Viscounts of the West Kingdom
Viscounts of the West Kingdom Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Aim of the Game
Be the player with the most victory points (VP) at game's end. Points are gained by constructing buildings, writing manuscripts, working in the castle and acquiring deeds. Each turn, players travel around the kingdom, looking to increase their influence. The game ends once the Kingdom reaches poverty or prosperity — or potentially both.
Components
- 4 Corruption Markers, 4 Virtue Markers, 4 Viscounts, 50 Silver
- 80 Workers (20 per player), 12 Guildhalls, 12 Trading Posts, 12 Workshops (3 each per player)
- 72 Resources (24 Ink Wells, 24 Gold, 24 Stone), 1 Castle, 1 Start Player Marker, 35 Manuscripts
- 4 Player Boards, 5 Main Board Segments
- 68 Neutral Townsfolk Cards (black titles), 10 Hero Townsfolk Cards (brown), 32 Starting Townsfolk Cards (player-colored), 4 Cleric Bonus Cards, 1 Castle Leader Card
- 1 Poverty Card, 1 Prosperity Card, 10 Player Cards, 4 Multiplier Cards, 1 AI Reference Card (solo), 8 Starting + 8 Future Scheme Cards (solo)
- 30 Debt Cards (Front = Unpaid, Back = Paid), 30 Deed Cards (Front = Acquired, Back = Approved)
Debts, Deeds, Ink Wells, Stone, Gold and Silver are unlimited (use Multiplier Cards if they run out).
Setup
- Turn the 5 Main Board Segments faceup to the correct side for the player count; mix and place them in random order so their inside edges form a circle. 2. Place the Castle in the middle (random orientation), locking the Segments. 3. Shuffle Neutral Townsfolk into 5 roughly-equal piles, 1 faceup on each indicated space. 4. Find the 5 grey-backed Manuscripts, form 5 piles, add 6 black-backed on each (7 per pile), place 1 faceup on each indicated space. 5. Place resources, Multiplier Cards, Cleric Bonus Cards and Castle Leader Card near the board. 6. Give each player a Player Board, 20 Workers, 3 Trading Posts, 3 Guildhalls, 3 Workshops, 1 Viscount, 1 Corruption and 1 Virtue Marker, and 8 Starting Townsfolk Cards. 7. Randomly give a player the Start Player Marker (kept all game). 8. Shuffle Player Cards and lay out a number equal to players plus 1; shuffle Hero Townsfolk and place 1 below each Player Card (pairs). 9. In reverse turn order, each player selects 1 pair: place their Viscount on the matching numbered space, gain the listed resources/Silver/Debts/Deeds, take additional steps, flip the Player Card as a reference, then shuffle their Hero Townsfolk with their 8 Starting Townsfolk into a facedown Draw Pile and draw 3. 10. On the Poverty Card, place Debt Cards (unpaid faceup) per player count; on the Prosperity Card, place Deed Cards (acquired faceup) per player count; remaining below each.
Debts and Deeds
Debts are stacked above/below the Poverty Card; Deeds above/below the Prosperity Card. Players gain them from the tops of these piles. The game's end is triggered once the Poverty or Prosperity Card is revealed (turn it over and place it alongside the piles so players can keep drawing). Both are unlimited.
Players can flip Debts and Deeds. At game's end: unpaid Debts lose 2 VP; flipping a Debt (unpaid → paid) immediately gains any 1 resource; acquired Deeds gain 1 VP; approved Deeds (flipped) gain 3 VP. If the Poverty or Prosperity Cards are revealed, the players who flipped the most cards of the indicated type gain additional points (a seesaw effect).
Virtue, Corruption & Criminals
Any time you gain Corruption, move your Corruption Marker 1 space right; any time you gain Virtue, move your Virtue Marker 1 space left. If you cannot move (already at the end), additional movements are ignored. If you gain both at once, resolve Corruption first. Once the two Markers collide, they stick together and move together.
Criminals are wilds! When taking primary actions, each Criminal Icon can count as any other single Icon. However, they do not count as other Icons for scoring purposes (e.g. scoring Manuscripts).
Townsfolk Card Layout
The Silver value (top-left) is used for hiring, dismissing and movement. Cards have an immediate effect when first hired/dismissed (top-right), a card ability (indicating a cost/action/requirement on the left and a reward/effect on the right), and a timing (immediate, ongoing, or drop-off).
Gameplay Overview
Played over an undetermined series of Rounds. Each Round, each player takes 1 turn (starting with the Start Player Marker, clockwise). Each turn moves through 6 phases (left to right on the Player Board): 1. Card Management, 2. Movement, 3. Primary Action, 4. Recruit, 5. Resolve Collision, 6. Draw Cards.
Player Turns
Phase 1: Card Management
- Move all Townsfolk Cards on your board 1 space right. A card dropping off the right side goes faceup to your discard pile (resolve any drop-off effect now).
- Place 1 Townsfolk Card from your hand into the left-most space. If it was a Criminal, immediately gain 1 Corruption for each Criminal icon on your board. Resolve any immediate effect.
