Overview

Orleans is a bag-building, worker placement game set in the Medieval France. You will assemble knights, monks, farmers and other characters to perform special actions. However, each round brings a new event that may help or hinder your plans for dominance. In the end, you will score points for coins, resources, trading posts, citizens and progress on the development track.

Phases of a Turn

A round of Orleans consists of 7 phases, performed in this order:

1. Reveal a New Event Card: In BGA, the card is located at the top left corner of the screen, by your name. The event will resolve at the end of the round. There are six types of events in the game, each appearing three times:

~ Pilgrimage: Monks cannot be recruited this round (this is the only event that triggers at the start of the round)

~ Income: Receive coins for Development Track status. 3 coins per level in Phase A, 2 coins per level in Phase B, and 1 coin per level in Phase C.

~ Harvest: Return food item(s) (grain, cheese or wine) to the general supply. If unable, then pay 5 coins. If unable to pay, you must undergo torture! 1 food in Phase A, 2 food in Phase B, 3 food in Phase C.

~ Taxes: Pay coins for goods you own. If unable, you must undergo torture! 1 coin per good in Phase A, 1 coin for every 2 goods in Phase B, 1 coin for every 3 goods in Phase C.

~ Trading Day: Get coins per trading station you've built. 3 coins per station in Phase A, 2 coins per station in Phase B, 1 coin per station in Phase C.

~ Plagues: Permanently lose 1 character tile. Draw a character from your bag. If it's one of your 4 initial characters, put it back in the bag. Otherwise, return it to the board (it can be recruited again).

2. Reward and Penalize Farmers: The player who is furthest ahead on the Farm (white) track receives 1 coin. If tied, no one gains a coin. The player who is furthest behind loses 1 coin. If tied, no one loses a coin.

~ In a two player game, the player who's trailing doesn't lose a coin but the one further along receives one.

3. Draw Character Tokens from Bag: Players simultaneously draw a number of character tokens from their bag equal to their number on the Knights (red) track. These are then staged the player board for placement during the next phase.

~ You cannot have more than 8 tokens stored.

~ Instead of putting character tiles in the staging area, you can move a character from an action space back to the staging area instead.

~ The 4 tokens you start with bear your player color. Restrictions on the use of these initial tokens are described below.

4. Place Tokens on Action Spaces: Players simultaneously assign their tokens to action spaces on their player board. You do not have to place all of the tokens in your staging area. Unplaced tokens are not returned to the bag but remain in the staging area.

~ Monks (gold tokens) are wild and can be placed on any color.

5. Reap Placement Benefits: In player order, players who have placed all the required character tokens on a location can take the associated action. After taking the action, remove the character tokens from the board and return to your bag. If you did not meet the requirements for the action, the tokens remain where they are. Continue doing this until all players have no further actions or choose not to perform them.

6. Resolve Event: Resolve the round's event. Players who are unable to resolve the event must undergo torture!

7. Rotate Start Player Clockwise

Actions Descriptions

Farmhouse

Collect 1 white character token. Advance on the white track. Gain the good depicted. These are worth points at the end of the game.

Village

The village is a choice between 3 different options:

Boatman: Collect a blue character token. Advance on the blue track. Gain take the coins/citizen depicted.

Craftsman: Take a brown character token. Advance on the brown track. Take 1 gear-shaped technology token and permanently place it on a character space on your player board. This automates a character space, making it always filled.

~ The first time you place a tech token, it has to cover a white farmer space.

~ It can't cover a monk space

~ It can only cover 1 space for each action

~ It cannot go on an action that only requires 1 character token

Trader: Take a black character token. Advance on the black track. Look through the location/action tiles and take one of your choosing. These provide an additional, private action space that only you can activate or confers a persistent special ability.

University

Collect 1 gray scholar token. Advance on the gray track and advance on the Development track the number of spaces depicted, claiming points and/or money you reach or pass there. Your progress on the Development Track will multiply the value of your buildings and citizens at the end of the game.

Castle

Collect 1 red knight token. Advance on the red track. Progress on this track increases the number of character tokens you can draw at the beginning of each round.

Monastery

Collect 1 yellow monk token. Monks are wild and can be used in place of any character.

Ship

Move your merchant along the map's blue route to an adjacent town, claiming 1 good along the way (if available).

Wagon

Move your merchant along the map's gray/brown route to an adjacent town, claiming 1 good along the way (if available).

Guildhall

Build a trading station on the map where your merchant currently stands, if there isn't one there already. Each player may have a guild on Orleans, however. These are worth points at the end of the game based on your progress on the development track.

Scriptorium

Advance one space along the development track.

Town Hall

Move 1 or 2 of your character tokens to the Beneficial Deeds board, where they will remain for the rest of the game. Receive the depicted reward only when placed.

~ If your character fills the last space under a deed, you also claim the citizen

~ Monks can't be used as a wild here

~ Your initial 4 characters can't be placed here

Torture (Bankruptcy)

When unable to pay with goods or coins, you must pay for each item you are short from any combination of the below:

• Trading stations
• Character tiles (randomly drawn from your bag)
• Development points (points can be re-earned, and you cannot retreat to or beyond a stack of coins)
• Goods
• Place tiles
• Technology tiles

These items (other than development points) are permanently removed from the game.

End of the Game & Scoring

The game ends after 18 rounds. Points are awarded as follows:

1 pt / coin

1 pt / grain

2 pt / cheese

3 pt / wine

4 pt / wool

5 pt / brocade (fabric)

There is one citizen which is not distributed at the beginning of the game; this one goes to the player with the most trading stations at this time.

Multiply your total number of trading stations and citizens by the highest number you reached on the development track.

The player with the most points wins! Tie: Whoever is furthest on the development track

Additional Rules

Supplies are limited! Characters, technology and goods cannot be gained if there aren't any in the general supply.

You can look in your bag anytime you want to