Royale: Party at Louis'
Royale: Party at Louis' Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 72 food cards
- 24 noble cards (6 nobles and 1 imposter for each player A-D)
- 4 imposter cards
- 9 solo cards
- 1 end of party card
Game Setup
Shuffle the food cards to form the draw pile. Include the end of party card according to the details stated under The End of Party Card & End of the Game. Turn over the top nine food cards from the draw pile to form a 3x3 matrix. This is considered the 'tray.' Sort the noble and imposter cards by player icon. Every player chooses a player icon and receives the corresponding seven cards. Players decide to all play the unmasked or the masked sides. If it is your first game, we advise you to play the unmasked side. Once chosen, all players place their nobles with the chosen sides face up in a row on the table in front of them. The imposter card should be placed at one end of the row of nobles. You are now ready to play!
Goal of the Game
Win by scoring all nobles or have the most points when the game ends.
End of the Game
The game ends immediately when one player has completed all of their nobles and wins, or because of the end of party card. More on the end of party card later on. If there is a tie, the player with the most food cards on the table wins.
Game Overview
Choose a player to start the game. Play will continue in clockwise order. On your turn, you perform the following actions in this order:
- Take food cards from the tray.
- Provide nobles with food.
- Score nobles and/or dispose food, if applicable.
- Replenish the tray.
1. Take Food from the Tray
There are six different food types: blue/dessert, green/drinks, purple/fruit, pink/pastries, yellow/savory and white/abundance. Each food card shows a value from 1 to 12. The abundance cards (white) can be used as any type of food.
To take food from the tray, you must choose one of the following options:
- Take all 3 cards in a single row, or...
- Take all 3 cards in a single column, or...
- Use the special power of your imposter.
Imposter: You can use the imposter only once per game. When you use it, turn the card 90 degrees to show that the card has been used. You then take the cards that correspond to the pattern. You may rotate the pattern of your imposter.
2. Provide Nobles with Food
After taking three cards from the tray, you MUST place them somewhere under your nobles. Played cards can no longer be moved, so use them wisely. You may distribute the three food cards among your noble as you like. Depending on which side you play, the nobles will ask you for specific orders. A pair consists of two cards with the same value. You may play the cards in any order. Below an explanation of all nobles (required colors may vary per player):
Unmasked side
- This noble needs four food cards with the exact same value. One of the cards has to be yellow.
- This noble needs two pairs, each pair must contain one blue card.
- This noble needs exactly four purple cards with a total value of less than 15.
- This noble needs exactly three green cards, with the sum of two cards being the third card.
- This noble needs exactly four pink cards with a total value of more than 38.
- This noble needs exactly a value of 25, but the type of food doesn't matter.
Remember: abundance cards can be used as any color! And you cannot play cards under a scored noble.
Masked side
- This noble needs two sets. One pair and a set containing three cards of equal value. Each sets needs a blue card.
- This noble needs exactly four cards that are all even or all odd, all of which need to be green.
- This noble needs exactly four cards with values in descending order. The first and last card need to be pink.*
- This noble needs two sets of three cards. The first set in descending and the second set in ascending order. The first card of both sets need to be purple.*
- This noble needs exactly four cards with values in ascending order. The first and last card need to be yellow.*
- This noble needs a total value of exactly 25. You can play as many cards as you want, but you cannot use abundance cards. Additionally, each type of food must be unique.
* These nobles have specific order restrictions (marked by a fleur-de-lis icon). You must place the food cards in the correct order. For example, when placing food at number 5, your first card needs to be a yellow card with the lowest possible value. The second card placed here must be higher than the first card. The third card needs to be higher than the second, and the fourth card must be yellow and higher than the third card.
3. Score Nobles and/or Dispose Food, if Applicable
You score a noble if the conditions on the card are exactly met. Turn the noble 90 degrees to show that it is scored. Discard the food cards of a completed noble. (Each noble shows the victory points it is worth.)
Dispose food
The nobles are picky eaters. It may happen that you need to place food under a noble, making it impossible to meet that noble's requirements. In this case, you must dispose of all the food cards for that noble, including the one you've just placed. This might occur if a card does not fit properly anywhere. This can happen after placing your first, second, or third card. If you need to dispose of cards after placing your first card, you are free to place your second and/or third card on the noble where you just disposed of the food.
Voluntary disposing of food
After distributing the three food cards, you may choose to start over with one or more nobles. Disposing food can also be considered as a strategy! But you always have to dispose all the food cards under that noble. Place all disposed cards on the discard pile.
4. Replenish the Tray
Draw three new cards from the draw pile to replenish the tray. Replenish from left to right and top to bottom. It is now the next player's turn.
The End of Party Card & End of the Game
The game ends when a player has completed all their nobles or when the end of party card is drawn. How you encounter this card depends on the number of players:
- 2 players: During setup, divide the draw pile into three equal decks. Shuffle the end of party card into the second deck, then stack the three decks to form the draw pile. If the end of party card comes up while replenishing the tray, complete that action first. Then shuffle the discard pile and draw pile together to form a new draw pile. Again, divide this pile into three equal decks, shuffle the end of party card into the second deck, and stack the decks to make a new draw pile. If the end of party card comes up again, the game ends immediately.
- 3 players: Follow the same procedure as with 2 players, but place the end of party card in the third (bottom) deck during the initial setup.
- 4 players: Do not add the end of party card to the draw pile during the initial setup. Once the draw pile is depleted, shuffle the discard pile to create a new draw pile. Divide this new draw pile into three equal decks and add the end of party card to the second deck.
If the game ends due to the end of party card, the player with the most points wins. In case of a tie, the player with the most food cards on the table wins.
Solo Game
In a solo game, you play against an AI using the solo cards. Take the nine solo cards and shuffle them. Decide whether you want to play the masked or unmasked side. Create a draw pile with the solo cards and place it next to the tray. The game setup differs from a standard game: you do not use the end of party card, and the AI does not use nobles or imposter cards. In a solo game, your goal is to score as many points as possible within nine turns. The AI starts the game and draws one solo card each turn, discarding three food cards.
Check how well you've scored using this point list:
| Points | Result |
|---|---|
| 11/12 | Waiter of the year! |
| 9/10 | You deserve a big tip! |
| 7/8 | Good enough, but do better. |
| 0-6 | You're fired. |
Example solo game
Alexander is playing against the AI. He has his six nobles and imposter set up in front of him. Alexander draws the first card from the solo deck and discards the three cards from the tray as instructed by the solo card. He then replenishes the tray with three new food cards. It is now his turn. He decides to take the top row of food from the tray and places them under his nobles. Replenish the tray with three new food cards. It is now the turn of the A.I. Draw a new card from the solo deck and discard the three cards from the tray as indicated on the solo card. Replenish the tray. Alexander rotates his imposter to activate the special power that gives him the option to take three food cards in a corner from the tray.
A few turns later, Alexander is crowned waiter of the year by completing five nobles within nine turns!