Taverne de la Licorne Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Basic Rules
• Goal of the Game
• Setup
  • Player Set
  • Beginner Game
• Playing the Game
  • Simultaneous Play
  • Sit and Play
  • The Calls
  • Remaining Calls
• End of Game
• Details
  • Counter
  • Prestige
  • Importance of Prestige
  • Loot
  • Energy
  • KO Pile
  • Character
  • Weapons
  • Specialties
  • New Arrival
  • Leaving the Table
  • Order of Cards
  • Retroactivity
• Variants
  • Auction Characters
  • Double Tavern
  • Long Range (variant with more than 5 players)
• Chrono Tournament

Components

• 15 black tokens
• 5 card stands
• 45 Weapon cards, in 5 sets of 9 cards (one set is shown in the booklet; the 5 sets are identical)
• 50 Specialty cards (back of the Specialty cards is shown in the booklet)
• 20 Asset cards
• 12 Dirty Trick cards
• 18 Spell cards
• 15 Character cards
• 5 mini player boards (Counters)
• 1 mini board (Pillar's Menu)

Basic Rules

The main rule of Taverne: a card that is placed is a card that is played.

The following rules are called the basic rules. There are also particular rules, most of them printed on the cards. Particular rules always take precedence over the basic rules, except in these cases:

• a player can never have less than 1 Prestige,
• a player can never have more than 30 Energy,
• a player can never have more than 9 Loot.

There are also particular rules for Taverne veterans, presented in the variants at the end of this booklet.

Goal of the Game

The goal is to be the first player to reach 5 Prestige and to remain standing when the Militia arrives. See End of Game.

Setup

Player Set

Before playing, each player must take a player set:

• a Counter,
• three pawns,
• a card stand,
• 9 different Weapons (1 to 9).

A player chosen at random is nicknamed the Pillar. He shuffles the Character cards, deals three to each player, then places the remaining cards in the middle of the table.

Each player chooses one card from the three received, puts the other two under the Character pile, then announces his Character's power out loud.

Each player takes a Counter and places it in front of him, then:

• places his Character on a stand in the middle of his Counter, facing him,
• places a pawn on the first Pint of the Prestige Meter,
• places a pawn on the value 30 of the Energy counter,
• places a pawn on the Loot counter value matching his Initial Loot (1 to 3) shown on his Character's card,
• takes 9 different Weapons (1 to 9), sets aside the "small" ones (1 to 5), then forms a face-up pile in ascending order with the "large" ones (6 to 9), from 6 (on top) to 9 (at the bottom). This pile, called the Weapon pile, is placed face up to the right of the Counter.

The small Weapons (1 to 5) are taken into hand.

The Specialties are shuffled and placed in a face-down pile in the middle of the table.

Beginner Game

If you are playing Taverne for the first time, we advise the following:

• play only with these Characters: Gobelin Teigneux, Bourreau Bigleux, Homme Serpent, Sorcière Pustuleuse and Spadassin Retors. Each player draws his Character at random.
• do not use the Specialties.

All other rules of Taverne apply normally.

After a first game played this way, you can enrich the game by using all the Characters, as well as the Specialties.

Note: in a beginner game, the role of the Pillar may be taken during the first turn by the player who knows the rules best.

Playing the Game

Simultaneous Play

As you will discover, all players act at the same time in Taverne. Just as in a brawl, there is no "one after another", and no long, boring queue.

If an order of play must nevertheless be decided between two players, the Pillar always has the advantage, then the player seated to his left, and so on clockwise.

In case of dispute, the Pillar has the power to decide.

Sit and Play

Join the game at any time!

Waiting for latecomers? Don't wait any longer: start the game, then make room for newcomers during play. Need to leave the table? Go ahead; your friends will keep playing and you can rejoin them later as if nothing happened.

A Sit and Play game is always open. Take a player set, sit down and play!

See the sections "New Arrival" and "Leaving the Table".

