Emblems
Emblems Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Contents
- 75 Character cards (15 per color)
- 9 Location cards (double-sided)
- 1 First Player pawn
- 96 coin tokens (48 worth 1 and 48 worth 5)
Card Anatomy
Character Card
- Card name
- Card value
- Emblem — each family is identified by its emblem and color. The emblem on a Character card shows which family it belongs to.
- Effect type — the effect applies either immediately (lightning bolt icon) or at the end of the round (hourglass icon).
- Effect to apply
Location Card
- Card name
- Ranking — "1st" refers to the highest-value card (the first card from the left), "2nd" refers to the second-highest-value card (the second card from the left), etc.
- Rewards — number of coins awarded to players based on the ranking of their cards at the end of each round.
- Number of players — each Location card features a side designed for 3 or 4 players and a side for 5 players.
- Set — each set offers a different gameplay experience.
Setup
Take the 3 Location cards from the same set and lay them out on the table in this order, from top to bottom: the Castle, the Village, then the Port. For your first game, use the 3 Location cards from set A. In subsequent games, you may use the Location cards from set B or C.
Place them as far to the left as possible in your play area, since cards played during the game will be placed to the right of the Location cards.
Each player takes the 15 Character cards of their chosen color, shuffles them, forms their own face-down draw pile, then draws 6 cards.
Finally, each player receives 3 coins that they place visibly in front of them.
Variant: Want to make the game more strategic (or more chaotic)? Keep your coins hidden!
How to Play
Each game is played over 3 rounds, each consisting of multiple turns:
- With 3 players, each round has 4 turns.
- With 4 or 5 players, each round has 3 turns.
The trickiest player receives the First Player pawn.
Round Flow
Turn Flow
At the start of each turn, each player selects a card from their hand and places it face down in front of them.
Once all players have selected a card, the first player reveals their card and places it in the location of their choice (that is, to the right of the Location card).
If the revealed card has an immediate effect, read the effect aloud and apply it immediately.
Then, it's the turn of the player to their left to reveal their card and place it in the location of their choice.
Important: Cards must always be placed in descending order, from the highest-value card (on the left) to the lowest-value card (on the right). If a player places a card in a location where a card of the same value is already present, they choose whether to place it to the left or right of that card.
Example: Emily wants to place her Merchant (6) in the Port. However, there are already 3 cards in that location: a Witch (13), a Thief (11), and a Sailor (2). To keep the cards in descending order, Emily must place her Merchant (6) between the Thief (11) and the Sailor (2).
Once all players have placed their card in a location, the player with the First Player pawn passes it to the player on their left. A new turn begins.
End of a Round
At the end of each round, for each location, read aloud and apply the end-of-round effects of all cards present, starting with the highest-value card (on the left) and proceeding to the lowest-value card (on the right). Then, distribute the Rewards (coins) of the Location card to the players whose cards have the highest values, from left to right.
Example: With 3 or 4 players, in the Castle from set A, the player with the highest-value card (the first card from the left) is awarded 4 coins. The player with the second-highest-value card (the second card from the left) is awarded 3 coins. Finally, the player with the third-highest-value card (the third card from the left) is awarded 1 coin.
Once the Rewards of the 3 locations have been distributed, discard all cards that received a Reward (the other cards remain in play). Then, each player draws cards until they have 6 cards in hand. A new round begins.
Clarifications on the Location Cards
- Receive 1 coin for each card in this location.
- Steal 1 coin from each player.
- Receive as many coins as half the value of this card, rounded up to the nearest whole number.
End of the Game
At the end of the third round, the player with the most coins wins the game. In case of a tie, the player with the First Player pawn wins. If none of the tied players have the pawn, victory goes to the tied player closest clockwise to the player with the First Player pawn.
Effects of the Character Cards
15. The King (end-of-round effect): Discard the King if a Thief is in this location.
14. The Princess (end-of-round effect): Every other card in this location receives 1 coin (including other Princesses).
13. The Witch (end-of-round effect): Cancel the end-of-round effects of all cards in this location with a value strictly lower than 13.
12. The Guard (immediate effect): Move an adjacent card¹ to another location.
11. The Thief (immediate effect): Steal 2 coins from a player who has an adjacent card¹.
10. The Alchemist (immediate effect): Copy the immediate effect of an adjacent card¹. Note: The Alchemist cannot copy the immediate effect of another Alchemist.
9. The Courtesan (immediate effect): Replace another player's selected card² with a random card from their hand. Note: If the Courtesan is the last card revealed and placed this turn, its effect cannot be applied because all other players will have already revealed and placed their card.
8. The Strategist (immediate effect): Designate the location where another player must place their selected card². Note: If the Strategist is the last card revealed and placed this turn, its effect cannot be applied because all other players will have already revealed and placed their card.
7. The Traitor (end-of-round effect): Reverse the distribution of Rewards, starting with the lowest-value card in this location: the lowest-value card (the first card from the right) takes 1st place in the ranking, the second-lowest-value card (the second card from the right) takes 2nd place in the ranking, etc. Note: If there is at least one Traitor (regardless of how many there are), Rewards must always be distributed starting with the lowest-value card in the location.
6. The Merchant (end-of-round effect): Receive 1 coin for each card in this location with a value strictly lower than 6.
5. The Warrior (immediate effect): Discard an adjacent card¹.
4. The Bard (immediate effect): Move a card from another location to this location.
3. The Spy (end-of-round effect): Receive 2 coins if the Spy is your only card in this location.
2. The Sailor (end-of-round effect): Double the Sailor's Reward if he is in the Port. Note: If a negative Reward is doubled, it doubles the number of coins lost.
1. The Hunter (immediate effect): Discard the highest-value card in this location. Note: In case of a tie, discard the first card from the left.
¹ A card is considered adjacent when it is immediately to the left or right.
² A card is considered selected when it is face down in front of a player.