were already occupied.
Marketplace Phase
The marketplace phase allows players to purchase new plans and additional resources at fixed prices. Starting with the first player, each person is given the opportunity to buy an additional basic plan for one silver, or a grand plan for two silver. When purchasing basic plans, draw two cards, place one in your hand and replace the other on the bottom of the deck. Only one plan can be bought in this way at the marketplace each turn and a player can have a maximum of three plans at one time.
Example: Andy, Beth and Chris in turn pay one silver each, drawing two basic plans, selecting one and placing the other on the bottom of the deck. Diane decides to expand her options and opts to pay two silver. She draws the top grand plan and adds it to her hand.
Unwanted Plans
If you have plans in your hand that you will be unable to build or otherwise do not want, you can exchange them as part of buying new plans. To do so, place as many plans as you wish to discard on the bottom of their respective decks. For each plan you discard in this way, you may draw an additional plan to select from. Note, this is an additional plan to select from, not add to your hand. If you discard one plan in this way, you would be allowed to draw three basic plans instead of two, but still only add one to your hand.
After purchasing plans, the first player starts a round of buying and selling resources. Again in turn order, each player may purchase a resource from the marketplace for two silver. They may also sell as many resources as they wish for one piece of silver each. Resources that are out of stock at the marketplace cannot be purchased this turn. If there are already as many of a given resource as there are players, no more of that resource can be sold. A second round follows the first, but this time resources cost three silver. Items can still be sold for only one silver each during the second round.
Example: As first player, Andy has first choice at the marketplace. He decides to pay two silver and takes a unit of wood. Next, Beth pays two silver for a unit of glass. Chris decides to pass on purchasing from the marketplace. Diane closes the first round by paying two silver for a unit of wood. During the second round Andy, Beth and Chris all pass. Diane pays three silver for a unit of stone. The marketplace phase is thus completed.
End of Turn
After the marketplace phase has concluded, the end of the turn is reached. At this time preparations are made for the next turn. Wood and stone are restocked to ensure there are at least two of each in the marketplace. Rare resources are restocked to one each, if they have run out. Likewise, any communal plans which were built during the turn are replaced with a new plan from the respective deck, as long as any remain. Players are limited in the number of each type of resource they can hold from one turn to another. The limit is five each for wood and stone, three each for iron, glass and marble, and two pieces of gold. If a player currently holds resources or gold beyond these limits, they must discard those in excess of the limits noted, placing the excess on the bidding wheel for the following turn. Next, a new citizen is added to the next available space in the citizen track. For each new citizen added to the track that has a gold coin printed on it, add one piece of gold to the bidding wheel. Finally, the first player token is passed to the left.
Example: The turn has ended. The marketplace has only one wood remaining at this time, so it is restocked to two pieces of wood. All other resources have sufficient levels in stock at this time. The communal cottage plan was built, so a new basic plan is flipped over and available as a communal plan for the next turn. The top citizen card is then added to the track. It turns out to be the mayor, who has a gold coin pictured on the card. As a result, a piece of gold is added to the bidding wheel for the next bid. Now that everything is prepared for the next turn, the key to the town is passed to Beth to signify that she will be first player.
End of Game
The game ends when one of two criteria is met at the end of a turn. First, if there are no available spots in which to construct, the town is considered complete and the game ends. Second, if there is no room to place a new citizen for the following turn, the town is considered fully populated and the game ends. There are no further turns in the game and everybody determines their final score.
Scoring
At this point, players have a final opportunity to repair any structures that were damaged during the last turn of the game. This is an exception to the normal rule that structures can only be repaired during the building phase, but only applies to structures that were damaged during the past turn. To determine each player's total score, start by discarding any leftover resources and receiving one silver for each. Plans remaining in your hand at the end of the game have no value. Count up your silver and receive one prestige for every ten silver, to a maximum of three prestige. Gain one prestige for each piece of gold you have left at the end of the game. Check each district to see if any one player owns more structures than anyone else in that district, not counting damaged structures. If so, the player owning the most gains additional prestige. The bonus is two prestige in the civic and religious districts, and three prestige in the residential and commercial districts. Finally, each player loses one prestige for each damaged structure they still own. The player with the highest total prestige wins the game. In the case of a tie, the player with the most total structures wins. If this still results in a tie, the player with the greatest amount of silver wins.
Example: Many turns have passed and the town is now full. It is time to determine the final score. At this point the players have the following:
| Andy | Beth | Chris | Diane | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current prestige | 16 | 17 | 20 | 16 |
| Resources | 3 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Silver | 9 | 8 | 4 | 16 |
| Gold | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Structures: | ||||
| Residential |
Everyone gains one silver for each resource they held at the end of the game. Each player then gains one prestige for every ten silver they have. Andy and Beth thus gain one prestige each and Diane gains two prestige. Diane also gains one prestige for having a piece of gold at the end of the game. Nobody has more residential structures than the other players, so no bonuses are received for that district. Diane receives three prestige for having the most commercial structures and two prestige for having the most religious structures. Chris receives two prestige for having the most civic structures. With all prestige added up, Andy ends the game with 17, Beth with 18, Chris with 22, and Diane with 24. With the most total prestige, Diane is declared the winner.
Two Player Games
A two player game of Builders of Blankenburg feels very different than a game with more players. It allows for greater forming of strategies, since there is only one opponent who can directly alter your plans. As the game progresses, players will begin earnings higher levels of silver in income, since the same amount of total income is generated and split between fewer players. As such, efficient usage of the marketplace is a must to ensure you maintain the necessary resources to build quickly, even while the bids will hold fewer large resource stacks.