The Calls

Each turn of play is divided into calls (phases of play), announced out loud by the Pillar. The Pillar must wait until all players have finished playing before announcing a new call. It is up to him to set a pace that keeps the atmosphere healthy.

Each call is played simultaneously by all players, unless stated otherwise. There is no turn order: nobody waits for one player to finish before the next takes over (see "Simultaneous Play" above).

The Pillar starts the game by announcing the first call:

1st call: "Start of turn!" Certain Specialty effects or Character powers apply during this call.

2nd call: "Spend your Loot!" Each player may spend his Loot to acquire Weapons, Pints or Specialties. By spending one Loot, a player may:

• either draw the first Weapon of his own pile and add it to his hand of cards,
• or acquire a Pint of Prestige, which means moving his pawn one Pint (notch) to the right on the Prestige Meter of his Counter,
• or draw the first Specialty of the pile and add it to his hand.

Note: spending Loot is not compulsory. You may spend part of your Loot.

Calling the Militia: if a player reaches 5 in Prestige, he must announce the call of the Militia.

Mistakes: if a player makes a mistake when placing a Weapon (set aside face down for dodges, played face up in an attack, or an even-valued card played in a ranged attack, etc.), and an opponent notices it, the card does not count and the player loses one Pint of Prestige.

The same applies to Spells cast without speaking the magic formula, or to speaking the magic formula without casting a Spell, forgetting to call the Militia while at 5 in Prestige, or any other blunder.

3rd call: "Prepare your dodges!" Each player may set aside a number of Weapons face up under his Counter. Each Weapon set aside gives the right to one Dodge, whatever its value. A player cannot set aside more Weapons as Dodges than his Prestige.

Example: during the spending of Loot, Pierre buys a Pint (his Prestige goes to 2) and the first Weapon of his pile (the Barrel, value 6).

Moving to the dodge preparation: Pierre has 2 in Prestige. He may therefore place 0, 1 or 2 Weapons as Dodges. He decides not to take risks and places two under his Counter: he will have 2 Dodges this turn.

Note: a player is not obliged to set aside as many Weapons as his Prestige, or even any at all. The more Dodges a player prepares, the more defensive he plays. The fewer Dodges he prepares, the better his chances of a successful Attack.

4th call: "To your cards! ... Ready? ... Attack!" Each player must make exactly one Attack per turn. He chooses a Weapon from his hand and places it, at the same time as the other players, face down on the table at a specific location:

Melee attack (card of any value):

• at the bottom left of the Counter: to attack the first player seated to his left,
• at the bottom right of the Counter: to attack the first player seated to his right.

Ranged attack (odd-valued card only):

• at the top left of the Counter: to attack the second player seated to his left,
• at the top right of the Counter: to attack the second player seated to his right.

Range: the neighbours seated immediately left and right of a player are his opponents in melee. The second player to his left and the second player to his right are his opponents at range. These four opponents are considered "in range".

When a mixed game of two Taverns is played with more than 5 players, the 3rd, 4th, ... player to the left or right is considered "out of range". They cannot be attacked, except with Specialties (in particular Spells).

Example: Laurent, who plays the Hooded Man, may use any Weapon to attack, either the Ghoul or the Witch (melee attack). Otherwise he may use an odd-valued Weapon to attack either the Executioner or the Snake Man (ranged attack).

5th call: "Settle your quarrels!" Each player must resolve his Attack against the targeted opponent, or defender. The defender may try to dodge the attack by guessing the value (1 to 9) of the Weapon played by the attacker. The defender announces out loud as many different values as his number of Dodges (number of Weapons placed under his Counter):

• if he guesses the value of the card: the card is turned over and the attack fails. The defender gains the Loot indicated (see below),
• if he does not guess it: the card is turned over, the defender loses as much Energy as the value of the Weapon (1 to 9). The attacker gains the Loot indicated on the card.

