Jerusalem
Jerusalem Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Overview
Using your resources, you will take control of key areas in the city of Jerusalem: the King's Palace, the Patriarchy, the Market, the Templars, the Nobility, and the Tower of David. The areas you control provide you with resources you need to expand your power in the city: men, gold, and prestige. Your prestige is represented by the height of your castle tower, which you can add to at the end of each round of play. At the end of the game, the player with the tallest castle tower is the winner!
Components
- The Gameboard, representing the city of Jerusalem. The city is divided into 5 Districts. Each District is divided into 3 Areas: 1 large Area and two small ones. The Tower of David has only 1 Area.
- The Calendar, marking the current round.
- Space for Event Cards, above the Calendar.
- The Prestige Track.
- A construction zone for each player, for building their castle tower.
- 5 Wooden Cylinders — one per player (used on the Prestige Track and Calendar).
- 4 Barons — one wooden pawn per player.
- 200 Squires — wooden cubes in the four player colors, forming the supply.
- 28 Tower Floors — pieces used to build each player's castle tower.
- 39 Bezant Coins: 30 Silver and 9 Gold. 1 Gold Coin = 5 Silver Coins.
- 27 Action Cards (with men, coins, and towers on the back).
- 4 Event Cards (with crusader banners on the back).
- 4 Office Cards (with profiles on the back).
- 4 Player Screens, to hide your resources.
Beginning Play
Before your first game, you will need to remove all the pieces from the frames.
Place the board in the middle of the table. Set the Bezant coins nearby, forming a bank. Shuffle the Event cards and place three of them, face down, in the spaces along the top edge of the board next to the Calendar. Return the unused Event card to the box without revealing it to the players. Shuffle the Action cards and place the deck near the board. Leave enough space for a discard pile. Sort the four Office cards by number and place them face up beside the board. Place the black cylinder on the "1" space of the Calendar. Put all of the wooden cubes together in easy reach, forming the supply.
Note: If you are playing a three-player game, do not use the Office card with the number 1. Set it aside for this game.
Choose a color to play and take:
- 1 Player screen of your color. Set it up in front of you. Note: your resources (Squires and Bezants) are always placed behind your screen. Keep them hidden from the other players.
- 12 Bezants (2 gold coins and 2 silver coins). Place them behind your screen. Note: You may freely exchange gold and silver coins with the bank whenever needed. Each gold coin is worth five Bezants. Each silver coin is worth one.
- 1 Cylinder of your color. Place it on the "0" space of the Prestige Track (in the middle of the board).
- 1 Baron (wooden pawn) of your color. Place it beside your player screen.
- 7 Tower Floors. Place them beside your player screen.
The tallest player begins the game by bidding first (see "Bid for Offices").
Note: Rules for playing with two players can be found at the end of these rules.
The Play of the Game
Jerusalem is played over five rounds. Each round is divided into four phases. All players complete Phase 1 before beginning Phase 2, continuing to complete each phase in order. After all four phases of a round are complete, advance the black cylinder one space on the Calendar and begin the next round with Phase 1. If there is an Event card above the new Calendar space, turn it face up before beginning the next round.
The Four Phases:
- Bid for Offices
- Deploy Squires
- Collect Revenues
- Event (only during the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th rounds).
Phase 3 is divided into four steps:
3.1 The Tower of David 3.2 Privileges 3.3 Revenues (Squires, Bezants, Prestige) 3.4 Construction (new Tower Floors)
Phase 1: Bid for Offices
Start the phase by taking a number of Action cards equal to the number of players (for example, draw three cards in a three player game) and place them facedown beside the Office cards. Do not look at or reveal these cards at this time.
Auction Offices
You will now bid on which Office you will control during the round. The player who owns the tallest tower (in floors) always bids first each round. If there is a tie, then the tied player with the most Prestige (on the Prestige Track) bids first. If they are still tied, the tied player who controlled the lowest numbered Office last round bids first.
Note: In the first round, the tallest player bids first.
The first bidder announces which Office card will be auctioned next, and declares his opening bid (which can be any number of Bezants, even zero). Each player, in clockwise order, must now either raise the bid or pass. If you pass, you are out of the bidding for that Office, and cannot later reenter the bidding. All bids must be placed in the open, visible to all players. You cannot "bluff" or bid more Bezants than you currently own.
Once all players have passed, the highest bidder takes the Office and place it face up in front of his screen, then pays his bid to the bank. The other players take back their bids. Once a player has an Office, he's out of the bidding for the rest of the phase.
