Master Builder Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Setup
• Card Notes
  • Worker Cards
  • Economic Situation Cards
  • Contract Cards
  • Event Cards
• Game Overview
• Phase 1: Hire and/or Fire Workers
  • Round 1
  • Rounds 2 to 5
  • Hiring a Worker
  • Firing a Worker
  • Pass
• Phase 2: Acquire Contracts
  • Round 1
  • Rounds 2 to 5
  • Bidding on a Contract
  • Passing
  • Exceptions
  • No Interest in a Contract
• Phase 3: Events
• Phase 4: Construction
  • Building Section Codes
  • Revealing Construction Plans
  • Building Rules
• Phase 5: Collect Income and Pay Wages
  • Collecting Income
  • Paying Wages
  • Credit
• New Round
• End of Game
  • Final Scoring
• Additional Rules
• Building Diagrams
  • Town Walls
  • Buildings

Components

• 1 game board
• 72 construction pieces
• 12 contract cards
• 40 worker cards:
  • 8 master craftsmen
  • 9 foremen
  • 10 merchants
  • 13 apprentices
• 16 event cards
• 11 economic situation cards
• 18 IOUs (loans):
  • 12 worth $10,000
  • 6 worth $30,000
• 8 wage markers: 2 each in red, blue, yellow and green
• Game money:
  • 20 x $1,000
  • 15 x $5,000
  • 20 x $10,000
  • 8 x $50,000
• 1 phase marker (trowel)
• 1 first player marker (mallet)

Setup

1. Place the game board on the table. The board has two tracks:
   1. The phase track
   2. The wage track
2. Place the trowel on the space "Hire and/or Fire Workers" of the phase track.
3. Sort the money by value and place it on the table.
4. Sort the worker cards by worker type (apprentice, merchant, foreman and master craftsman). Create one deck for each profession. Shuffle each deck and place it face up on the table.
5. Shuffle the event cards and place them face down on the table.
6. Shuffle the contract cards and place them face down on the table. In a two-player game, remove four contract cards from the deck and return them to the box without any player looking at them.
7. Shuffle the economic situation cards and draw five of them face down to create a deck. Place this deck on the table. The remaining economic situation cards will not be used in the game; return them to the box without any player looking at them.
8. Sort all the construction pieces by their number and place them on the table.
9. Sort the IOU cards by value and place them on the table.
10. Each player chooses a colour, takes the wage marker of that colour and places it in front of them on the table.
11. Choose a banker. The banker gives $40,000 to each player.
12. The youngest player is the first player and receives the mallet.

The game proceeds clockwise.

Card Notes

Worker Cards

• Wages: the amount of money a player must pay to keep the worker.
• Banner colour: specific to the worker type. The matching coloured elements can also be found on the back of each construction piece and at the top of each contract card. They show which workers you need to build the piece or the building.
• Personalities: workers have quirks that can prevent them from working. The quirks and their abbreviations (in brackets) are:
  • Sensitive (S)
  • Deceitful (D)
  • Weak (W)
  • Negligent (N)
  • Hot-headed (H)

Some workers have only one quirk, and some may have up to three. The more personalities a worker has, the more likely it is that the worker will not be able to work.

Economic Situation Cards

• Economic environment: a description of the economic situation for the current round.
• Revealed cards: the number of contract cards to reveal, depending on the number of players.

Contract Cards

1. Contract number: this number is printed on each construction piece so that it can be found easily.
2. Contract name: the name of the building.
3. Building sections: the number of pieces that must be built to fulfil the contract.
4. Amount: the sum of money paid to the player when the contract is fulfilled.
5. Cost: the MINIMUM bid that a player must offer to receive this contract.
6. Minimum workforce: the minimum number and skill of each worker required to complete the building during a construction phase.

Event Cards

Each event card has a name and an effect on the game.

Game Overview

The game is divided into rounds and phases. Each round consists of five phases, shown on the phase track of the game board. When a phase is finished, the trowel is moved to the next phase on the phase track.

During a round, the first player takes their action for the phase, and play continues in turn order until every player has had the chance to act in that phase.

The trowel is moved to the next phase on the phase track, and, starting with the first player, each player has the opportunity to act in that phase. This continues until all phases have been carried out.

When all phases are finished, the mallet passes to the left, the trowel is placed on the first space of the phase track, and a new round begins.

The game is played over six rounds.

The five phases of a round are:

• Phase 1: Hire and/or fire workers
• Phase 2: Acquire contracts
• Phase 3: Events
• Phase 4: Construction
• Phase 5: Collect income and pay wages

Each time a phase is finished, the trowel is moved to the next phase on the phase track and the next phase begins.

Phase 1: Hire and/or Fire Workers

Round 1

Starting with the first player and continuing in turn order, each player chooses one of the four face-up workers and places it face up in front of them.