Loot 1 or P: the winner of a fight gains the Loot indicated on the Weapon. This is either 1 Loot, or "P" for Prestige. "P" corresponds to the Prestige of the opponent.

Note: the higher an opponent's Prestige, the more Loot is gained by successfully attacking him or by dodging his Attacks. It is therefore more rewarding to attack the strong than the weak.

A player attacked by several opponents must divide his Dodges among the different Attacks before resolving them. He makes the division however he likes. An Attack that he does not try to dodge (0 Dodges) succeeds automatically.

Important: whatever the number of Dodges at his disposal, a player cannot use more than three Dodges against the same Attack.

When all attacks are resolved, the small Weapons in play (1 to 5) return to the players' hands; the large ones in play (6 to 9) are discarded under the Weapon piles.

Note: the large Weapons (6 to 9) are only discarded once they have been played, as an Attack or as a Dodge.

Example: Marie, at 4 in Prestige, has prepared 3 Dodges. She is attacked in melee by Pierre and Jacques, and at range by Cécile. She decides to use two Dodges against Pierre, one against Cécile, and none against Jacques.

Marie looks at Pierre's Counter: he has acquired Weapon 6, and placed Weapons 2 and 4 as Dodges. She announces out loud that she dodges 5 and 6. Pierre turns his Weapon over, revealing a 3. Marie has therefore failed. She loses three Energy, while Pierre gains one Loot.

Marie then looks at Cécile's Counter: she has acquired no large Weapon, and has placed Weapons 1 and 2 as Dodges. It can only be an odd-valued Weapon since it is a ranged attack, either the 3 or the 5. Fearing a bluff, Marie announces that she dodges the 3. She is right, because Cécile turns her Weapon over, revealing a 3. Marie loses no Energy and gains one Loot.

Now Jacques. Marie has not committed any Dodge against him, so he may simply turn his Weapon over: it is the 6! Marie therefore loses 6 Energy, and since it is a large Weapon, Jacques gains 4 Loot (equal to Marie's Prestige).

In the end, a very bad turn for Marie: she loses 9 Energy (3+6) and gains only one Loot. All she can do now is keep her fingers crossed that her own attack will not be dodged...

Remaining Calls

6th call: "Show the door!" If players are Stunned (less than 1 Energy), they leave the game. Their Specialties in play or in hand are discarded, and their Pints and Loot are lost. They may return at the start of the next turn with a new Character (see New Arrival, page 12).

7th call: "The Militia arrives!" If the Militia was called during the spending of Loot (2nd call), the player who has 5 in Prestige and is not Stunned (at least 1 Energy) wins the game. If several players are in this case, the one with the most Loot wins (see End of Game below).

8th call: "Serve your Dirty Tricks!" If Dirty Tricks (see page 13) were attached to successful attacks during this turn, they are inflicted on their targets. Those attached to dodged attacks, or intended for players who have since been eliminated, are discarded.

9th call: "Pocket a Loot!" Each player with a positive Energy score gains one Loot. The player seated to the left of the Pillar becomes the new Pillar.

End of Game

If during the 2nd call ("Spend your Loot!") someone calls the Militia, and at the end of that same turn a player has 5 in Prestige and an Energy score above 0, the game ends and that player has won.

If several opponents are in the lead, the one with the most Loot wins.

If at the end of a turn in which the Militia was called, no player has 5 in Prestige and an Energy score above 0, the game continues as if nothing had happened. It was a false alarm, and the brawl can go on!

If at the end of a turn only one player has a positive Energy score, that player is declared the winner, even if he has not reached 5 in Prestige.

If one or more players have reached 5 in Prestige, and none of them called the Militia during the spending of Loot (2nd call), the game does not stop at the end of that turn. In that case, all players with 5 in Prestige lose one Pint.

To go or not to go? Reaching 5 in Prestige and calling the Militia to try to end the game means being almost certain to be attacked by as many players as possible. Naturally, because if you are eliminated, the game carries on as if nothing had happened... It is therefore wise to "fortify" your Character before setting out: acquire defensive Assets if possible, and a few Spells. And avoid trying your luck with fewer than 10 Energy.

