Royals
Royals Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Game Materials
- 1 gameboard showing a map of Europe in the mid-17th century
- 99 Country cards (31x France, 26x German States, 22x Britain, 20x Spain)
- 24 Intrigue cards (4x each France/German States, France/Britain, France/Spain, German States/Britain, German States/Spain, Britain/Spain)
- 16 hexagonal City bonus markers (5x France, 4x German States, 3x Britain, 4x Spain)
- 8 shield-shaped Country bonus markers (2x each France, German States, Britain, Spain)
- 3 round Noble House bonus markers
- 24 square Period scoring markers (6x each France, German States, Britain, Spain)
- 7 rectangular Title scoring markers, each consisting of 2 jigsaw halves — Marshal, Baron, Countess, Duke, Cardinal, Princess, King
- 200 wooden cubes in 5 different player colours (46x black, 46x white, 36x grey, 36x purple, 36x orange)
- Set of instructions
Description of the Game
Players take on the roles of the great noble houses of the 17th century, fighting for supremacy in Europe at that time. With the help of the right Country cards, they occupy influential positions and obtain bonuses for this in the form of victory points. The higher the rank of the title associated with the position, the more Country cards required. Already-occupied positions can be contested by playing Intrigue cards. The game proceeds over 3 periods, with a scoring taking place after each of them. During scoring, the players with the greatest influence in each of the 4 countries score victory points. After the third period scoring, the game ends with the scoring of the individual titles. The player with the most victory points wins.
Set-Up of the Game
- Each player chooses a player colour and puts all the wooden cubes in this colour in front of him as his supply.
- In the two-player game, players need to choose the colours black and white, since more materials are required. With more than two players, players may choose any colours.
- Put the gameboard in the middle of the table, easily accessible to all players.
Markers
All the markers depict victory points in the form of wax seals. The gameboard spaces on which the markers are placed before the game begins show the number of victory points of the applicable marker and have the corresponding shape.
- Place the hexagonal City bonus markers on the spaces next to the corresponding cities.
- Place the shield-shaped Country bonus markers on the spaces left and right of the coat of arms of the corresponding country.
- Place the round Noble House bonus markers on the spaces at the left edge of the gameboard. In the two-player game, the markers showing 12 and 16 victory points don't come into play and are put back into the box.
- Place the square Period scoring markers on the spaces at the bottom right of the gameboard. They are divided into 3 groups, relating to the 3 consecutive periods (1648, 1680, and 1714).
- Put together the two jigsaw parts of each rectangular Title scoring marker and place them to the left of the gameboard, with the big portrait face up. The ranking of the titles is specified by the ascending number of victory points from bottom to top: Marshal, Baron, Countess, Duke, Cardinal, Princess, King
Cards
Remove the following Country cards from the game, depending on the number of players, and put them back into the box:
| Players | France | German States | Britain | Spain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 players | 11 | 9 | 8 | 6 |
| 3 players | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 |
| 4 players | 6 | 5 | 5 | 4 |
| 5 players | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Shuffle the remaining Country cards and place them as a face-down draw pile next to the gameboard. Reveal the topmost 3 cards and place them as a face-up display next to the draw pile.
Shuffle the Intrigue cards and place them as another face-down draw pile next to the gameboard.
The youngest player becomes the starting player and begins.
Course of the Game
Play proceeds in clockwise order. On your turn, you carry out the following actions in the order stated:
1. Drawing Cards
This action is mandatory.
The first turn
For this action on your first turn, you have to draw the following number of Country cards and take them into your hand:
| Players | Starting player | 2nd player | 3rd player | 4th player | 5th player |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 players | 2 | 3 | |||
| 3 players | 1 | 2 | 3 | ||
| 4 players | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 5 players | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
You may — in any order — draw face-down cards from the draw pile and/or take cards from the face-up display.
Attention: The cards of the face-up display are refilled only after a player's turn.
From the second turn on
From your second turn on, you always have to choose exactly one of the two following options for this action:
a) Drawing 3 Country cards Draw 3 Country cards and take them into your hand. You may — in any order — draw face-down cards from the draw pile and/or take cards from the face-up display.
b) Drawing 1 Country card and 1 Intrigue card You draw — in any order — 1 Country card and 1 Intrigue card and take them into your hand. You may draw the Country card from the face-down draw pile or take it from the face-up display. You draw the Intrigue card from the face-down Intrigue card draw pile.
