Менестрели (Minstrels) Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Goal of the Game
• Components
• Setup
• Game Flow
  • Common Turn
  • Player Turns
    • 1. Changing die values
    • 2. Placing a character piece
    • 3. Completing a task
    • 4. Completing a quest (Quests mode only)
    • 5. Checking the end of the game
    • 6. End of the player's turn
• End of the Game and Final Scoring
• Character Effects
• Quests Mode
• Heroes Mode
  • New Effects and Rules
• Solo Play
• Reference and Explanations
• Quick Rules
• Symbols and Their Meanings

Goal of the Game

Become the best singer in the tavern and earn the most public favour. In other words, score more victory points than the other players.

How to do it: place the wooden character pieces on your player board so as to form the most profitable combinations and earn as many victory points as possible.

Components

• Complex task cards: 12
• Simple task cards: 6
• Hero cards: 9
• Quest cards: 9
• Board with the supply and the victory point track: 1
• Minstrel tokens: 8 (two in each of four colours)
• First player token: 1
• Coins: 32
• Dice: 2
• Player boards: 4
• Player aid cards: 4
• Wooden character pieces: 60 (Dragons, Princesses, Wizards, Knights, Bandits and Treasures)

Setup

1. Each player takes the components of their chosen colour: a player board and 2 minstrel tokens. Return the unused tokens to the box.

2. Place the board with the supply and the victory point track (hereafter the "scoring track") in the centre of the table.

3. Each player places their minstrel token on the "0/50" space of the scoring track, lute side up.

4. Sort the character pieces by colour and number according to the number of players:

   • 2 players: 4 Dragons, 4 Princesses, 6 Wizards, 6 Knights, 8 Bandits, 8 Treasures.
   • 3 players: 6 Dragons, 6 Princesses, 8 Wizards, 8 Knights, 10 Bandits, 10 Treasures.
   • 4 players: 8 Dragons, 8 Princesses, 10 Wizards, 10 Knights, 12 Bandits, 12 Treasures.

   Return the remaining character pieces to the box. Then place the sorted characters in the supply on the corresponding spaces shown in the illustration (each character's colour matches its space: Princess, Knight, Bandit, Dragon, Treasure, Wizard).

5. Shuffle the simple and complex task cards separately. Place them face down with the complex cards first and the simple cards on top of them. This is the task deck. Place the deck under the board, leaving a little room to its left. Take the top 3 cards of the deck and lay them face up in a row in the space prepared for them. This is the market.

6. Place the coin tokens next to the board. This is the bank.

7. Each player takes 7 coins from the bank and places 5 of them on their board: 2 on any space of the leftmost column, and 1 on any space of each remaining column. Place the remaining 2 coins beside your player board. This is your personal supply. You may use these coins during the game, starting from the first round.

8. Each player receives a player aid card and places it beside their board.

Note: the printed setup has each player take 2 minstrel tokens, but step 3 places only one token on the scoring track. No placement is printed for the second token, so the text is transcribed as printed.

Game Flow

The game is played over several rounds. Each round consists of two phases: the Common Turn and the Player Turns.

Common Turn

The first player rolls both dice. The other players look at the result and plan their actions. The rolled results apply to all players.

Each face of a die shows a number and a character symbol. The faces are: 1 Dragon, 2 Wizard, 3 Bandit, 4 Treasure, 5 Knight, 6 Princess (see the symbol key at the end of this rulebook). Each player must choose which die shows the character and which die shows the space number on which to place it. Either order is allowed: 1 = character and 5 = space number, or 5 = character and 1 = space number.

Important: at the start of the game you may choose spaces only in the first column. In the next round you may choose spaces in the first and second columns, and so on. See page 12.

Tip: place your characters so that they bring in many victory points. See page 7 and your player aid card.

Player Turns

Players take turns clockwise, starting with the first player. On your turn you carry out the steps of the turn in order, then pass the turn to the player on your left.

1. Changing die values

You may change the rolled result on each die for coins. For each coin you return to the bank, you mentally change the value of one die up or down by one step, as long as you still have coins to spend.

The change is made step by step. For example, if a die shows 2, you may pay 1 coin and change the value to 1 or 3. If you spend 2 coins, the value may be changed to 1 (as nothing lower is possible) or to 4.

Example: a Dragon was rolled, but Eugene needs a Bandit face. For 1 coin he mentally changes the Dragon face to a Wizard face, then for another 1 coin he changes it to the desired Bandit face.

Important: you cannot change a die from 1 to 6 or from 6 to 1 for 1 coin.

If you have no suitable empty spaces on your board, and you cannot pay coins to change a die value, you must pass. For this you receive 1 coin from the bank. You may always pass instead of taking your turn.

2. Placing a character piece

Take the piece of the chosen character from the supply and place it on the space you chose earlier. The space must be empty (that is, without a character piece on it; a coin may be on it) and in a column available to you. You cannot choose a character that is no longer in the supply.

If there was a coin on the space where you placed the character, take that coin and put it in your personal supply.

Then immediately gain victory points according to the effect of the character you placed. Whenever you gain victory points, move your minstrel token on the scoring track by a number of spaces equal to the points gained. Then check whether the column on your board is now full. If it is, gain the number of victory points shown above that column. See page 12 for details.

If a minstrel token lying lute side up passes the lap and reaches (or goes past) the "0/50" space, turn it over to its "50" side. If a token on its "50" side passes the lap again, replace it with a new token on its "100" side, and so on.

Example: Vasily gets 6 victory points for a Princess on space 6.

3. Completing a task

Tasks are simple and complex. A simple task requires fulfilling 1 of its two listed conditions. A complex task requires fulfilling both.

Check whether the market contains a card whose conditions you have met. To do so, read the conditions and compare them with the positions of the characters on your board. If several cards are suitable, choose one of them and gain the indicated reward. Discard that card and place a new one, taken from the top of the task deck, in its place.

Example: a Knight task requires 2 Knights in a row or 3 Knights in a column. Ekaterina has 3 Knights in a column. She completes the task, receives a reward of 2 victory points and 1 coin, and discards the card, replacing it with a new one.

You may complete only one task per turn.

4. Completing a quest (Quests mode only)

Check whether you have met the conditions of your quest. A quest can be completed partially or fully. The reward for partial completion is on the left of the card; the reward for full completion is on the right.

A quest is partially completed if ANY characters are on the marked spaces of your board. A quest is fully completed if the marked spaces hold the specified characters. After a quest is completed, the player immediately receives its reward.

5. Checking the end of the game

At the end of your turn, check the end-of-game condition:

If 2 or fewer character types remain in the supply, the game continues until the end of the round (until every player has had a turn, in order, up to the first player), and then ends.

Note: the quick-reference rules (see below) word this condition as "2 or fewer character types remain on the board" (на поле). The main rules above say "in the supply". Both are transcribed as printed.

6. End of the player's turn

Your turn ends. The player on your left begins their turn.

After every player has finished their turn (the player to the left of the last player is the first player), the round ends. The first player then passes the first player token to the left. In a two-player game the token is not passed. The player who receives the token starts the new round and becomes the new first player. The previous first player becomes the last player.

End of the Game and Final Scoring

When the game has ended, count the victory points for the remaining characters. Take from the supply one piece of each character type that is still there. Place the piece of the type that has fewer pieces left in the supply in the centre of the board under the 5-point road sign, and the piece of the type that has more pieces left under the 3-point road sign. If only one type remains, place its piece under the 5-point road sign.

• The player who has the most pieces of the first type on their board receives 5 victory points.
• The player who has the most pieces of the second type on their board receives 3 victory points.

In a disputed situation, place both pieces under the 3-point road sign.

If players have the same number of pieces of a type on their boards (a tie), each contender receives victory points. Source note: the printed rule says "each contender receives ★" and does not state the amount, so no number is given here; the Russian original does not print it either.

Then each player receives victory points for the coins in their personal supply: 1 coin = 1 victory point. Do not return these coins to the bank!

Now look at the scoring track. The player with the most victory points is the winner.

Tie-break: if there is a tie, the winner is the player with the most coins in their personal supply. If the tie remains, the winner is the player who has completely filled the most columns on their board. If the tie still remains, the players share the victory.

Character Effects

When you place a character piece on your player board, its effects come into play and may bring you victory points.

Dragon. Get 3 victory points for each Princess in the same column AND the same row as the Dragon you just placed. Then get 3 victory points for each Treasure in the same column AND the same row as the Dragon you just placed.

Wizard. Get victory points equal to the number of coins in your personal supply. You also get 1 victory point for each coin you received this turn from your player board, by placing the Wizard piece.

Bandit. Get victory points for the chain of other Bandits connected to it by orthogonally adjacent positions. If there are no orthogonally adjacent Bandits, you get 1 victory point, as shown in the table.

Bandits in chain (bandit icon)	0	1	2	3	4+
Victory points	1	3	6	10	15

Example: Eugene places a Bandit and gets 1 victory point, because the Bandits are not connected to his placed piece in a chain. Example: Eugene places a Bandit and gets 10 victory points for a chain of three Bandits connected to the placed piece.

Treasure. Get 2 victory points for each Treasure on your player board, and 1 more victory point for each opponent who currently has fewer Treasures than you.

Knight. Get 2 victory points for each unique character piece (not repeated; this may include one other Knight) on the spaces adjacent to the Knight you just placed on your board, including orthogonal and diagonal spaces. The 8 spaces surrounding the placed Knight piece are the adjacent spaces.

Example: Vasily gets 8 victory points. A repeated Treasure does not give him victory points.

Princess. Get victory points equal to the number on the space she occupies. The higher the space, the more you get.

Quests Mode

"Quests" is a new way to earn victory points. Try this mode after several games with the base rules.

Each quest card shows the name, the reward, and the spaces on which characters must be placed. The reward is shown for partial and full completion.

Setup. Setup is the same as in the base rules, with these exceptions. At the start of setup step 7, shuffle the quest deck and deal each player 1 card at random. Then, instead of placing the 5 coins on random spaces, players place them as shown on their quest card. Then players place their quest cards face down beside their player boards. Return the quest deck to the box.

Gameplay. During the game, players have an additional goal: the quest card indicates certain spaces of the player board on which characters should be placed during the game.

• For placing any characters on all of the marked spaces, you immediately get 4 victory points.
• If you place the characters specified on the quest card on all of the spaces, you immediately get 8 victory points.
• If some of the marked spaces are still empty at the end of the game, you do not get victory points, because the quest is not completed.

Heroes Mode

"Do you want to sing about your own exploits too? Well, go on... wait, are you even human?"

Try this mode after several games with the base rules, once you have learned the effects of the various characters.

In this mode an asymmetric game takes place: each player represents a hero with a unique effect, which may or may not be tied to a specific character. Try new and unexpected strategies!

Setup. Setup is the same as in the base rules, with one exception. At the end of setup, shuffle the hero card deck and deal each player 2 cards. Each player chooses one and places it beside their player board. Return the other cards to the box. In a two-player game, remove the hero card marked "3+". In a solo game, also remove the hero card marked "2+".

Gameplay. During the game you represent a hero who either replaces the effect of a certain character with a new one, or introduces a new set of rules. The new character effect or the new rules apply for the whole game and only to the owner of the hero card.

New Effects and Rules

Kratos (3+). At the start of the round, after the dice are rolled, you may pay 1 coin and reroll 1 or 2 dice. The results of the rerolled dice apply not only to you but to all the other players. You may keep rerolling for as long as you can pay 1 coin for each reroll (of 1 or 2 dice).

Don Quixote (replaces the Knight effect). When you place a Knight, get 5 victory points for each combination of pieces on your board consisting of 1 Treasure, 1 Bandit, 1 Wizard and 1 Knight. These pieces may be anywhere on your board, but each is counted for a combination only once and cannot take part in another combination in the same round.

Friar Tuck (2+). Additionally, on your turn you may buy any character from the supply for 4 coins. Immediately place it on your board on an available space. This action is in addition to your normal character placement. At the end of each of your turns, take 1 coin from the bank.

Esmeralda. If a double is rolled on the dice (for example, 2 Dragons), you get 2 coins from the bank. After completing a task, you may additionally discard any face-up task card from the market, and place a new one in its place.

Archchancellor (replaces the Wizard effect). When you place a Wizard, get victory points for each set in your personal supply: 1 coin = 1 victory point; 3 coins = 4 victory points. Sets counted in this round cannot be part of another set. That is, a counted coin cannot be part of a set of 3 coins.

Rapunzel (replaces the Princess effect). When you place a Princess, get 2 victory points and 1 coin for each Treasure in the same column and row as her. Then get 2 victory points and 1 coin for each Bandit in the same column and row as her.

Mimic (replaces the Treasure effect). When you place a Treasure, get 1 coin for each combination of pieces on your board consisting of 1 Bandit and 1 Knight. These pieces may be anywhere on your board, but each is counted for a combination only once and cannot take part in another combination in the same round.

Robin Hood (replaces the Bandit effect). When you place a Bandit next to a Treasure (orthogonally adjacent to it), get 3 victory points for each adjacent Treasure.

Toothy (replaces the Dragon effect). When you place a Dragon, get 2 victory points and X coins. X = the number of the space on which you placed this Dragon piece.

Solo Play

"At the end of the Minstrel Tournament we hold a final solo performance. Here is your chance to catch hearts off guard and touch their souls!"

Before reading the solo rules, read the base rules. In this mode you try to earn as many victory points as possible and to earn the highest rank of all. Become the legendary soloist of the Southern Kingdoms!

Setup. Setup is the same as in the base rules, with some exceptions. Lay out the components for one player only. The player then places into the supply the number of pieces used in a three-player game: 6 Dragons and 6 Princesses, 8 Wizards and 8 Knights, 10 Bandits and 10 Treasures.

In this mode you may use quest and hero cards (heroes marked 2+ and 3+ are not used). For more about them, see the rules of the respective modes (pages 8 to 10).

Gameplay. Gameplay is the same as in the base rules, with some exceptions:

• The player is always the first player.
• At the end of each round (that is, after your turn), take the 2 character pieces that you rolled on the dice in this round (for Kratos, the last rolled result is used) and return them to the box.
• If during the round you rolled a double, return 2 pieces of that character. Also discard 1 task card from the market: for a double of 1 or 2, the first card (furthest from the deck); for a double of 3 or 4, the second card; for a double of 5 or 6, the third card (closest to the deck).

End of the game and final scoring. The differences in scoring are:

• Do not count victory points for the remaining characters.
• Check the table and try to earn the best title!

Victory points	Title
150+	Legend Creator
120-149	Royal Bard
100-119	Tavern Star
70-99	Nightingale
40-69	Novice Singer
1-39	Peacock

Reference and Explanations

Changing die values. At the start of your turn you may change the rolled result on each die for coins. For each coin you return, you mentally change the value of one die up or down. On your turn you may change the values of both dice. Returned coins go to the bank. You may return coins as long as you have them.

Important: all changes are made mentally; you do not touch the die or dice being changed.

Scoring track. The track on the board on which you mark your victory points. Each player uses the minstrel tokens of their own colour to mark their points.

Minstrel token. Marks your victory points. It may share a space with other minstrel tokens. If a minstrel token lying lute side up passes the lap and reaches (or goes past) the "0/50" space, turn it over to its "50" side. If a minstrel token lying on its "50" side passes the lap and reaches (or goes past) the "0/50" space, replace it with a token of the same colour on its "100" side. If a token lying on its "100" side reaches the "0/50" space, turn it over to its "150" side.

Characters. There are 6 types of characters in total, each represented by a wooden piece.

Character effect. Each character type has its own effect, which, when a piece of that character is placed on your player board, brings you victory points. The effects of the base characters are described in detail on page 7.

Empty space. A space is empty if it has no character piece on it. It may hold a coin. Character pieces may be placed only on empty spaces in available columns.

Column. Spaces on your player board that go in a straight line, numbered from the bottom upwards. If there is at least one piece in a column, the next column (to the right) becomes available. This is indicated by the reminder on the player board. Completely filling a column brings you the number of victory points shown above it. The further along the columns, the more valuable the column.

Row. Spaces on your player board that go in a straight line, from left to right.

Heroes. These can change character effects. They are described in detail on pages 9 and 10. A character whose effect was changed by a hero card still counts for all effects that involve characters. Example: a Dragon still gets victory points for a Princess even if you have the Rapunzel hero card.

Tasks. Tasks are simple and complex. Every task card has two conditions: for a simple task it is enough to fulfil only one of them, and for a complex task both must be fulfilled. In your turn you can complete only one task. After completing a task, take the reward, discard the card and place a new one in its place.

Getting victory points. Whenever you get victory points, move your minstrel token on the scoring track by a number of spaces equal to the points you received.

Getting coins. When a game effect tells you to get a coin, you always take it from the bank and place it in your personal supply. The exception is coins on your player board: you take them from the board and place them in your personal supply.

Supply. The area in the centre of the board, surrounded by the scoring track. Place the character pieces here during setup, and take them from here during the game.

