Richelieu (2012)
Richelieu (2012) Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Object of the game
The players are influential nobles who try to support the most influential fraction by deploying their agents wisely. The person who supports the winning faction the most is awarded prestige and rewards. The player who thus gains the most prestige wins the game.
Components
- 1 game board
- 26 intrigue sheets
- 13x Cardinal Richelieu (with red back)
- 13x Opposing Factions (yellow back): England (pink), France (orange), Habsburg (grey) and Protestants (brown)
- 40 agent tokens (10 per color): 2x value '-2', 3x value '1', 3x value '2' and 2x value '3' (the value is on the front of the agent; the back is identical)
- 4 screens (1 per color)
- 12 markers (3 per color)
- 4 "30+" prestige tiles
- 3 wooden pawns: Cardinal Richelieu, Éminence Grise, Queen
- 10 jewelry tokens
- money: Louis d'Argent (value of 1) and Louis d'Or (value of 3)
Explanation of the game board
- Intrigue boxes: the upper boxes contain Cardinal Richelieu's intrigue sheets (red back) while the lower boxes contain the Opposing Factions' intrigue sheets (yellow back).
- City: discard area for agents after resolving an intrigue
- City: discard area for jewelry tokens
- Field for the face-down stack of intrigue sheets of the Opposing Factions
- Field for the face-down stack of intrigue sheets of Cardinal Richelieu
- Table with bonus points for the final scoring
- Income track
- Military track
- Prestige track
- Palace of the Éminence Grise
- Palace of the Queen
- Cardinal Richelieu's initial position
Setting up the game
- Place the game board in the middle of the table.
- Separate the intrigue sheets by the color on the back. Shuffle them into two separate facedown stacks and place them on the correct fields on the game board.
- Draw 3 Cardinal Richelieu intrigue sheets (with a red back) and place them face up on the upper field of each intrigue box. Draw 3 Opposing Factions intrigue sheets (with a yellow back) and place them face up on the lower field of each intrigue box.
- Put the money in a general reserve next to the game board. Each player receives 7 Louis d'Argent.
- Place the Éminence Grise pawn in his (grey) palace. Place the Queen pawn in her (pink) palace. Place the Cardinal pawn on field 7 (showing Cardinal Richelieu) of the prestige track.
- Place 2 jewelry tokens on the appropriate field in the city. In addition each player receives 2 jewelry tokens. The remaining jewelry tokens are returned to the box and are not used in this game.
- Each player chooses a color, takes the game components of this color and places their screen in front of them. During the game, the players store their agents, money and jewelry tokens behind their screen.
- Each player places their markers on the following fields on the game board:
- number 0 spot of the prestige track
- number 0 spot of the military track
- number 1 spot of the income track
- Place the "30+" prestige tiles next to the game board. If a player's marker reaches "30" on the Prestige Track, the player in question takes their "30+" tile and places it in front of them. The player's marker is subsequently returned to the "0" space, which is now worth 30 points.
- Choose a starting player.
Playing the game
Players take turns one after another. A player has 1 or 2 actions per turn:
- A player has 2 actions if the player's marker is behind the Cardinal on the prestige track.
- A player has 1 action if the player's marker is ahead of (or tied with) the Cardinal on the prestige track.
A player can choose from the following actions:
- A. Collect income (only once a turn)
- B. Place an agent
- C. Buy a commission (only once a turn)
- D. Buy or sell jewelry (only once a turn)
A. Collect income
The player collects a number of Louis d'Argent from the general reserve equal to their position on the income track.
Example: The green marker is on the third field of the income track. The green player takes 3 Louis d'Argent from the general reserve and places them behind their screen.
B. Place an agent
The player places one of their available agents from behind their screen on an empty spot on the intrigue sheet of their choice in one of the intrigue boxes.
If the player opts for a field with a value of 1, 2 or 3, the latter needs to pay this number of Louis d'Argent into the general reserve and then places his agent face down so that the value is kept hidden.
If the player opts for a field with a value of 0, the latter does not need to pay anything but needs to place their agent face-up so that everybody can see the value.
Important: If a player wishes to perform this action twice in one and the same turn, he or she must pay two additional Louis d'Argent (on top of the regular cost to place agents). It doesn't matter whether the second agent is placed on the same or on a different intrigue sheet.
Example: The green player places an agent on an intrigue sheet with a value of "0". This doesn't cost him anything, but he needs to place his agent face up on the field. As a second action he then places a second agent on the field with a value of "1". This costs him 3 Louis d'Argent (1+2). This agent is placed face down on the intrigue sheet.
As soon as all fields of an intrigue sheet are occupied, the intrigue box in question is resolved. See "Intrigue resolution".
Taking back agents
When a player places his last remaining agent, he immediately takes back all agents in his color located in the city on the game board and puts them back behind his screen.