The next player without an Office card to the left of the highest bidder becomes the new first bidder, chooses one of the remaining Office cards, and repeats the procedure. When there is only one player without an Office, he takes the last Office card and Action card for free.
Note: When you are the first bidder you must select an Office card and place an opening bid. You cannot "pass."
Each Office card grants some advantages and resources, which are shown on the Office card and described in "The Offices." The Office cards also determine the order of play for the rest of the round.
Select Action Cards
After all players have chosen their Offices, each player will receive one Action card. In turn order (starting with the lowest-numbered Office), take the face down Action cards that were set aside at the beginning of the phase. Examine the cards and choose one of them to add to your hand. Give the remaining cards to the next player (with the next Office in order). Continue selecting and passing the cards until all players have chosen one.
Note: The last player of the round (the Admiral) will only receive one card, so he will have no choice of which card to select.
Phase 2: Deploy Squires
Once all players have chosen their Offices and Action cards, Phase 2 can begin. Each player will take their own individual turn, in the order of the number shown on the Office cards. On your turn you will place your Squires on the board, attempting to control the various areas of the city.
On Your Turn
First, you receive a number of Squires, determined by the Office you are controlling:
- The Constable (Plays first): 7 Squires
- The Treasurer (second): 6 Squires
- The Marshal (third): 5 Squires
- The Admiral (fourth): 4 Squires
Take your new Squires from the supply (by drawing cubes of your color), and place them behind your screen.
Second, you may place any of your Squires in any areas of the city. You do not have to place all of your Squires, you can save some of them for a future turn. When placing Squires, you can only place them from behind your screen, never from the supply. You can place Squires in as many different areas as you wish during your turn. Squires can be placed in any of the five districts or the Tower of David.
When placing Squires, put them on the board in the area you wish to control. Be careful not to place your Squires on the lines dividing the different areas, so all players can clearly see the number of Squires each player has deployed in each area.
Squires placed on the board will remain after the end of the round! You must choose carefully when you place your Squires, and the number to use in each Area. Remember: the situation at the end of each round will determine how things stand at the beginning of the next!
The City Districts
The city of Jerusalem is divided into five Districts. Each District, in turn, is split into three Areas: one large area and two smaller ones. In addition, there is the Tower of David, which is made of only one Area.
The six Districts are: King's Palace, Templars, Patriarchy, Nobility, Market, and the Tower of David.
If you control an Area during Phase 3 of the round, you can earn the income shown on the board. There are two ways to control an Area:
- If you are the only player who has any Squires in that Area; or
- If you have more Squires in that Area than each of the other players. If there is a tie for the most Squires, the player with the lower numbered Office for the round controls the Area (for example, the Constable wins ties against the Marshal).
Example of Area Control: After Squires are deployed, the Patriarchy looks like the picture to the left. The blue player controls the Constable (#1), red controls the Treasurer (#2), and yellow holds the Marshal (#3). The different Areas are controlled in this way:
The large Area is controlled by red: though he is only tied for the most Squires with yellow, he holds the lower numbered Office.
The lower left Area is controlled by yellow: he has more Squires there than the other players.
The lower right Area is controlled by blue: he is the only player with Squires in that Area.
The Baron
During your turn, you can send your Baron to block one Area on the board. No other player can place any Squires in an Area with your Baron (including any Squires from Action cards). Also, Squires cannot be moved into or out of any Area with a Baron. In order to play your Baron in an Area, you must also place at least three of your Squires in that Area at the same time (even if you did not need all three Squires to take control of the Area). These three Squires can be played from behind your screen, or moved to the Area through the use of Action cards, in any combination.
You are never required to place your Baron in any Area.
Your Baron will block the area for the rest of this round. At the end of the round, all Barons return to their owners.
If you have the tallest castle tower, you cannot place your Baron on the large Area of the King's Palace! If you are tied for the tallest tower, and you have the most Prestige, you cannot place your Baron there. In the first round, all players are tied for both Tower Floors and Prestige, so no player can place his Baron in the large King's Palace area during the first round.
Example of Placing a Baron: The red player wants to make sure he controls the large Area in the Nobility District. He decides to place three new Squires in the Area so he can play his Baron there. He now blocks that Area and none of the other players may add any Squires here for the rest of the round. The Baron has no effect on the two smaller Areas, and the other players can place Squires there normally.
Hiring Mercenaries
During your turn, you can purchase extra Squires to increase your influence in the city. Each Squire you purchase costs three Bezants. These Squires are taken from the supply, not behind your screen. You can place these Squires immediately, or you can save them behind your screen to use later.