You may never have fewer than 3 cards on your board. On a turn with 3 cards, the right card drops off (then is shuffled into a new Draw Pile) before placing the new card. If you start your turn with no cards in hand, blindly play the top card of your Draw Pile.
Phase 2: Movement
Move your Viscount clockwise around the Main Board a distance equal to the Silver value (top-left) of the card just played. You can never move fewer spaces than this, but may pay Silver to move further (1 per extra space). Follow the arrows leaving your current space (never backwards; a full loop is possible). If a Viscount finishes on the same space as an opposing Viscount, that opposing player may immediately rearrange the Townsfolk Cards on their own board.
Phase 3: Primary Action
Take just 1 of the 4 primary actions (Trade, Construct a Building, Place Workers, Transcribe a Manuscript), using Icons on your board (excluding discard piles), spending resources, or using Icons on a dismissed Townsfolk.
As part of the action, you may dismiss the faceup Townsfolk Card adjacent to your Viscount to gain more Icons — but only if its Icons match the action you're taking (Criminals are wilds). The cost to dismiss is the card's Silver value; only 1 dismissal per turn. Pay the Silver, remove the card from the game, temporarily gain all Icons down its left side, and gain the top-right immediate effects (bottom abilities have no effect).
Trade (outside path only): count Merchant Icons and Criminal Icons, spend Silver (1 per extra Merchant Icon), or dismiss the adjacent Townsfolk. What you gain depends on your Viscount's space:
- Gain 1 Silver per Merchant Icon.
- Gain 1 Ink Well, Gold or Stone per 2 Merchant Icons (a single Merchant gains nothing).
- Destroy 1 Townsfolk Card per 3 Merchant Icons (removed from game; gain Silver equal to their value; from hand or blindly from the top of your Draw Pile; optional).
- Flip 1 Debt or 1 Deed per 4 Merchant Icons (any combination).
Construct a Building (outside path only): count Builder Icons and Criminal Icons, spend Stone (1 per extra Builder), or dismiss. There must be an available Building Spot at your Viscount's location (a River divides Spots — left-of-River accessible from the left space, right from the right). Choose any of your 9 Buildings: Workshops need 3 Builder Icons, Trading Posts 5, Guildhalls 7. Score VP as printed (e.g. 4/9/15 VP for 1/2/3 Trading Posts). Place the Building, gaining the Building Spot's effect. If it Links to a previously constructed Building, both players on either end gain the printed Link effect (if you have Buildings on both ends, only once). Each Building reveals an ongoing ability:
- Trading Posts: 1st gives +1 free movement space; 2nd makes all Townsfolk cost only 1 Silver to dismiss; 3rd gives permanent Icons.
- Guildhalls: all 3 give permanent Icons.
- Workshops: 1st gives a Discard ability each time you hire a Townsfolk; 2nd gives 1 Virtue during collisions if you have no Criminals; 3rd increases your hand limit by 1.
Place Workers (inside path only): count Noble Icons and Criminal Icons, spend Gold (1 per extra Noble), or dismiss. Use 1/3/5/8 Noble Icons to place 1/2/3/4 Workers into the first tier of the Castle section adjacent to your Viscount (need at least 1 Worker in supply). After placing, if you have 3+ of your Workers in that first-tier section:
- Move 1 Worker inward to the second tier, resolving that tier's effect.
- Move 1 Worker clockwise and 1 counter-clockwise around the first tier to adjacent sections.
Re-check for other first-tier sections with 3+ Workers (resolve in any order; effects immediate). Then check the second tier: if 3+ of your Workers, move 1 inward to the third tier, gaining any 1 resource (second-tier Workers never move around). After all movements, if any first/second-tier section has more than 3 Workers (any color), bump off Workers until 3 remain (you decide, even your own). Bumped Workers return to owners, who gain a reward (first tier: 2 Silver; second tier: 1 Virtue and any 1 resource). Third-tier Workers are never bumped. Each Castle Worker scores VP equal to its tier at game's end.
The Castle Leader Card goes to the first player to move a Worker to the third tier (and passes to whoever has more Workers in the third tier). At game's end it scores 5 VP; the holder also has +1 hand limit when drawing in phase 6.
Transcribe a Manuscript (inside path only): count Cleric Icons and Criminal Icons, spend Ink Wells (1 per extra Cleric), or dismiss. You need the Cleric Icons shown on the Manuscript adjacent to your Viscount; add it alongside your board (resolve any immediate effect; only 1 per turn). The first player to transcribe 3 Manuscripts of the same ribbon color collects the matching Cleric Bonus Card (3 VP). Score VP as printed plus VP for sets of different-colored ribbons (a set of 3 different ribbons = 9 VP; multiple sets allowed). If a pile runs out, don't refill; pre-printed Manuscripts on the board can be transcribed for effect but not collected.