Important: If the last remaining agent played results in the resolution of an intrigue, this player needs to take back his agents before the intrigue is resolved.
C. Buy a commission
The player advances their marker one position on the military track, and then pays an amount equal to the value of this square.
Important: A player can only perform this action if their marker is behind the Cardinal on the prestige track.
Example: The yellow player's marker is on square '2' of the military track. The player pays 3 Louis d'Argent and advances their marker one position on the military track.
D. Buy or sell jewelry
A player is allowed to sell one jewelry token. This player moves one jewelry token from behind his screen, places it on the appropriate field on the game board and then receives 5 Louis d'Argent from the general reserve.
A player can buy one jewelry token (if available in the city). This player pays 8 Louis d'Argent, takes one jewelry token from the board and places it behind their screen.
A player can only sell or buy jewelry per turn.
Intrigue resolution
As soon as all fields of an intrigue sheet are occupied by agents, the Éminence Grise and/or the queen, the intrigue box in question is resolved.
Note: It is not required that all fields on both intrigue sheets are fully occupied!
a. Determine the winning faction
Flip the tokens on both intrigue sheets in this box face up. Add the value of all tokens for each faction. The Éminence Grise and Queen pawns have a value of 3.
The faction with the highest total value wins this intrigue. In case of a tie, the Cardinal faction wins.
b. Bonus for contribution to the winning faction
The players who contributed the most to this victory are subsequently rewarded.
Note: The bonus for winning an intrigue is indicated on the intrigue sheet. The bonuses for the first and the second place are indicated in the left-most and the middle box respectively. The right-most box indicates what happens to the Cardinal after resolving the intrigue.
The player who gave the highest positive total value to the winning faction gets the bonus for the first place. This player also receives the intrigue sheet and places this sheet face down in front of them. Intrigue sheets can earn players bonus points at the end of the game. The bonus for the second place goes to the player who gave the second highest positive total value. In case of a tie, the bonus is awarded to the player who placed an agent on the left-most spot on the winning intrigue sheet.
Move the cardinal up or down the number of positions indicated in the last box. If Richelieu wins the intrigue and is behind the player who gave the highest total positive value, the Cardinal is advanced to the same position as that player.
Players do not get a bonus for contributions to the losing faction. These intrigue sheets are removed from the game.
Example: This intrigue is being resolved. All agents are turned face up. Richelieu has 3 (3-2+2) influence points. England has 9 (2+3+2+1+1) influence points and wins this intrigue. The red player has contributed the most and receives 3 prestige points and advances one position on the income track. The yellow player ends in second position and gets 3 prestige points and 3 Louis d'Argent. The Cardinal moves back 2 squares on the prestige track.
c. Remove agents and draw new intrigue sheets
Once the intrigue has been resolved, all agents involved in the intrigue are placed face up in the city on the game board.
If the Éminence Grise and/or the Queen were involved in the resolved intrigue, they are returned to their palace on the game board.
Finally draw an intrigue sheet from both stacks and place them face up on the appropriate fields in the resolved intrigue box.
Bonus overview
Prestige
The player advances the indicated number of squares on the prestige track.
Money
The player receives the indicated amount of Louis d'Argent.
Income
The player advances the indicated number of squares on the income track.
Military influence
The player advances the indicated number of squares on the military track.
Place an agent
The player immediately places an agent on the field of their choice for free.
Corruption
The player moves another player's agent to another available spot. It is allowed to move the agent to a different faction or intrigue. If the agent ends up on a space with a value of 0, the agent is turned face up.
Note: It is not allowed to move the Éminence Grise or the Queen in this manner!
Place the Éminence Grise
The player places the Éminence Grise on an available spot in a faction opposing the Cardinal. If the pawn is already placed on an intrigue sheet, the player can also move the pawn to another intrigue sheet.
The Éminence Grise is considered an agent with a value of 3 when this intrigue is resolved, but does not belong to either player.
Place the Queen
The player places the Queen on an available spot in a faction supporting Cardinal Richelieu. If the pawn is already placed on an intrigue sheet, the player can also move the pawn to another intrigue sheet.
The Queen is considered an agent with a value of 3 when this intrigue is resolved, but does not belong to either player.
Important: It is possible, that another intrigue must be resolved after a bonus action is activated. In that case you must first resolve the current intrigue completely: determine the winning faction, distribute rewards for contribution to the winning faction, move Richelieu, remove agents and draw new intrigue sheets. After these steps move to the next intrigue that has to be resolved.
Military track bonus
Some squares on the military track feature an income or a prestige symbol. If a player's marker reaches or gets past such a square, this player advances his marker one square on the track in question.