If the draw pile of Intrigue cards has been depleted, shuffle the cards of the corresponding discard pile and use it as the new draw pile.
Hand card limit
At the end of your turn, you may have a maximum of 12 Country cards and 4 Intrigue cards in your hand. You are allowed to exceed this limit by drawing more cards during your turn; only at the end of your turn might you have to discard excess cards of your choice.
2. Playing Cards
This action is optional.
If you decide to play any cards, you may use the following action possibilities in any order and frequency:
a) Occupying a vacant position
To occupy a position, you always have to place 2 wooden cubes: one to mark the position on the gameboard and the other for marking the corresponding Title scoring marker.
There are one or two influential positions available in each city. Each position in a city has been assigned a specific title, represented by an applicable portrait.
The number to the left of the portrait indicates how many Country cards of the respective country are needed to occupy this position. The number of cards required is always the same for the respective title.
The number on the scroll to the right of the portrait indicates the number of influence points that this position gives you for the applicable country at the period scoring.
You choose a vacant position on the gameboard, i.e., a space that has no wooden cube yet. You put the required number of Country cards of the respective country from your hand onto the discard pile. After that, you place one of your wooden cubes from your supply on the associated portrait on the gameboard. With this, you indicate that this position is currently occupied by you.
Attention: There may be no more than one wooden cube on each position.
In addition, you put a second wooden cube from your supply on the corresponding Title scoring marker to the left of the gameboard. The wooden cubes placed there indicate how often players have occupied positions with the respective title during the course of the game.
Note: There may be any number of wooden cubes from any number of players on each Title scoring marker.
Wild Card rule for Country cards
If you don't have the required number of Country cards of a country, you can play any 3 Country cards as 1 Country card of your choice.
b) Taking over an occupied position
You can take over a position already occupied by a wooden cube belonging to another player if you play one Intrigue card of the applicable country. Additionally, you have to play the Country cards that are required to occupy the now-vacant position. If you are not able to do so, you may not choose this action.
Attention: You may not take over a position that you have already occupied.
You can use Intrigue cards in one of the two countries whose coat of arms is depicted on the card.
You choose a position on the gameboard that has already been occupied by an opponent's wooden cube. You play one Intrigue card of the applicable country from your hand onto the discard pile (which is formed separately from the discard pile of the Country cards).
Attention: The King has a special position. You need 2 Intrigue cards of the applicable country in order to take over a position with the "King" title.
After that, the opponent's wooden cube is banished to the hexagonal City space with the cross symbol to the left of the respective city. With this, the owner of the wooden cube loses his position. There may be any number of wooden cubes from any number of players on a City space.
Attention: When you take over a position, you don't remove an opponent's wooden cube from the applicable Title scoring marker. The cubes remain there until the end of the game and count at the final title scoring.
Wooden cubes on the City space no longer give players influence points at the subsequent period scorings. However, they are still considered for the country bonuses.
After that, you must occupy the now-vacant position, as described under "a) Occupying a vacant position".
Wild Card rule for Intrigue cards
If you don't have the required Intrigue card(s), you can play any 2 Intrigue cards as 1 Intrigue card of your choice.
End of a Turn
When you have carried out your actions, your turn ends. You check whether you have exceeded your hand card limit and, if applicable, discard excess cards of your choice.
Refill the cards in the face-up display, if necessary, to 3 Country cards. Then, it's your left neighbour's turn.
Bonuses
If you fulfill the condition for a bonus, you immediately get the applicable marker with victory points shown, which you keep until the end of the game. You lay down all markers that you get face-down in front of you, so that you keep your victory points secret during the game.
City bonus
The first player to occupy any position in a city immediately gets the City bonus marker of this city.
Country bonus
If you have at least one wooden cube in every city of a country, you immediately get the highest Country bonus marker of this country still available.
Attention: Here, the banished wooden cubes on the City spaces of the cities are taken into account as well.
Each player can get only one Country bonus marker per country. If all Country bonus markers of a country have been taken, all additional players who fulfill the condition later on, go away empty-handed.