Otherwise you may wait for another player to make the move, so as to follow him. He will attract some of the attacks, which increases your chances of survival. But if he does better than you, collecting plenty of Loot, victory may slip through your fingers...

Details

Counter

Each player uses a playing aid called a Counter. It keeps track of Pints of Prestige, Loot and Energy. It also allows him to place his cards (Weapons, Assets, Dirty Tricks, Dodges, Attacks) on the table unambiguously.

See the Counter illustration on page 5 of the booklet.

Prestige

Prestige limits the player in his actions:

• maximum number of Dodges,
• maximum number of Assets in play,
• maximum number of Spells cast per turn.

A player's Prestige is a numerical value from 1 to 5. Besides limiting Dodges, Assets and Spells, this value is often used to vary the powers of certain Characters or the effect of certain Specialties.

The Prestige Meter keeps track of a player's Pints, as well as showing the corresponding Prestige score.

All players start the game with one Pint (1 in Prestige).

When a player gains a Pint, he moves his pawn one Pint (notch) to the right on the Prestige Meter. When he loses a Pint, he moves his pawn one Pint to the left.

A player can never have fewer than one Pint (1 in Prestige), or more than eleven Pints (5 in Prestige).

Note: do not confuse Pints with the Prestige score. Gaining or losing a Pint does not necessarily change a player's Prestige score. A player who has ten Pints has no more Prestige than another player who has seven: both have a Prestige score of 4.

A player who calls the Militia during a turn (because he has just reached 5 in Prestige) may discard the Dirty Trick he is suffering from. If several players reach 5 in Prestige during the same turn, the first to call the Militia benefits from this rule. The others keep their Dirty Tricks.

Special case: the only case where the game is won without anyone having 5 in Prestige arises when only one player remains with a positive Energy score.

Importance of Prestige

Increasing Prestige is the main goal of the game, since you cannot win a game without reaching a score of 5.

It is also an indicator of a player's strength and an effective way to draw attacks.

A player who is slow to increase his Prestige risks no longer being attacked, and so reduces his chances of gaining Loot. The same goes for a player who plays too defensively, setting aside as many Dodges as possible every turn.

On the other hand, a player who lures his opponents too much risks paying dearly if he fails to dodge a whole series of blows.

It is all a matter of balance...

Loot

Loot is a reward gained when resolving an attack, either by the attacker (if the attack succeeds) or by the defender (if he manages to dodge the attack).

There are two possible Loot gains:

• from small Weapons (1 to 5): the winner gains 1 Loot.
• from large Weapons (6 to 9): the winner gains a number of Loot equal to his opponent's Prestige.

Each player starts the game with an Initial Loot (1 to 3 Loot), shown on the Character card.

Note: the Initial Loot is only counted when starting or rejoining a game with a new Character. A player never regains his Initial Loot, even when changing Character through the effect of a Specialty.

Loot can only be spent during the 2nd call: "Spend your Loot!".

Note: certain Characters or Specialties allow Loot to be spent outside the 2nd call.

Loot can be spent to acquire:

• the first Weapon of your own Weapon pile,
• a Pint of Prestige,
• a Specialty from your Character's Tavern.

Energy

Energy represents a Character's vital force. All players start a game with 30 points, and may lose Energy as turns go by.

Note: a player can never have more than 30 Energy.

Stunned: a player with less than 1 Energy places his pawn on the Stunned zone of his Counter. From then on, and for as long as he does not regain Energy, he acts normally but may not cast any Spells.

A player is eliminated if he is still Stunned during the 6th call: "Show the door!". All his cards are discarded and his Pints are lost. The Character card is placed in the centre of the table in a special pile: the KO Pile. The player may return to the game as early as the following turn with a new Character (see "New Arrival").