End of the game
The game ends when all intrigue sheets have been resolved. Players calculate their score as follows:
a. Income and military track
Add the income track and military track scores to the prestige track.
b. Intrigue sheet bonus
Players furthermore receive a bonus for intrigue sheets placed in front of them. A bonus points overview can be found in the table on the game board. Add these points to the prestige track.
Richelieu sheets: The player with the most Richelieu sheets receives 8 points; the player who has the second most receives 4 points. In case of a tie for the first place, both players get the second place bonus (4 points each). There is no bonus for the second place in this case. In case of a tie for the second place, no points are scored.
Opposing Factions sheets: Each player receives points for the number of sheets collected per faction. One sheet is worth 1 point, two sheets are worth 4 points, 3 sheets are worth 9 points and (in the case of England) 4 sheets are worth 16 points.
Example: Distribution of sheets at the end of the game:
| Richelieu | England | France | Habsburg | Protestants | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nick | 3 | 1 | |||
| Suzan | 2 | 3 | 1 | ||
| Tom | 0 | 2 | 1 |
The players receive the following bonus points for intrigue sheets:
- Nick: 8 (most Richelieu sheets) + 1 (England) = 9 points
- Suzan: 4 (second-most Richelieu sheets) + 9 (France) + 1 (Habsburg) = 14 points
- Tom: 4 (England) + 1 (Protestants) = 5 points
c. Jewelry tokens
Players add 4 points for every jewelry token they own. Add these points to the prestige track.
The player who eventually has the most points on the prestige track wins the game. In case of a tie, the tied player who has the most money wins. If there is still a tie, the tied player who has the most intrigue sheets wins.
Rules for 2 players
The following changes apply in a game with two players:
Each player receives 7 agents of another color (1x -2, 3x 1 and 3x 2). These tokens are considered as a neutral player.
After performing their actions in their own turn, each player places a neutral agent on an available space (if possible; a neutral token can never be placed on the last available spot on an intrigue sheet!)
A neutral token can be placed for free.
If a neutral player wins a bonus during the resolution of an intrigue, neither player receives this bonus. Once an intrigue has been resolved, the neutral agents are also placed face up in the city.
A player who has placed their last neutral agent gets all their neutral agents back according to the same rules as their own agents.
Frequently Asked Questions (official FAQ)
Q: What happens if my marker is ahead of (or tied with) the Cardinal at the beginning of my turn and ends behind the Cardinal after the resolution of an intrigue? Can I perform a second action? A: No. At the beginning of your turn the number of actions is decided.
Q: I may perform two actions, but after placing my first agent an intrigue is resolved. Can I place a second one? A: Yes. Intrigues are resolved immediately when all fields on one faction of an intrigue are occupied by agents. So you have to "pause" your turn for doing this. After the resolution of this intrigue you can perform your second action.
Q: Can the Cardinal go below zero on the prestige track? A: No. If the Cardinal is forced to move below zero he ends on space "0".
Q: How many spaces do I advance on the income track with the bonus "Income"? A: You always move your marker one step forward on the income track. When no numbers are printed on an intrigue sheet, it's meant to have a "1".
Q: On one of the black intrigue sheets is not shown how many prestige you'll get. How many steps can I move forward on the prestige track when I get the bonus for this intrigue? A: 1. When no numbers are printed on an intrigue sheet, it's meant to have a "1".
Q: Can I look at my own face down agent placed on an intrigue sheet? A: Yes.
Q: What happens in a two player game when Richelieu wins a intrigue and the neutral player gave the highest total positive value? A: Richelieu only advances the number of space shown in the last box on the intrigue and doesn't advance extra squares to meet any player.
Q: In a two player game can I choose to place a neutral agent instead of one of my own colour? A: No. Only after performing your own action(s) you'll add a neutral agent.
Q: Can I move a neutral agent with the bonus "Corruption"? A: No. You can only move an agent of another (real) player with "Corruption".
Q: Do the Éminence Grise or the Queen count toward the value of the neutral player for the bonus? A: No.
Another two player variant (official)
In this variant only one neutral player is added to the game.
After both players have taken their agents, take another 7 agents (1x -2, 3x 1 and 3x 2) of another colour and place them next to the game board. Place all other unused tokens back in the game box. These seven tokens next to the game board are considered as the neutral player.
After performing their actions in his own turn the active player places a neutral agent (from next to the game board) for free on an available space on any intrigue sheet (if possible; a neutral token can never be placed on the last available spot on an intrigue sheet!).
If the neutral player wins a bonus during the resolution of an intrigue, neither player receives this bonus.
Once an intrigue has been resolved, the agents belonging to the neutral player are also placed face up in the city. When the last neutral agent is placed on an intrigue all neutral agents in city are placed next to the game board and are all available to be placed again.
Errata
The published errata concern the Corruption text of the French and German rulebooks only; the English text above already reads as corrected.