Influence Peddling
If you find yourself in need of coins, you can earn a few Bezants by removing some of your Squires from the board. If you remove any three of your Squires (return them to the supply, not behind your screen), you earn one Bezant. You can remove men from different Areas if you choose.
Phase 3: Collect Revenues
During this phase, you will collect revenue from the Areas you control. There are three types of revenue: Squires, Bezants, and Prestige. Prestige is critical to your victory, because it is the only way to build up your castle tower and win the game.
Phase 3 is split into four steps. Each step is completed by all players before the next step begins. The steps are followed in order: Step 1. The Tower of David, Step 2. Privileges, Step 3. Revenues, Step 4. Construction.
Step 1. The Tower of David
If you control the Tower of David you receive one Bezant. In addition, you may move one of your Squires from the Tower of David to any other Area in the city (that is not blocked by a Baron).
Note: Using the Tower of David can be a powerful advantage since it is the last action any player can take before control of the city Areas is determined!
Step 2. Privileges
There are three Districts in the city that offer a special privilege to the player who has the most influence there. They are the Patriarchy, the Market, and the Nobility. Determine who receives the privilege for each district one at a time: count all of the Squires in all three Areas of the District. In order to claim the privilege in a District, you must have more Squires in the District than each of the other players. If there is a tie, the tied player with the lowest numbered Office card this round earns the privilege.
Note: You can earn the privilege in a District even if you do not control any of the three Areas! All that matters is your total number of Squires in the entire District.
You can earn the privilege from more than one District, if you have the most Squires in each of them. Privileges are always resolved in this order:
- The Patriarchy: Academics. If you earn this privilege you can remove one of your Squires from behind your screen (return him to the supply) to draw the top Action card from the stack and add it to your hand.
- The Market: Construction Materials. If you earn this privilege you can purchase up to four Prestige by paying two Bezants each. Return the coins to the bank and move your marker on the Prestige Track.
- The Nobility: Court Intrigue. If you earn this privilege you can steal one Prestige point from any other player. Advance your marker one space on the Prestige Track, and reduce his total by one space.
Note: You can steal Prestige from a player who has zero points on the Prestige Track. Simply move your marker up one space, and leave his alone. He suffers no penalty from this theft.
Step 3. Revenues
It is now time to collect revenues from the different areas of the city. Determine who controls each Area on the board one at a time. Start with the King's Palace, then the Templars, the Patriarchy, the Market, and finally the Nobility. The player who has the most Squires in each Area controls it, and earns the revenues shown in that space on the board. If there is a tie in an Area for the most Squires, the tied player with the lower numbered Office card wins control and collects the revenues.
Any Bezants earned are paid from the bank. Squires are taken from the supply. Prestige points are recorded on the Prestige Track. Remember to put any Squires or Bezants you earn behind your screen.
Note: Revenues are optional. You may choose to take less than you are entitled to if you wish.
Example of Privilege: Who earns the Market privilege in this scenario? The yellow player does. He has a total of 7 Squires in the entire District. Blue and Green each have 4 Squires and red has only 3. Note that yellow gains the privilege even though he does not control any of the Areas in the Market.
Example of Revenues: Let us calculate the revenues from the Market in the picture to the left. Green controls the large Area, so he will receive 2 Squires and 4 Bezants. Red controls the lower left Area, which earns him 1 Squire and 2 Bezants. The bottom right Area is controlled by Blue, who gets 1 Squire and 2 Bezants also. Yellow does not control any Areas, so he receives nothing.
Step 4. Construction
After all revenues have been collected, each player, in turn order starting with the lowest number Office, must spend Prestige points to add as many new floors to his castle tower as possible. The cost to add one floor is equal to the number of that floor plus 1 point. For example, the third floor of a tower costs four Prestige points.
If you are the first player to build a given floor, you must pay one additional Prestige point. For example, if you are the first player to add the third floor to your castle tower, you would have to pay five Prestige points (4 for the third level +1 for building it first).
Building floors is mandatory. You cannot choose to forego construction and save your Prestige points for a future turn. You must build all floors you have the points to purchase.
Note: The maximum height of your castle tower is not limited by the wooden pieces in the game. If you should need to build more than seven floors, use coins from the bank instead of wooden tower pieces.
The King's Gifts
Before the Construction Step of the last round (the fifth), the King of Jerusalem grants the players three gifts:
All players set aside their screens and reveal the resources they still control:
- If you have the most Squires behind your screen, you are awarded three Prestige points.
- If you have the most Bezants behind your screen, you are awarded three Prestige points.