KO Pile

Characters in the KO Pile may no longer be used for the rest of the game.

In the very unlikely event of a massacre, no new arrival could join the game.

Character

Each player has a Character represented by a specific card. The front of the card shows: the Character's title, a symbol indicating its Tavern of origin, an Initial Loot, and a specific power.

The symbol of the Tavern of origin tells you which deck the player draws his Specialties from when several Taverns are mixed.

The Character's power is a particular rule that always takes precedence over the basic rules.

Note: even though Character cards face their owners' opponents' backs, the powers are in no way secret.

Weapons

Weapons are cards used by players either to attack their opponents or to defend themselves.

Each player has 9 different Weapons (1 to 9):

• small Weapons are those with a value between 1 and 5. They always return to a player's hand for free after being used.
• large Weapons are those with a value between 6 and 9. They must be acquired during the 2nd call: "Spend your Loot!", at the price of 1 Loot in exchange for one Weapon. After use, they are discarded under the respective Weapon pile of each player.

Note: the Weapon pile is therefore made up of the large Weapons (6 to 9). At the start of the game the Weapons are sorted face up in ascending order, from 6 (on top) to 9 (at the bottom). Afterwards, as cards are discarded, the Weapons will not necessarily stay in this order.

The composition of a Weapon pile (number and order of the cards) is secret. Only the first Weapon of the pile must always be visible to all players.

Distance and Contact: all Weapons (1 to 9) may be used against opponents in melee. But only odd-valued Weapons (1, 3, 5, 7 and 9) may be used against opponents placed at range.

Specialties

Specialties are cards that players may acquire during the 2nd call: "Spend your Loot!", at the price of 1 Loot in exchange for one Specialty.

The effect of each Specialty is explained on its card.

There is no limit to the number of Specialties a player may hold in hand. A player is never obliged to play them.

When a card must be discarded, it is placed under the corresponding Specialty pile.

There are three types of Specialties, and as many ways of playing them:

• Assets: these are cards that may be put into play face up above the players' Counters during the 2nd call: "Spend your Loot!". Their effect, always positive, applies until the end of the game, unless the Assets are discarded because of the effect of another card.

A player may never have more Assets in play than his own Prestige.

During the spending of Loot, players may take back into hand the Assets in play that have not yet been used during this turn. It is also possible to put Assets from one's hand into play.

• Dirty Tricks: a Dirty Trick may be played face down by a player at the same time as his Attack during the 4th call: "To your cards! ... Ready? ... Attack!".

If the attack succeeds, the Dirty Trick is inflicted on the target. If the attack is dodged, the Dirty Trick is discarded.

A successful Dirty Trick is placed face up to the left of the victim's Counter during the 8th call: "Serve your Dirty Tricks!". Its effect only applies from that moment on.

The effect of a Dirty Trick, always negative, applies until the end of the game, unless it is discarded by the effect of another card. A player can never be the victim of more than one Dirty Trick. If the case arises, he keeps one and discards the one of his choice.

The first player to call the Militia during a turn discards the Dirty Trick he is suffering from.

Example: during the spending of Loot (2nd call), Jacques reaches 3 in Prestige. He has one Loot left and would like to spend it. He has two Assets in play, whereas he is limited to 3 (his Prestige). He could exchange his only Loot for a Specialty, hoping to draw an Asset with a bit of luck. Or he could avoid the risk of drawing a rather useless card, by acquiring the Weapon Energetic Waitress...

In the end Jacques decides to acquire a Specialty. He drops to 0 Loot, then draws a card from the Crypte deck and adds it to his hand. It is not an Asset, but a Spell that will allow him to get rid of the Dirty Trick he is suffering from.

Finally, Jacques gets away with it.

• Spells: a Spell may be played at any moment of the game, during any call. Before casting a Crypte spell, the player must compulsorily shout the magic formula out loud: "CERCUEIL!" (COFFIN!). All players must stop what they are doing. The card is placed on the table, the effect of the Spell is applied, then the game resumes.