Players continue choosing workers until each player has five face-up workers in front of them. A player may not pass in order to wait for a better worker.

No worker is fired during Round 1.

Tip: During your first game, you should hire at least one worker of each skill level.

When each player has hired 5 workers, each player adds up the wages of their workers and places their wage marker on the corresponding space of the wage track.

Example: A player has 1 master craftsman, 1 foreman, 1 merchant and 2 apprentices. Their total wages are 14 ($14,000). The player places their wage marker on that number of the wage track.

Rounds 2 to 5

Starting with the first player and continuing in turn order, a player may:

1. Hire 1 worker,
2. Fire 1 worker, or
3. Pass and do nothing.

Each player may carry out one of the previous actions, but only ONE at a time, in turn order.

Example: Hire a foreman – hire an apprentice – fire another apprentice (because that apprentice has 3 quirks).

Hiring a Worker

When a player hires a worker, the wages they must pay increase. The player immediately moves their wage marker to the new total on the wage track. The wage track ends at 30, as that is the maximum a player can pay in wages. A player may only hire a new worker if the new total of wages to be paid does not exceed this upper limit.

Firing a Worker

When a player fires a worker, they place the worker card under the corresponding deck, and the wages the player must pay decrease. The player immediately moves their wage marker to the new total on the wage track.

Pass

When a player passes, they neither hire nor fire a worker. However, they may decide to hire or fire a worker at their next opportunity.

Phase 2: Acquire Contracts

Round 1

Reveal a number of contracts equal to the number of players + 1.

Rounds 2 to 5

The top card of the economic situation deck is turned face up. It indicates how many new contracts become available this round, provided enough remain in the deck.

Example: With 2 players, reveal 0 contracts; with 3 players, reveal 1 contract; with 4 players, reveal 1 contract.

The first player has two options:

1. Bid on a contract, or
2. Pass.

Bidding on a Contract

The first player names a contract they wish to build and announces their initial bid for it. The initial bid must ALWAYS be at least equal to the minimum bid shown on the contract.

Clockwise, each player may then bid a higher amount or pass.

A player MUST be able to pay the amount they bid. A player may NOT take a loan to cover their bid.

If no other player is interested in the contract, the active player pays their bid to the bank, places the contract card in front of them, and receives all the matching construction pieces, which they place in front of them.

If another player is interested in the contract, they must bid a higher amount. The contract goes to the highest bidder.

After a bid has been completed, the first player chooses another contract to put up for bidding. If the first player has no money to bid, the next player in turn order chooses the next contract to put up for bidding.

Passing

If a player passes, they may not raise their bid later for that contract. They may, however, bid on later contracts.

Example: Blue chooses contract 1 and bids $2,000. Blue must be able to pay this amount and may not take a loan to cover the bid. Yellow then bids $5,000. Green passes. Red bids $7,000. Blue and Yellow both pass. Red pays $7,000 to the bank and receives the contract 1 card and all the construction pieces of contract 1.

Exceptions

In Round 1, once a player has acquired two contracts, the right to bid is limited to the players who have no contract yet, and each remaining player may obtain only one more contract. Each player must have at least one contract after Round 1.

If the first player has acquired two contracts, the player to their left then chooses the contract to put up for bidding and announces the initial bid.

If only one contract remains, the player remaining without a contract simply pays the minimum bid shown on the card and receives the contract card and the construction pieces. There is no bidding in this case.

In Rounds 2 to 5, the right of players to bid on a contract is not affected by whether other players own contracts or not. It is possible that a player will be unable to build because they do not own a contract.

No Interest in a Contract

If no one is interested in a particular contract, it remains available for the next round and $5,000 is placed on it. This money goes to whoever acquires the contract (with or without bidding) in the next round.

If the contract is not acquired in the next round, it is removed from the game.

Phase 3: Events

The event cards reflect the uncertainties of the building industry and often delay the completion of a contract. Although the event cards affect everyone, they can cause more significant difficulties for one player than for another.

The first player reveals the top card of the event deck and reads its text.

Event cards affect ALL players and are carried out in turn order.

If, as a result of an event card, a worker becomes unavailable for the construction phase, their card is turned face down. However, that worker must still be paid.

Each worker who became unavailable because of an event card will be available again after the construction phase.

Each worker who has been dismissed or released because of an event card immediately triggers an adjustment of the corresponding builder's wage level.

Each event card that has been carried out is placed under the event deck.

Phase 4: Construction

Each contract card has a colour code indicating the number AND the skill of each worker required to build the building completely:

• Yellow indicates a master craftsman
• Red indicates a foreman
• Purple indicates a merchant
• Green indicates an apprentice

The colour is the MINIMUM skill of the worker required. The work can always be done by a more skilled worker who is better qualified than the colour code requires.

Building Section Codes

Each building section has a colour code similar to that of the contract cards. However, these codes are specific to each building section, since some sections are harder to build and require more skilled workers to complete.