- If you have at least one Action card behind your screen, you are awarded one Prestige point.
All players can earn points for having an Action card left at the end of the game.
If two or more players are tied for the most men or the most Bezants, each of the tied players receives one Prestige point.
Phase 4: Event
The last phase of each round is the Event Phase. In the first and last round there is no event card, so nothing happens during this phase. In the second, third, and fourth rounds an event must be resolved.
Look at the Event card above the Calendar space for the current round. The effects of each Event card are described in "The Events." Follow the instructions for the current Event card.
After the Event card (if any) is resolved, move the black cylinder forward one space on the Calendar. If there is an Event card above the new Calendar space, turn it face up. All players now return their Office cards to the side of the board and remove their Baron pawn from the board.
The game continues with Phase 1 of the new round: Bid for Offices.
The End of the Game
The game ends after the fifth round is complete. The player who has the tallest castle tower wins the game! Your family will reign in the city of Jerusalem! If there is a tie for the tallest tower, the tied player with most Prestige points is the winner. If they are still tied, the tied player who had the lowest numbered Office card in the last round wins. Don't forget to give out the King's Gifts before the final Construction Step!
The Offices
Each Office offers its own advantages and disadvantages. The Constable acts first, so he will not know what the other players are going to do, but he has a powerful ability, receives the most Squires, and gets first choice of Action card. On the other hand, the Admiral acts last so he can react to the actions of the other players. But he receives the fewest Squires and has to avoid Areas blocked by the other players' Barons.
Each Office has a unique ability that you can use on your turn of Phase 2 - Deploy Squires, if you control that Office:
Constable (Turn 1)
Base Revenue: 7 Squires
You can place your Baron after committing fewer Squires. If you want to place him in a large Area, you only need to have placed two Squires there (instead of three). You can block a small Area after adding only one Squire. The Tower of David is a large Area.
Treasurer (Turn 2)
Base Revenue: 6 Squires
You can purchase up to two additional Squires (mercenaries) at a reduced cost. If you purchase one extra Squire, it costs one Bezant. If you purchase two extra Squires, it costs three Bezants (total). You may still purchase additional Squires beyond these two at the normal cost (three Bezants each). For example, for a total of six Bezants, the Treasurer can purchase three extra Squires.
Marshal (Turn 3)
Base Revenue: 5 Squires
You may move up to two of your Squires from any one Area to one other Area (neither Area can be blocked by a Baron) or you can take one Bezant from the bank.
Admiral (Turn 4)
Base Revenue: 4 Squires
You receive one Bezant from the bank.
The Events
There are four different Event cards in Jerusalem, but only three of them will be used each time you play. In rounds 2, 3, and 4 an event is turned face up at the beginning of the round, but does not take effect until Phase 4. This gives you time to plan your strategy based on the upcoming event.
Note: There are no events during the first round and the last round of the game!
Succession
A new King has been chosen to rule Jerusalem, transforming the balance of power in the Palace. All Squires in all three Areas of the King's Palace are removed and returned to the supply. Barons do not prevent this loss. Each player may save up to two of his Squires from the King's Palace by moving them to the Area blocked by his Baron (even if he is blocking an Area of the King's Palace).
Note: If a player has blocked an Area of the King's Palace with his Baron, he still must remove all of his Squires from the Area the Baron is in, before he can reposition any of his Squires to the Baron's Area.
Example of Succession: The new King is crowned! The green player must remove all of his Squires from the King's Palace, but he can save 2 of them by moving them to the Area with his Baron. Yellow did not place his Baron this round, so he loses all of his Squires in the Palace. The red player placed his Baron in the large Area of the Patriarchy, so he can move 2 of his Squires there, but he still loses his other Squire.
Election of the Patriarch
The previous Patriarch has been replaced, causing unrest among the Patriarchy and the Nobility. Each player must reduce the number of Squires he owns in each area of both Districts until they equal the number of Squires owned by the weakest player in that Area. All Squires removed return to the supply. Barons do not prevent this loss.
Note: Only players who have Squires in the area are considered when determining the weakest player. If a player has no Squires in an Area, the other players are not required to remove all of their Squires.
Note: If a player is alone in an Area (only he has Squires there), he does not lose any Squires.
Example of Election of the Patriarch: A new Patriarch has been elected. In the large Patriarchy Area, blue must remove 2 Squires to equal yellow's power. The other areas of the Patriarchy do not change: in the lower left area the two players are equal, and in the lower right there is only one player with any Squires. In the Nobility District, red must lose 2 Squires from the large Area and yellow must lose 1 from the lower left area to balance his forces with blue. The blue player does not lose any Squires!