Take note that in a two player game, wood and stone are only restocked to one each at the end of the turn, to prevent players from being guaranteed the ability to purchase it every turn.
Master Builder Variant
For those who prefer the hustle and bustle of a larger game, the optional master builder rules offer a variation on normal two player rules. In this variant, there is a third player in the form of the game controlled master builder. The master builder has no impact on bidding and does not affect the marketplace.
During the building phase, the master builder will build a structure if it currently has fewer structures than both the human players. To determine what type of structure is built, look at the most recent citizen card. If that citizen is marked with a star, then nothing is built regardless. If it is a regular citizen, then the master builder builds the top card from the basic plan deck, placing it in the appropriate district. If the district is full, the card is placed back on the bottom of the deck. If the most recent citizen is marked with a gold coin, then a grand plan is built. Again, the top card of the deck is constructed in the appropriate district. However, if the district is full, the master builder will demolish its lowest prestige structure in that district to make room for the new plan.
During the income phase, people may stay at the master builder's structures, but human players always win any ties for identical structures. If at any time the master builder has a structure damaged, it is instead removed from the town.
Alternate Board
Builders of Blankenburg features a double sided board. The back side of the board has different art showing a city planner's sketch of the town. This side of the board features four additional spaces in which to build. These spaces each feature dual colored borders and can be used to build structures that would normally fit in either of those districts, but only once the regular spaces for that district are filled. Due to the additional spaces on the board, playing on this side is recommended for five to six player games. A four player game can be played well on either side of the board and offers different strategies each way. While you can play two or three player games on the back side of the board, this will generally result in the citizen track filling much sooner than the town.
For end of game scoring, the dual district spaces are counted as belonging to the district of the structure built there. If the City Planner happens to build in one of those spaces using a structure from a third district, the space is considered to belong to the district color shown on the left of the space.
Example: Our players are utilizing the back side of the board this time and the town is nearly full. There are only three spaces left in which to build, one commercial, one commercial/civic, and one religious/civic. Chris has the town hall and forge in his hand. He can build the town hall in either space allowing for a civic structure, since no normal civic spaces remain. However, the forge must be built in the regular commercial district.
Six Player Games
We have added sufficient components to the game to allow for six player rules, with some exceptions. Since there are only five types of resources, one player will always come up empty during the bid. During the bidding round, add one of each resource to the bidding wheel. The first player does not select, since they must choose five different resources in a six player game.
Next, roll all five resource dice and add to the resources as normal. There is no sixth die included, as that would generate too many resources since only five types exist. Bidding then continues as normal, with the exception that a zero bid provides four silver. A key strategy in a six player game is deciding when to bid zero, especially when you are far from the first player and likely to lose any ties.
Other differences in a six player game occur during setup. Since there are only five starred citizens, the sixth added to the board will be random and could add gold to the opening bid. In addition, all six starred plans will be dealt to players, meaning the initial communal basic plan may be more difficult to build than generally seen in the game.
An expansion is planned for 2016 that will add new elements to the game, specifically enhancing the six player game.
Income Example
Given the mid-game layout seen above, and assuming Green is first player in this four player game, income would go as follows:
[Board diagram omitted.]
The prosperity reigns event would result in each player receiving 4 silver. Yellow and Red receive an extra 2 silver each as they each own one residential structure. The lumberjack allows each player to buy a unit of wood for 1 silver, then he stays at Yellow's cottage for 1 silver. The cooper stays at Green's shop for 2 silver, since Green is first player. The blacksmith stays at Red's tower for 1 silver. The spice merchant stays at Red's manor for 3 silver. The manor is now full, so the scholar ends up at Yellow's inn for 1 silver. The cottage and Green's shop are full, so the baker stays at White's shop for 2 silver. All shops are now full and the butcher stays at Green's tavern for 1 silver. Likewise, the chandler stays at Yellow's parish for 2 silver. Finally, the tower fits two people, so the guard can also stay there, paying red 1 more silver.
Final tally in this example:
- Green with 9 silver (4 from event and 5 from income)
- Red with 11 silver (6 from event and 5 from income)
- Yellow with 10 silver (6 from event and 4 from income)
- White with 6 silver (4 from event and 2 from income)
FAQ
Why would I want to demolish a structure?
Demolition serves multiple purposes. The most obvious use is to make room for a structure in a district that has already been filled. If you build a basic structure early, you can later demolish it and build a grand structure to earn more prestige. However, demolition is also valuable as a means of delaying the end of the game. If you lack the points needed to win and the town is nearly full of structures, demolishing one can help add an extra turn to the game, giving you the time needed to try to earn more prestige. Finally, demolition can accelerate your building plans by supplying wood and/or stone depending on the structure.
What is the value of gold?
Gold's value is manifold. First off, gold can be used in lieu of any other resource. This means that it's the only way to get two different types of resources in a single bid. It is also the only way to get more than three total resources in a single bid. Finally, each piece of gold you still hold at the end of the game is worth an extra point of prestige. Towards the end of the game, a piece of gold can be worth bidding very highly for, since it takes ten silver to equal one prestige at the end of the game.
Why should I ever bid zero?
If you ever have no silver during the bidding phase, you will obviously need to bid zero. However, there are strategic times at which to bid zero as well. If there are fewer resources available than there are players, bidding zero can position you better for the following round, instead of overbidding for limited resources. Bidding zero will earn you enough to buy one resource of your choice in the marketplace. If bidding for resources is not going to provide you a good chance to get at least one resource you want, you may be better off bidding zero to gain silver.