Guildes
Guildes Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 110 Guild cards
- 1 Count card
- 6 Event cards
- 9 Dirty Trick cards
Setup
Depending on the number of players, certain Guild cards must be removed. The remaining cards are then shuffled and dealt to the players face down (see the table below).
Once the Guild cards are dealt, shuffle the Event cards (cards with a direction of rotation) and draw one at random, placing it face up on the table. This card is used only to indicate the direction of rotation for the selection phase; its text is ignored unless you are using the Event Cards variant. Get a sheet of paper and a pencil to note scores, or use a free smartphone app (such as Keepscore on Android). The game can then begin.
| Players | Cards removed | Cards dealt / voting round | Cards played / voting round |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 players | Alchemists + 3 Militia | 10 | 8 |
| 4 players | None | 9 | 7 |
| 5 players | None | 7 | 5 |
| 6 players | None | 6 | 5 |
Guild Card Details
Each Guild card shows:
- The name of the card.
- The votes awarded during the 1st voting round, and the number of copies of this card.
- The votes awarded during the 2nd voting round.
- The votes awarded during the 3rd voting round.
Militia cards are an exception. Each Militia card earns its owner 3 votes at every vote count. There are 15 Militia cards in the game.
Sequence of a Voting Round
A voting round is made up of three phases:
- Selecting Guild cards
- Playing Guild cards
- Counting votes
Selecting Guild Cards
Players take into hand the cards they received at the start of the round, choose one, and pass the remaining cards to their neighbor on the right or left (according to the direction shown by the Event card). The chosen card is set aside. Players may look at cards they have already kept, but those cards must be kept until the playing phase — in other words, once a card is chosen, it cannot be swapped. This continues (take the cards, choose a card, pass the remaining cards) until there are no more cards to select.
Example: if players start the selection phase with 8 cards, they will each choose 8 cards following the procedure above.
Playing Guild Cards
Once selection is complete, players play their cards, one at a time. Not all of the cards kept will be played (see the table in the Setup section).
Example: with 5 players, each player plays 5 cards.
Each player chooses a card from their hand and places it face down in front of them. Once all players have played a card, they are revealed simultaneously. Each player places the chosen card in front of them and sorts their cards by type (preferably in the order shown on the Count card, to make it easier for everyone to read the table).
This continues until players have played the number of cards indicated in the table on page 1.
Unplayed cards are discarded.
Counting Votes
Once the playing phase is complete, votes are counted and noted on a sheet of paper (or in the smartphone app). To make this count easier, use the Count card, which lets you count votes without forgetting a guild.
First voting round: for each guild, only the player with the most cards of that guild is counted. That player scores votes equal to the first value shown. In case of a tie between several players, this number is divided by the number of players tied, rounded down.
Note: whenever votes are shared, always round down if needed. To score votes for a guild, you must own at least one card of it.
Example: 3 players are tied for the Scholars (8 votes at the 1st voting round). They each score 2 votes (8/3, rounded down).
Second voting round: for each guild, the two players with the most cards of that guild are counted. The player with the most cards scores votes equal to the first value of this count. The player with the second-most cards scores votes equal to the second value. If there is a tie for first place, the tied players split the votes for the first two places and no votes are awarded for second place. If there is a tie for second place, the tied players split the votes for that place.
Example 1: 2 players are tied for 1st place among the Artisans. They each score 5 votes: (7 + 4)/2, rounded down. No votes are awarded for second place.
Example 2: 1 player has a majority among the Artisans and scores 7 votes. 2 players are tied for the second-highest total of cards; they each score 2 votes (4/2).
Third and final voting round: for each guild, the three players with the most cards of that guild are counted. The player with the most cards scores votes equal to the first value of this count. The 2nd-place player scores votes equal to the second value. The 3rd-place player scores votes equal to the third value. If two players are tied for first place, they split the votes for the first two places and the next player scores the votes for 3rd place (where there may also be a tie). If three or more players are tied for first place, they split the votes for the first three places and no one else scores any votes. If there is a tie for second place, the tied players split the votes for 2nd and 3rd place, and no votes are awarded for third place. If there is a tie for third place, the tied players split the votes for that place.
Example 1: 2 players are tied for the highest total of Artisans cards. They each score 5 votes: (7 + 4)/2, rounded down. The next player scores 1 vote.
Example 2: 2 players are tied for the highest total of Artisans cards. They each score 5 votes: (7 + 4)/2, rounded down. 2 players are also tied for the 2nd-highest total; they score 0 votes (1/2, rounded down).
Example 3: 4 players are tied for the highest total of Knights cards. They each score 4 votes: (11 + 5 + 3)/4, rounded down. The other players with Knights cards score nothing.
Example 4: 1 player has a majority among the Artisans and scores 7 votes. 2 players are tied for 2nd place among the Artisans. They each score 2 votes: (4 + 1)/2, rounded down. The other players with Artisans cards score nothing.
Special Guilds
Fishermen & Bourgeois: there are no points for the 3rd player in the third voting round (which otherwise proceeds as in the previous round).
Alchemists: in the third voting round, the fourth player with the most cards also scores points, following the process explained above.
Militia: each Militia card played in front of you earns 3 points at every vote count. There are 15 Militia cards in the game.
Example: a player has played 3 Militia cards during the first voting round. They score 9 votes (3 x 3). If they keep this number of Militia cards until the end of the game, they will score 9 votes again at the 2nd and 3rd voting rounds.