Noble House bonus
If you have at least one wooden cube on every Title scoring marker, you immediately get the highest Noble House bonus marker still available.
Each player can get only one Noble House bonus marker. If all Noble House bonus markers have been taken, all additional players who fulfill the condition later on, go away empty-handed.
End of a Period
A period ends immediately when the face-up display can no longer be refilled to 3 cards after a player's turn. In this case, refill the display as far as possible with any remaining cards of the draw pile. Shuffle the Country cards of the discard pile well and use it as the new draw pile. After that, refill the face-up display to 3 Country cards.
Before the next player has his turn, the game is briefly interrupted to score that period.
Attention: After the 3rd period, the current round is still completed so that all players have the same number of turns. The period scoring follows after the turn of the player sitting to the right of the starting player.
Period scoring
At the end of a period, victory points are scored for the two most influential players in each of the four countries. To this end, each player adds up his influence points for the positions he has occupied in the applicable country. The player with the most influence points receives the higher Period scoring marker of this country for the current period. The player with the second most influence points obtains the lower period scoring marker.
In case of a tie, the marker goes to the tied player who has occupied the position with the higher-ranking title in this country.
In the rare case that there is still a tie, the marker goes to the tied player who has occupied the position with this title in the city with the higher City bonus (see number of victory points on the City space).
Attention: If only one player has influence points in a country, the second marker for this period is not used and is removed from the game.
After the period scoring, the game continues with the player who would have had the next turn before the scoring.
End of the Game
After the 3rd period scoring, the individual titles are scored. Then the game ends.
Title scoring
Beginning with the lowest-ranking title, the numbers of wooden cubes on the applicable Title scoring marker are compared for each player. The player with the most wooden cubes on the marker receives the complete portrait with the full number of victory points on the front.
If exactly two players are tied, both players involved obtain one half of the marker. Each half scores half the number of victory points; the applicable victory points are indicated on the back of the marker halves. If there are more than two players involved in a tie, the marker is not awarded and removed from the game.
The winner
Finally, each player adds up the victory points on all his markers. The player with the most victory points wins. In case of a tie, the player with the highest individual marker wins. If there is still a tie, the players involved share the win.
Credits
Author: Peter Hawes
Illustrations: Michael Menzel
English translation: Sybille & Bruce Whitehill, "Word for Wort"
© 2014 ABACUSSPIELE Verlags GmbH & Co. KG, Frankfurter Str. 121, D-63303 Dreieich. All rights reserved. Made in Germany.
Short Rules
1. Drawing Cards (mandatory)
The first turn — Draw the specified number of Country cards:
| Players | Starting player | 2nd player | 3rd player | 4th player | 5th player |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 players | 2 | 3 | |||
| 3 players | 1 | 2 | 3 | ||
| 4 players | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 5 players | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
From the second turn on
a) Draw 3 Country cards, or b) Draw 1 Country card and 1 Intrigue card
2. Playing Cards (optional)
In any order and frequency:
a) Occupying a vacant position
- Play the indicated number of Country cards
- Wild Card rule: any 3 Country cards → any 1 Country card
- Place 1 wooden cube on the position
- Place 1 wooden cube on the Title scoring marker
b) Taking over an occupied position
- Play 1 Intrigue card (2 Intrigue cards for a "King")
- Wild Card rule: any 2 Intrigue cards → any 1 Intrigue card
- Banish an opponent's wooden cube
- Occupy the now-vacant position as described under a)
End of a Turn
- Check hand card limit — a maximum of 12 Country cards and 4 Intrigue cards
- Refill the face-up display
Bonus Overview
City bonus — Condition: To be the first to occupy a position in a city
Country bonus — Condition: At least 1 wooden cube in your colour in every city of the country (Wooden cubes on City spaces are taken into account)
Noble House bonus — Condition: At least 1 wooden cube in your colour on every Title scoring marker
Scoring Overview
Period scoring
- Takes place when the face-up display can no longer be refilled
- The players with the most and second most influence points in a country both receive one Period scoring marker
Title scoring
- Takes place after the 3rd Period scoring
- The player with the most wooden cubes on the Title scoring marker obtains the marker
- If 2 players are tied, they share the marker and both get one half
- If more than 2 players are tied, the marker is removed from the game