Using the section colour codes, each player now makes their construction plans by placing worker cards on the building sections they wish to build, making sure that each worker is skilled enough for the job.

Example of section requirements:

• This section can ONLY be completed by a master craftsman.
• This section can be completed by a foreman or a master craftsman.
• This section can be completed by a merchant, a foreman or a master craftsman.
• This section can be completed by an apprentice, a merchant, a foreman or a master craftsman.
• This section can be completed by a foreman and an apprentice, or by two workers with equal or better qualifications. For example: a foreman and a merchant, or two foremen, or a master craftsman and an apprentice.

Note: The colour of the workers' clothing has no meaning.

Example: A player has 5 available workers (1 master craftsman, 2 foremen, 1 merchant and 2 apprentices) and owns contract 8. They can use each of them except the apprentices. They will build one side wall and two gables. They postpone building the other wall and the two roof sections until the next round.

Revealing Construction Plans

After each player has finished their construction plans, each player in turn order shows how they have assigned their workers. Once each player has confirmed the minimum skill level for each building section, everyone erects their sections simultaneously.

Each player chooses when they start and finish a building.

Building Rules

A building must be stable, that is, it must begin with at least two sections: a side wall and a gable.

The roof can only be built when all 4 walls have been built.

Once each player has erected their building sections, each worker is placed back in front of the player and is available again for the next phase.

Each worker card that was face down because of an event is now turned face up and is available again for the next phase.

Phase 5: Collect Income and Pay Wages

Collecting Income

For each contract completed, each player receives from the bank the amount shown on the contract card.

If a player has not completed any building during this round, they receive nothing.

Completed buildings are placed in the middle of the table to form the town.

Paying Wages

Each player must now pay wages: the amount indicated by their wage marker on the wage track. This amount must be paid whether or not the player has collected money!

Credit

If a player cannot pay the wages of their workers as shown on the wage track, they MUST take a loan from the bank.

There are two types of loan, with different repayment terms. The source text calls them short-term and long-term loans; its table labels them "Small" (Petit) and "Large" (Grand). Both names are shown here as printed.

Each loan card shows two repayment amounts, early and late:

• The early repayment amount is what is due if contract cards remain in play when the repayment is made.
• The late repayment amount is what is due if the contract deck has been exhausted before the repayment is made.

Loan repayment is as follows:

Loan type	Money received	Repayment early	Repayment late
Small	$10,000	$13,000	$15,000
Large	$30,000	$38,000	$40,000

The player taking a loan chooses which type of loan they want.

When a player takes a loan, they receive the loan amount from the bank and an IOU card to remind them that they owe money.

A player may have several different IOU cards.

A loan may be repaid at any time.

New Round

Before a new round begins, the mallet moves one player to the left, and the trowel is moved to the space "Hire and/or Fire Workers" on the phase track.

The new first player begins Phase 1, "Hire and/or fire workers".

End of Game

The game ends at the latest after the 6th round, that is, the round in which the 5th economic situation card is turned face up.

It ends earlier if, before the 5th round, all contracts have been acquired by players. In that case there is still one round in which no contract is awarded.

Example: All contracts are awarded during the 4th round. In this case, the game ends after the 5th round.

Final Scoring

For each of their unfinished buildings, each player receives the amount shown on the contract card MINUS $20,000 for EACH unfinished section. However, the amount can never be negative! If the calculation gives a negative result, the player receives nothing.

Each player then counts their money and subtracts from the total the repayment value of all remaining loans.

The player with the most money is declared the great architect and wins the game.

Additional Rules

The source prints no heading for this block. The four rules below appear together on the last page of the source, after the end-of-game rules, and are presented as additional rules.

• Choosing workers: during the phase "Hire and/or fire workers", each player may pay $1,000 to the bank in order to look into a worker deck and choose a worker of their choice.
• Selective events: each player receives 2 event cards at the start of the game. The first player chooses one of their cards for the round.
• Additional events: two event cards are revealed each round, and both are carried out.
• Renting workers: if a player has workers without employment during a construction phase, they may rent them to the other players. The rental amount is decided by negotiation. At the end of the construction phase, the worker is returned to their employer.

Building Diagrams

The source illustrates these steps in five diagrams, described below as printed.

Town Walls

The town wall contracts (numbers 1, 2, 7 and 12) require the construction of 2 town walls. You build the first one completely, then build the other.

First, you build together one wall section and one side (see diagrams 1 and 2). The second side (reverse) is then added (diagrams 3 and 4). The second wall is built in the same way.

Buildings

Each building requires the assembly of a gable and a side wall (diagrams 1 and 2), because this is the only way a building will stand by itself. Then add the second gable or the second side wall, and then the fourth section (diagram 3).

When each of the four walls is in place, add the two roof sections. For all buildings, the two roof sections are shown in diagram 4.

The completed building is shown in diagram 5.