Alhambra: The Red Palace
Alhambra: The Red Palace Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Game Components
- 54 Land tiles – these are building sites for your own Alhambra. They feature from 0 to 3 wall sections, 0 to 2 watchtowers and costs. The center gap is used later to insert a wooden building.
- 58 Wooden buildings – 9 each of all 6 building types. Note: Leave the 2 additional buildings each of garden (green) and tower (purple) in the box (see the Classic Scoring section).
- 54 Building tiles – 9 each of all 6 building types.
- 1 Cloth bag
- 1 Tiles tower
- 6 Reserve Tiles – 1 of each player color
- 6 Starting tiles – 1 of each player color and 6 wooden lion fountains
- 6 Scoring markers – 1 of each player color.
- 6 "70/140" points tokens – 1 in each player color
- 108 Cash cards in four currencies (Denar, Dirham, Ducat, Florin) and with values from 1 to 9
- 2 Scoring cards. The victory points awarded by these two cards is relevant for the "Classic Scoring" module only, not for the base game.
- 1 Scoring board and 18 scoring tiles
- 1 Game board including scoring track, building yard and Cash card display
- 1 Guard board
- 1 Preview board
- 32 Guard tokens
- 11 Guard placement tiles. Front side: Different numbers of placement spots for guards. Reverse side: Any number of guards can be placed here.
- 9 Guard ability tiles
- 6 Plazas – land tiles without wall sections (no buildable sites, therefore no gap)
- 6 Wall pieces – extension of your own wall
- 6 Half-building tiles
Setup
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Put the tiles tower in good reach. Mix the 54 land tiles and stack them face down in the tower.
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Place the game board in the center of the playing area, it shows the building yard and the display area for cash cards. Place the preview board above the game board.
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Draw 4 land tiles from the tower and deal them, one by one and in order, face up on the spaces numbered 1 to 4 of the building yard. Then, draw 3 more tiles and place them on the preview board, face up on the spaces numbered 1 to 3.
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Put the building tiles in the cloth bag. One by one, draw building tiles from the bag and place one each on the 4 land tiles on the building yard and on the 3 land tiles on the preview board. Keep the bag with the remaining building tiles next to the game board.
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Place the guard board next to the preview board. The guards are placed at the top of the guard board.
For your first sessions, we recommend using the back side of the guard board. Here, for a quick and easy start, the placement tiles and guard ability tiles are already imprinted. For the guard ability tiles, cover the depicted ability tiles with the matching ability tiles.
For later sessions, proceed as follows:
a) Shuffle the guard placement tiles (simply called placement tiles from now on), and place them face up and from left to right on the appropriate spaces of the guard board. Place the tile on the far right face down. Return the remaining 3 tiles to the box.
b) Shuffle the guard ability tiles (simply called ability tiles from now on), and place 4 tiles face up on the guard board, randomly drawn. Return the remaining to the box.
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Put the wall pieces, plazas, half-building tiles and wooden buildings next to the game board.
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Place the scoring board next to the game board. Draw three scoring tiles and place one each from left to right in the three slots of the scoring board. Return the remaining scoring tiles to the box.
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Individual player components: Each player takes the following in their chosen player color:
- 1 Starting tile with 1 wooden lion fountain on it and 1 reserve tile and puts these in front of them.
- 1 Scoring marker and puts it on space 5 of the points track.
- 1 "70/140" points marker and puts it next to the points track. Scoring marker tiles next to the scoring track. When a player circumnavigates the points track during the game, they take the points marker of their color and place it with the "70" side up on their reserve tile. With another circumnavigation, they flip the token to its "140" side.
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Cash cards:
a) Remove the two scoring cards from the pile of cash cards and put them aside for now. Then, shuffle the cash cards well.
Object of the Game
At the right time - whenever a scoring takes place - whoever has built the most buildings of a specific type in the palace they are constructing in front of them on the table, hereafter referred to as their "Alhambra", gains a varying number of points based on the building type and the current scoring. The number of points for a building type is indicated by the corresponding scoring tile on the scoring board. Therefore, it's worth keeping an eye on the scoring board and planning ahead.
Additionally, each player gains points for their longest continuous exterior wall.
At the end of the game, each player also gains points for the guards located on their longest continuous exterior wall.
The player who has achieved the most points at the end of the game is the winner!
Playing the Game
Beginning with the starting player, the players take their turns in clockwise direction. The active player always must perform one of three possible actions:
- Take cash
- Buy a building
- Redesign their Alhambra
Take Cash
The player takes any one cash card from the display area or more than one if their total value does not exceed 5 (regardless of the currencies).
Refill the display only after the player has completed their turn.
Example: You can take the two cash cards on the left or one of the two other cards.
Buy a Building
The combination of a building tile/wooden building and a land tile is referred to as "building" hereafter.
The player buys one of the four buildings from the building yard.
For this, they pay at least the costs imprinted on the land tile in the currency indicated by the building yard for this building.
But be careful, no change is given back! Put the paid cash cards on the discard pile. This is formed to the right of the game board by all discarded cards.
They place the building next to their Alhambra for now, it is added to the Alhambra only at the end of their turn.
Note: Guards will only be placed on buildings with watchtowers at the end of the players' turn.
Example: Max urgently needs a garden for his Alhambra. The garden in the building yard costs 10 Denars. He has two matching cash cards in his hand and decides to buy the garden. However, since he doesn't pay exactly 10 Denars as required (but 11), he doesn't get an additional action – his turn is over. No change is given back.
Important: If the player pays for the building exactly as required, they gain 1 additional action immediately, and they must once again choose from one of the three possible actions. This way, a player can perform multiple actions in a single turn. If a player buys multiple buildings in one turn, they will all be added to their Alhambra at the end of the turn only.
Redesign Their Alhambra
The player uses one of three options to redesign their own Alhambra:
- Dismantle one building from their own Alhambra and place it in their reserve.
- Add one building from their own reserve to their Alhambra (see building rules).
- