Queen Marie-Antoinette
Queen Marie-Antoinette Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Material
- 55 Character cards in 5 factions: 11 Cardinals, 11 Aristocrats, 11 Favorites, 11 Militaries, 11 Merchants
- 10 Requirement cards
- 24 Plot cards
- 1 Order token
- 1 First Player token
- Score tokens: 20 x 1, 8 x 5, 16 x 10
Set Up
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Shuffle the Requirement cards and turn over one at random to place it above the playing area. The remaining Requirement cards are returned to the box and will not be used again for this game.
Note: The Requirement card turned over indicates the conditions for scoring points at the end of this game.
Two different set-ups depending on the number of players!
For a Game with 2 or 3 Players
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Remove the 5 "0" value cards from the pack of 55 Character cards. They are returned to the box and will not be used for this game.
Randomly select 5 Character cards from the remaining 50 cards, each with a different Faction, and turn them over onto the "Condition" side to place them below the Requirement card, in line, in order of arrival. These will be the Queen's Conditions for the game!
Note: For your first game, it is recommended to use the following cards to define the conditions of the game: Requirement E1, Military M1, Aristocrat A1, Merchant N1, Cardinal C1, Favorite F1, placed in this order.
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Shuffle the remaining 45 Character cards and make up as many sets of three cards, face-up, as there are players.
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With the remaining cards, form 3 columns, face-up, overlapping in the middle of the table. This will be the Royal Court.
Note: The "0" value cards have no conditions on the back, so they cannot be flipped over the columns. They will therefore be either in the lots, or in the columns.
- In a 2-player game, the columns contain 13 cards.
- In a 3-player game, the columns contain 12 cards.
- In a 4-player game, the columns contain 14 cards.
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Next, place the "Order" token above the Condition card bearing the symbol indicated by the Aristocrat card unveiled (opposite: Military example).
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Shuffle the Plot cards and distribute four to each player. Players can read them secretly.
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Designate a player and give him the first player token. In reverse order of turn, starting with the last player, each player takes the batch of two or three cards of their choice. The players place their character cards in front of them on the table, character side visible.
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Set up a supply of score tokens within reach of all players. Each player starts with 5 points.
For a Game with 4 Players
Proceed in the same way, including the "0" value cards in the deck of Character cards in phase 3 of the previous set-up. From onwards, the sets will only consist of two cards.
Card Details
General
- Point of influence: the influence point symbol printed on a card.
- Same value: the icon for cards of the same value.
- Different values: the icon for cards of different values.
- Same faction: the icon for cards of the same faction.
- Different factions: the icon for cards of different factions.
- Card value: the value printed on a Character card.
- Placement of the Order token: where the Order token is placed on an Aristocrat card.
- Take both cards: before applying the effect, or after applying the effect.
Plot Cards
- The player must have in his yard, 3 cards of the indicated value (regardless of faction). The example shows three cards of value 1.
- The player must have in his yard a sequence of 4 consecutive cards, all from different factions. The values indicated must be respected. The example shows values 1, 2, 3, 4.
- The player must have a sequence of 4 consecutive cards of the same faction with the values shown. The example shows values 4, 3, 2, 1.
- The player must have at least 4 cards of the indicated faction in his yard.
- The player must have at least 2 cards of each indicated faction in his yard.
- The player must have at least one card of each of the 3 factions indicated in his yard but none of the crossed-out faction.
Note: When scoring points, take the score tokens from the reserve and place them in front of you.
Card Condition Description
- Top right: apply the effect, then take your two cards.
- Top left: take your two cards, then apply the effect.
- Faction.
- Influence point.
- Card effect.
- Placement information for the initial Order token (only on Aristocrat cards).
- Move the Order token (only on Aristocrat cards).
- Card reference.
Note: If there is no pictogram at the top, apply the effect immediately.
Aim of the Game
The objective is to score as many influence points as possible, according to the Requirement and Condition cards turned over during set-up, as well as with Plot cards during the game.
Game Flow
On your turn, you have two options:
- Play a card from your court
- OR
- Validate a Plot card
Play a Card From Your Court
Here's the sequence of actions to follow:
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Select a card from your yard.
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Place it on the bottom card in the royal court, in the column of your choice.
Note: The printed sheet reads "yard royale" in this step; it is transcribed as "royal court" to match the Royal Court named in set-up.
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Take the top two cards from this column and place them in your yard.
Note: Depending on the type of card you play and the condition cards, this sequence may be modified.
Validate a Conspiracy Card
Instead of playing a card from your Court, if you meet the criteria indicated on one of your Plot cards, you can choose to validate. In this case, you reveal the card and immediately score the points indicated on it.
Queen's Conditions
There are six types of Queen's Condition. One Condition corresponds to the Queen's Requirement and five Conditions correspond to the 5 Factions.
Requirement
The overturned Requirement card shows the method of calculating influence points gained by players according to the cards in their yard at the end of the game.
Factions
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Military (Blue): the returned Military Condition indicates a way of interfering with other players' plans. When playing a Military, apply the action described on the Military Condition. Some Military powers result in the loss of points from one or more opponents. It is therefore possible for a player to lose all his points[, where the printed sheet shows a symbol the text layer does not carry,] but his score can never be negative.
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Aristocrat (Yellow): the Aristocrat Condition returned indicates the starting point (for the set-up, useless information later) and the method of calculating the Order token during the game. When you play an Aristocrat, after step 3 of the turn, all players are ranked according to the criterion indicated by the Aristocrat Condition, according to the faction designated by the "Order" token.
Example: If the Order token is above the Favorite conditions card, the ranking will be based on the Favorites of each court.
Each player scores as many points as indicated on the Aristocrat Condition, according to his position in the ranking. To score points, you must own at least one card of the faction concerned. In the event of a tie, each tied player scores the number of points indicated for the place contested and no points are awarded for any subsequent place(s) that should have been occupied by one of the tied players. Finally, move the "Order" token one condition card to the right (or from the right-most card to the left-most card).
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Merchant (Green): the overturned Merchant Condition indicates a way of interacting with the royal court (columns of cards) or plot cards. When playing a Merchant, apply the action described on the Merchant Condition. Merchants' actions take place at different times depending on their power, before or after taking their two cards.
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Cardinal (Red): the Cardinal Condition indicates how to earn points by depending on your court. When you play a Cardinal, if the condition is met, you score the associated points.
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Favorite (Violet): the Favorite Condition indicates how to earn points immediately at the royal court. When you play a Favorite, you immediately earn as many points as indicated by the Favorite Condition.
End of Game
The game ends when one of the following two criteria is met:
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A player reaches or exceeds the following number of influence points:
- 50 points for 2 players
- 45 points for 3 players
- 40 points for 4 players
The current round ends so that all players have played the same number of rounds.
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If a player empties one of the royal court columns, he ends his turn and the game ends immediately.
Players add the points on the Requirement card to the points accumulated during the game. The player who has the most influence points wins the game. In the event of a tie, the player who has validated the most plots is declared the winner.