Next Voting Round
Cards played during the previous voting round remain in front of the player who played them. The Event card for that round is discarded. Guild cards are dealt again (see the table in the Setup section) and a new Event card is revealed. Play then continues with the three phases of the new voting round.
End of Game
At the end of the third voting round, the player with the highest total number of votes wins. In case of a tie, victory is shared.
Variant 1: Event Cards
To vary your games, once you have mastered the rules, you can use the text on the Event cards. These effects alter the rules somewhat and bring new ways to play. At the start of each voting round, draw a new Event card. The red arrow on the card gives the direction of rotation for selection. This variant can be played alone or together with the Dirty Trick Cards variant.
Play one fewer card. Players play one fewer card than the number shown in the table in the Setup section.
Example: with 4 players, players will play only 6 cards instead of 7.
Tied players are not counted for the vote count. When there is a tie for the count of a guild, the Guild cards of the tied players are treated as if they "did not exist." This changes the vote count accordingly. Naturally, these cards "reappear" after the count. Militia cards are not affected by this event.
Example 1: two players are tied for first place among the Artisans during the 2nd voting round, and a 3rd player is second in number of cards. The two tied players are treated as having no Artisan cards, so it is the 3rd player with Artisan cards who takes the 7 votes for first place, since they are the only one with Artisan cards left.
Example 2: during the 2nd voting round, some players are tied for first place among the Alchemists and other players are tied for second place. In this case, all the tied players are excluded, and it would be the remaining players (not involved in a tie), if any, who score the votes.
No more simultaneous play. Cards are no longer played simultaneously but one player at a time, starting with a randomly chosen player and moving to the right. Each time every player has played a card, the starting player shifts one place to the right.
Redistribution. Before playing, each player discards 1 card from their hand. These discarded cards are shuffled, then each player receives one at random. Playing can then proceed normally.
Playing one or two cards. Each player first plays 2 cards (still face down). The cards are revealed. Then each player plays 1 card (face down). The cards are revealed. This continues with 1 card, then 2, and so on. With 4 players, the order is first 1 card, then 2, then 1, then 2, and finally 1.
Face-down card. Played cards remain face down, but the previous one is revealed. The 1st card is played face down and stays that way. Then, the 2nd card is played face down and the 1st is then revealed. When the 3rd card is played face down, the 2nd is revealed, and so on. When the last card is played, it is revealed at the same time as the previous one.
Variant 2: Dirty Trick Cards
What would an election be without dirty tricks and other manipulations of the vote? The city of Portyl is no exception to this rule. With this variant, you'll be able to give free rein to your basest instincts... but for the good and the glory of the city. This variant can be played alone or together with the Event Cards variant.
With this variant there is a 4th phase in a voting round, which breaks down as follows:
- Selecting Guild cards
- Playing Guild cards
- Playing Dirty Trick cards
- Counting votes
During the setup of a voting round, each player is randomly dealt one of the nine Dirty Trick cards (cards with a red background and a letter from A to I) and reveals it. A player cannot receive the same Dirty Trick card on two consecutive voting rounds. If that should happen, the player draws another card instead.
Guild cards that are not played during the playing phase are no longer discarded at the end of that phase, but instead once their owner has applied — or chosen not to apply — the effect of their Dirty Trick card. During the Dirty Trick cards phase, players apply or decline the effect of their Dirty Trick card in alphabetical order. Triggering your Dirty Trick card's effect is not mandatory; a player may ignore its effect if they wish. Once a player has applied their Dirty Trick effect (and discarded the Guild cards they are not playing), the next player does the same. Once every player has had the chance to play their Dirty Trick card, this phase ends and the vote count begins. Once the vote count is finished, the Dirty Trick cards dealt this round are gathered and shuffled back in with the rest of the Dirty Trick cards to form a draw pile of 9 cards again.
Protection. You are immune to the effects of other players' Dirty Trick cards. A Dirty Trick card cannot be played against you.
Swap 1 card between 2 players. Take a card from player A's table (the cards played in front of them) and give it to player B. Take a card from player B's table and give it to player A. You may be player A (or B).
Sacrifice one of your cards worth 10 or more to eliminate a card of your choice. Discard one of your Bourgeois, Knights, Nobles, Priests, or Alchemists cards from your table (the cards played in front of you), and discard any one card already in play of your choice.
Draw 2 cards from the discard pile, play 1 and discard the other. Shuffle the Guild card discard pile thoroughly and draw 2 cards. Play one of these cards on your table and discard the other.
Swap 1 card from your hand for 1 from your table. You may take back into hand one of your already-played cards and play a card still in hand.
+1 Knights -1, +1 Nobles -1, +1 Priests -1, +1 Alchemists -1. You may play this card on any player's table, either to increase the indicated guild by one card or to decrease it by one card (simply change the orientation of the card to indicate your choice). This is a "virtual" addition or removal.
Example: one of your opponents has 2 Alchemists cards on their table and you play the Alchemists -1 card on them. During the count, they are treated as having only one Alchemists card (2-1). But at the end of the count, once this Dirty Trick card is removed, they have 2 Alchemists cards again.
The +1 Alchemists -1 card is not used in a 3-player game.
Credits
A game by Frédéric Bizet, illustrated by Romain Gaschet. Packaging and art direction: Origames. Logo: Damien Ham. The author would like to thank everyone who, by playing the game at its various stages of development, contributed to its design.
Published by Bad Taste Games, a commercial brand of Robinwood Corporation, Chemin du Bois Hébert, 76690 Clères, France.