Phase 4: Recruit
You may hire the faceup Townsfolk Card adjacent to your Viscount (cost = its Silver value; only 1 per turn). Place it in your discard pile and resolve its top-right effects. If a pile runs out, don't refill.
Phase 5: Resolve Collision
If (and only if) your Virtue and Corruption Markers are on the same space, resolve, in order: (1) all players with a second Workshop and no Criminals gain 1 Virtue; (2) all Townsfolk Cards with collision effects; (3) the current player gains the items printed directly above where their Markers sit; (4) all opposing players gain the items printed directly below. Then reset your Corruption and Virtue Markers to the far ends.
Phase 6: Draw Cards
Draw until you reach your hand limit (starts at 3) or run out. If you're at/over your limit, draw nothing. Any time you need to draw and your Draw Pile is empty, shuffle discards to form a new Draw Pile, then check for Criminals: 1+ Criminal Icons → gain 1 Corruption (never more than 1); no Criminal Icons → gain 1 Virtue. (Collisions from shuffling aren't resolved until phase 5 of that player's turn.)
End of the Game
Triggered once the Poverty or Prosperity Card is revealed. Finish the current Round, then 1 final Round (so all players have equal turns). Both cards may be revealed — the Divided Kingdom (both active in final scoring). Ongoing Townsfolk effects have no effect during final scoring.
End-Game Scoring
- Constructed Buildings (as printed on Player Boards).
- Workers in the Castle (VP equal to their tier).
- Transcribed Manuscripts (sets of ribbon colors and specific Manuscripts).
- Castle Leader Card and Cleric Bonus Cards (as printed).
- Unpaid Debts −2 VP each; Acquired Deeds 1 VP each; Approved Deeds 3 VP each.
- Poverty Card (if revealed): players with the most/second/third-most flipped Deeds gain 12/8/4 VP (must have at least 1 flipped Deed; ties split as equally as possible).
- Prosperity Card (if revealed): same, but for flipped Debts.
(In games with fewer than 3 players, the middle 8 VP reward is ignored.) Highest total wins; ties broken by most remaining Silver and Resources, then shared.
Solo Play
Set up your side normally. For the AI: flip a board to its AI side (top-left shows its focus); place 9 Buildings (Trading Posts and Guildhalls positions reversed), give 20 Workers, Markers, Viscount and AI Reference Card (no Townsfolk). Take the Start Player Marker. Separate Starting Schemes (brown) from Future Schemes (black); remove the Schemes indicated on the AI board; shuffle Starting Schemes into a facedown pile. In Step 8, reveal 1 less pair of Player/Hero cards; you choose first, then place the AI's Viscount on the unselected Player Card's space. Give the AI its starting items.
General AI rules: The AI Viscount only moves clockwise around the outside path. When landing on the same space as the AI's Viscount, the AI gains a resource of its choice (per the chart on its board; only the Card-focused AI treats all resources as one). The AI Reference Card converts effects: Rearrange/2 Silver → 1 resource of choice; Destroy or empty Future Scheme pile → a Card Flip; Card Flip with no cards → 1 Virtue (also 1 Virtue when told to Discard or gain a free Castle Move). When choosing which card to flip, the AI flips the type it has flipped least (ties → Debt). Various icons add 1 card from the Future Scheme pile faceup to the AI's discard. A dismiss icon removes the adjacent Townsfolk (AI gains its immediate effect but not Icons). "Primary Focus" refers to the action shown top-left of the AI board.
AI primary actions: Construct — place the left-most affordable Building on the left-most (clockwise) available Building Spot (can't cross the River except for free-construct effects). Place Workers — the AI can do this from the outside path, always placing as many as possible (never a single Worker), and when bumping always targets you; resolves multiple groups clockwise; takes the first second-tier reward option; can gain the Castle Leader Card (no hand-limit benefit). Transcribe — the AI focuses on the Manuscript on its current Segment.
AI turns: Shift cards right, reveal the top Scheme Card into the left space, carry out all effects top-to-bottom (top Icons only help fund actions).
AI scoring: Same as human players, plus 1 VP per leftover resource. The AI always takes the final turn. Increase difficulty by shuffling 1–3 Future Scheme Cards into the AI's Scheme pile.
Effects Reference
Unless specified, all effects are mandatory. Icons: gain 1 Ink Well / Gold / Stone / Silver; gain 1 Ink Well, Gold or Stone (not Silver); gain 1 Debt (unpaid); gain 1 Deed (acquired); flip 1 unpaid Debt (to paid); flip 1 acquired Deed (to approved); flip 1 unpaid Debt or 1 acquired Deed; gain 1 free Manuscript of 3 or 4 cost from those visible; hire any 1 visible Townsfolk for free; gain 1 Corruption; gain 1 Virtue; Rearrange cards on your board (optional); Discard 1 card from hand or Draw Pile (optional); Destroy 1 card (optional; gain Silver equal to its value); Shuffle discards into your Draw Pile; move 1 Worker to an adjacent first-tier section (optional); place the indicated Workers free on any first-tier section; place the indicated Building free on any available Building Spot.