Note: if a player forgets to say the magic formula or gets it wrong, the effect of the Spell does not apply and the card is discarded. Moreover, it counts as a Mistake, and the player therefore loses one Pint. Magic is a difficult art in the middle of a brawl...

Note: if several players shout the magic formula at the same time, the Pillar has priority, then the player seated to his left, and so on clockwise.

A Spell is discarded immediately after its effect has been applied.

A player who is Stunned may no longer cast Spells until he regains Energy.

A player may never cast more Spells than his Prestige during one turn.

A reminder: do not forget that a Spell only works if you shout the correct magic formula of the Tavern of origin of that Specialty.

New Arrival

A player whose Character has been eliminated may take a new Character and enter the game on the following turn. The same applies to a player who joins the game after the first turn.

The player must draw three Character cards, keep one, and sit down between two players of his choice with a player set (see "Setup"). The player starts the game following the normal setup rules. But to give him a chance of winning, he is entitled to a Bonus that he adds to his Initial Loot. The Bonus is equal to the Prestige of the most prestigious player.

In exchange, the players present when the new opponent arrives each gain 1 Loot at the start of the turn. This bonus is always 1, even if several players join the game during the same turn.

Leaving the Table

You may leave the table for one or more turns (to make coffee, answer the phone, change the baby's nappy...), without the game stopping. During your absence your Character is considered no longer present. It is therefore not affected by any effect whatsoever: attacks, spells, dirty tricks, etc. As far as ranges of attack are concerned, your neighbours act as if you were not there.

When you take your place in the game again (at the start of a turn), you do so as if nothing had happened. You have gained or lost nothing during your absence.

Order of Cards

In what order are card effects applied when several come into play? The player applies the order he wishes, and that is that. If there is a dispute between two players, the Pillar has priority, then the player seated to his left, and so on.

Retroactivity

There is no retroactivity of card effects in Taverne. For example, if you play a Specialty that protects you against Spells, you are protected only from the moment the card is put into play, and not before.

Number of Cards

The number of Specialties in hand is not secret, nor is the Tavern of origin of the cards. If a player asks an opponent, the opponent is obliged to provide this information.

Variants

Auction Characters

Draw as many Character cards as there are players, then lay them out face up on the table. Each player secretly determines his initial Energy score. He places a pawn on the score of his choice in one hand and hides it with the other. Then all players reveal their score at the same time.

The player with the lowest score chooses his Character first, then the next player in ascending order of Energy score, and so on. In case of a tie, the tie is broken with rock-paper-scissors (chi-fou-mi).

Double Tavern

Mixing two different Taverne boxes not only enriches the game by varying the pleasures, but also makes it possible to play with more than 5 players.

All basic rules apply, in addition to the following points:

• two separate Character piles are made. The first player to the left of the Pillar chooses his Tavern of origin. The Pillar deals him three Character cards at random from that Tavern, from which the player may choose. Then the next player is dealt to, and so on clockwise.
• each Specialty pile is shuffled and placed separately.
• Loot may not be exchanged for Specialties from a Tavern other than one's own.
• on the other hand, nothing prevents a player who has acquired Specialties from other Taverns from playing them normally.

Long Range (variant with more than 5 players)

A ranged attack does not affect the 2nd player but the Xth, where X is equal to the number of Weapons placed as Dodges by the attacker.

Note: this way of playing is more than risky with many players, since you can be attacked by far more opponents than with the basic rules.

Chrono Tournament

A Taverne tournament is played in three rounds. Each round is played in 30 minutes (or 45 minutes, by choice). Each turn started must be finished.

At the end of the round (even if nobody has reached 5 in Prestige) each player accumulates victory points:

• 10 points per point of Prestige,
• 1 point per Loot,
• 1 point per Character in the KO Pile.

After the three rounds the players add up their victory points. The one with the most is declared Champion of the Tournament!