The Architects of Amytis
The Architects of Amytis Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Contents
- 1 Main board
- 1 Favor board
- 1 Score board
- 2 Player boards
- 12 Building cards (6 per player)
- 20 Projet cards
- 8 architects (4 per player)
- 14 pawns (7 per player)
- 1 First Player card (front) / Scoring Reminder (back)
- 48 Building tiles
Each Building tile shows the color of the tile (Circle for Green, Star for Blue, Triangle for Orange, Square for Pink) and the type of Building.
Setup
Place the Main board (A), the Favor board (B), and the Score board (C), between you. On each of the 9 stack spaces on the Main board, place a stack of 5 random Building tiles, face up (D). Return the 3 remaining Building tiles to the box without looking at them.
Place the deck of Project cards (E) beside these boards, shuffled. Lay out 3 Project cards beside it, face up (F).
Each of you: Place a Player board in front of you (G). Take 2 pawns of your color; place one on space 0 of the Score board (H), and the other on space +0 of the Score Range area of your board (I). Place your 4 architects and 5 remaining pawns nearby to form your supply (J).
Randomly designate the first player, and place the First Player card in front of them (K).
Draw Project cards at random and place them face up beside you. Each of you (L): Draw 2 cards if you are the 1st player, and 3 cards if you are his opponent.
Each of you: Place the 6 Building cards of your color beside you (M). Each card can be independently set to Side A or B, as long as you both set your cards the same way. For your first game, we suggest that you set all 6 to Side A.
The game can commence!
Playing the Game
Take turns, starting with the first player.
On your turn, you must perform these 4 steps:
- (conditional) RETRIEVE your architects
- CHOOSE a Building tile
- PLACE this tile on your Player board
- (conditional) CLAIM a King's Favor
Now it's the next player's turn. Keep taking turns like this until the end of the game is triggered (see "End of the Game").
1. Retrieve Your Architects (Conditional)
At the beginning of your turn, reclaim all of your architects from the Main board and place them in your supply if one of the following two conditions is met:
- 3 of your architects are lined up in a row, column, or diagonal of the Main board.*
OR
- All of your architects are on the Main board.
*Like in Tic-Tac-Toe.
2. Choose a Building Tile
Choose one of the available stacks on the Main board. A stack is available if it does not currently have an architect on it (neither yours nor your opponent's), but still contains at least 1 tile. Take the top tile from this stack and hold it in your hand temporarily.
Then, place an Architect from your supply on the stack you just chose.
3. Place the Building Tile
Place the chosen tile on a space of your Player board. You may either:
- Place it on an empty space.
- Cover a previously placed tile.
The new tile doesn't need to be adjacent to an existing tile; you can choose any space on your board. There are no restrictions to covering a previously placed tile.
Then, once you've placed the tile, apply its effect. Each building has a different effect (all the effects are depicted on the Building cards and explained at the end of the rulebook).
To apply these effects, only consider tiles that are visible.
Immediately score the points awarded by the building you just placed by moving your pawn on the Score board.
Each time you complete a lap of the Score board, advance your pawn in the Score Range area of your Player board one step.
Example: Martine places the orange Residence tile on her Player board. Its effect is: Gain 1 point per different type of building visible on your board. Her board includes Walls, Theater, Market, and Residence. She immediately gains 4 points, and thus advances her pawn 4 spaces on the Score board.
4. Claim a King's Favor (Conditional)
If the Architect you placed this turn has completed a row, column, or diagonal of your color* (as shown at the top of the board), you earn a Favor from the King.
Place one of your pawns on an unoccupied space of the Favor board to claim this specific endgame scoring opportunity.
Only the player who claims the space will benefit from this endgame scoring.
There can only be one pawn on each space.
Once a pawn is placed, it can neither be moved nor removed.
All scoring on the Favor board is explained at the end of the rulebook.
Example: When Martine placed her architect in Step 2, she formed a row of 3 architects! This permits her to place a pawn from her supply on an unoccupied space of the Favor board. She chooses the 4th column. Thanks to this, each stack of exactly 4 tiles on her board will be worth 6 points at the end of the game.
*Like in Tic-Tac-Toe.
Projects
The Project cards are goals for specific color arrangements on your Player board.
When you successfully reproduce the configuration depicted on one of your Project cards, show it to your opponent to validate it. Then place the card face down in a pile of validated Project cards beside your Player board.
You can rotate the Project card in any of the four directions to match it to the tiles on your board. Only consider the visible tiles on your board.
Do not immediately score the points indicated on it (they will be counted at the end of the game).
You cannot use a mirrored arrangement of what is depicted on the card; rotated is OK, mirrored is not.
You begin the game with 2 Project cards. To get more, you must place the Palace in your city (see the building effects).
Project cards in the middle of the table are not achievable until you have claimed them and placed them beside you.
Note: You can achieve several projects in a single turn. You can even achieve a project on the same turn you acquired it.
Example: The pattern depicted on one of Martine's Project cards (a square of tiles: orange, orange; blue, blue) is now visible on her Player board. She notifies her opponent, then flips this Project card face down and leaves it beside her Player board. This card will give her 10 points in the final scoring at the end of the game!
Note: Unvalidated projects aren't worth any points, but they also don't make you lose any points.
End of the Game
When someone takes the final tile from a stack AND there was already another empty stack, this triggers the end of the game.
If the player who triggered the end of the game has the First Player card, their opponent takes a final turn. Otherwise, the game ends at the end of the turn.
Now it is time for final scoring.
Total your score as follows:
- The points you've accumulated during the game, indicated on the Score board and the Score Range area of your Player board.
- The points indicated on your validated Project cards.
- The points related to the Favors on which you have placed a pawn.
The player with more points is declared the victor, and becomes the Architect of the King.
Effects
Buildings
Side A
GARDEN: Count the number of tiles present in the stack that just received this Garden tile (including this tile). Gain 1 point for each stack on your player board that contains exactly the same number of tiles (including this stack).
MARKET: Count the number of tiles visible on your Player board that have the same color as this Market tile (including this tile). Gain 2 points for each of these tiles.
WALL: Gain 2 points per Wall tile visible on the edge of your Player board (including this tile, if it's on the edge).
PALACE: Take 1 of the 3 Project cards from the middle of the table (then refill the display), or draw a card from the deck. Then gain 1 point per Palace tile (of any color) visible on your Player board (including this tile).
RESIDENCE: Gain 1 point per different Building type visible on your Player board (including Residence).
THEATER: Gain 1 point per architect (no matter whose) present on the Main board at the moment in which you place this tile.
Side B
GARDEN: Count the number of tiles present in the stack that just received this Garden tile (including this tile). Gain 2 points for each of these tiles.
MARKET: Count the number of tiles visible on your Player board that are not the same color as this Market tile (even if they are the same color as each other). Gain 1 point for each of these tiles.
WALL: Count the number of Wall tiles visible on the 4 corners of your Player board (including this tile, if it's on a corner). Gain 1, 4, 8, or 10 points for 1, 2, 3, or 4.
PALACE: Do only one of the following:
- Draw: Either take 1 of the 3 Project cards from the middle of the table (then refill the display), or draw a card from the deck.
- Score: Count the number of Project cards already validated at this moment (total for both players). Gain 1 point for each of these cards.
RESIDENCE: Gain 2 points for each Residence tile and each Market tile visible on your Player board (including this tile).
THEATER: Gain 2 points per architect of your color on the Main board at the moment in which you place this tile.
Favors
I: Gain 3 points for each stack on your Player board that contains exactly 1 tile.
II: Gain 2 points for each stack on your Player board that contains exactly 2 tiles.
III: Gain 4 points for each stack on your Player board that contains exactly 3 tiles.
IV: Gain 6 points for each stack on your Player board that contains exactly 4 tiles.
Gain 6 points for each row and column of your Player board that forms a staircase, having stacks of respectively 1, 2, and 3 tiles (in either order, but not out of order). A stack can count for both a row and a column. Diagonals do not count.* (The maximum award from this Favor is 24 points.)
III+: Gain 5 points for each corner of your Player board that has at least 3 tiles in its stack.
Gain 2 additional points for each Project card you have validated.
Bottom row: Gain 4, 10, 18, or 30 points if you have placed 1, 2, 3, or 4 pawns on this part of the Favor board.
Main Board
Earn a Favor from the King when you line up 3 of your Architects.