Special Tax
To repair the city fortifications, the King has levied a special tax on all merchants. Each player must remove all of his Squires from the Market District (all three Areas). Barons do not prevent this loss.
You can save any or all of your Squires from removal by paying one Bezant for each Squire you wish to save. Players choose how many Squires to save in turn order. Any Squires that are not paid for must be returned to the supply.
Example of Special Tax: The King has announced new taxes. Starting with the Constable (blue), all players must remove their Squires from the Market District. Blue decides to pay 4 Bezants to save 4 of his Squires, removing the other 3. Green goes next, paying 3 Bezants to save all but 1 of his Squires. Now it's yellow's turn: he would like to save his Squires, but he has no Bezants behind his screen. He must remove both of his Squires. Red pays 1 Bezant to save his only Squire in the large Area, so he can compete for control there next round.
War
A bloody conflict decimates the warriors of the city. All Squires in the Templar District (all three Areas) are removed. Barons do not prevent this loss. The Squires are removed in turn order. When it is your turn to remove your Squires, you may also remove one of your opponents' Squires from any Area of the board: for each Squire you remove from the Templar District.
You may only remove a maximum of two Squires from each of your opponents. All Squires removed by this event are returned to the supply.
Example of War: The Saracens are attacking the Crusaders! Starting with the Constable (red), all players lose all Squires in the Templar District. Red removes 4 Squires and decides to remove 2 green Squires and 2 blue Squires from the board. The green player must remove 7 Squires from the District! He would like to remove 7 of his opponents' Squires also, but he is limited to removing only 2 Squires from each player. So, he only gets to remove 6 other Squires. Blue loses 1 Squire, so he can then remove one of red's Squires from the Patriarchy. Yellow doesn't have any Squires in the Templar District, so he does not lose any more Squires. But, he also missed the opportunity to damage the other players.
The Action Cards
You receive one Action card during Phase 1 of each round, and can purchase more using the privilege of the Patriarchy. Keep your cards hidden behind your screen. You can only use Action cards during your turn of Phase 2. Played cards are placed in a discard pile and are not reused during the game.
If you hold at least one Action card behind your screen at the end of the game, you will earn one Prestige point from the King's Gift.
Note: You can play any number of cards during your turn. There is no limit to the number of cards you can collect.
Note: Any Squires or Bezants you receive by playing a card can be used immediately or saved behind your screen to use later.
- +1 Squire (3 in deck). Take one Squire from the supply and place him behind your screen.
- +2 Bezants (3 in deck). Take two Bezants from the bank and place them behind your screen.
- +2 Prestige Points (3 in deck). Add two Prestige points to your total by moving your cylinder two spaces up the Prestige Track.
- +2 Resources (2 in deck). Take any combination of two resources of your choice: Squires, Bezants, or Prestige points. (For example, 1 Prestige point and 1 Bezant).
- +1 Squire and +1 Bezant (2 in deck). Take one Bezant from the bank and one Squire from the supply and place them behind your screen.
- Turncoat (2 in deck). Swap one of your Squires from any Area on the board with one of your opponents' Squires from any Area. Neither Area can be blocked with a Baron.
- Move 2 Squires (4 in deck). Take up to two of your Squires from any Area(s) and move them to any other Area(s) of your choice. None of the chosen Areas can be blocked with a Baron.
- Genoese Mercenaries (2 in deck). You may purchase any number of extra Squires (mercenaries) this turn at a cost of two Bezants each (instead of the normal cost of three Bezants).
- Overwhelming Influence (6 in deck). Take two of your Squires from the supply and place them in the District shown on the card. You choose which of the three Areas to place each Squire. You cannot place these Squires in an Area blocked by a Baron pawn. Note: There is one Overwhelming Influence card for each District. The District affected is marked on the board with the matching coat-of-arms. This card, for example, affects the Templar District.
2-Player Variant
If there are only two players, follow all of the normal rules with these changes:
Beginning Play: Remove the "Election of the Patriarch" card from the Event deck. Remove the "Overwhelming Influence – Nobility" card from the Action deck and place it face down on the Nobility District. Remove the "Overwhelming Influence – Patriarchy" card from the Action deck and place it face down on the Patriarchy District. Use only Office cards numbered 3 and 4. Set the others aside.
The Play of the Game: Only three Districts and the Tower of David are used. You can only place Squires in the King's Palace, the Templars, the Market, and the Tower during the game.