Personal supply. The place beside your player board where you keep the coins you have received.

Bank. The area where all coins not belonging to players are kept. Coins are paid or discarded here. If the coins run out, you cannot get any more.

Market. The area where task cards lie face up. There are always 3 task cards in the market, except in rare cases when the task deck has run out.

Placing a character. To place a character, you take its piece from the supply and place it on the chosen space on your player board.

Quests. Represented by cards with instructions for placing characters, which may be completed partially or fully. Partially means that you place any characters on the indicated spaces. Fully means that you place the specified characters on the marked spaces. After completing a quest, you immediately receive the reward shown on the card, depending on how you completed it. Quest cards also indicate where to place coins on your player board during setup. Quests do not force you to place character pieces only on the indicated spaces.

Quick Rules

Goal of the game. Earn more victory points than anyone else.

Setup.

1. Place the board with the supply and the scoring track in the centre of the table. Each player takes a player aid card and the components of their colour, and places their minstrel token lute side up on the "0/50" space of the scoring track.

2. Sort the character pieces by colour and number according to the number of players:

   • 2 players: 4 Dragons, 4 Princesses, 6 Wizards, 6 Knights, 8 Bandits, 8 Treasures.
   • 3 players: 6 Dragons, 6 Princesses, 8 Wizards, 8 Knights, 10 Bandits, 10 Treasures.
   • 4 players: 8 Dragons, 8 Princesses, 10 Wizards, 10 Knights, 12 Bandits, 12 Treasures.

   Place them in the supply on the corresponding spaces.

3. Shuffle the simple and complex task cards, placing the simple cards on top of the complex cards. Place the resulting task deck under the board. Take 3 cards from the top of the deck and lay them face up beside the deck in a row.

4. Place the coins beside the board. Each player takes 7 coins and places 5 of them on their board: 2 on any space of the leftmost column, and 1 on any space of each remaining column. Place the remaining 2 beside your player board.

5. The first player is whoever sang last. They take the first player token and place it in front of them. In a two-player game, the second player takes 1 additional coin.

Common turn. The first player rolls the dice. All players simultaneously choose the spaces where they will place their characters: the upper face of one die shows the character, and the second die shows the space where the character piece is to be placed.

Player turn. Now players take turns clockwise, starting with the first player. On your turn you carry out the following steps in order, then pass the turn to the player on your left.

1. You may change the value of the dice for yourself (without touching the dice), paying 1 coin for each change of a die value.
2. Place your chosen character on your player board. For this you get victory points for the effect of the placed piece, and also for a completed column (if there is one). The victory points you receive are marked on the scoring track with your minstrel token.
3. Check the conditions of the tasks and complete 1 of them if you can.
4. Complete the quest conditions (if you are playing with quest cards) if you can and wish to. A quest may be completed partially, or you may try to complete it fully.
5. Check the end-of-game condition: if 2 or fewer character types remain on the board, the game ends at the end of this round.
6. After every player has finished their turn, the round ends. The first player then passes the first player token to the left, and that player starts a new round as the new first player.

Game flow. The game lasts several rounds. Each round consists of two phases: the Common Turn and the Player Turn.

End of the game and final scoring. When the game is over, count the victory points for the remaining characters. Take one piece of each remaining character type from the supply. Place the piece of the type with fewer pieces left in the supply in the centre of the board under the 5-point road sign, and the piece of the type with more pieces left under the 3-point road sign. If only one type remains, place its piece under the 5-point road sign.

The player with the most pieces of the first type on their board receives 5 victory points. The player with the most pieces of the second type on their board receives 3 victory points. Then coins in players' personal supplies are worth victory points: 1 coin = 1 victory point. The player who has scored the most victory points over the game is the winner.

Symbols and Their Meanings

Dice faces and character symbols:

• Dragon: die face 1
• Wizard: die face 2
• Bandit: die face 3
• Treasure: die face 4
• Knight: die face 5
• Princess: die face 6

Other symbols:

• 4, 6, 8, 12 (on the column tops): the number of victory points you get for completely filling that column.
• Column-availability icon: a reminder that you must have at least 1 character piece in a column for the column on the right to become available.
• Coin: a coin.
• Victory point: a victory point.
• Row: a row on the player board.
• Column: a column on the player board.
• Player board: the whole player board.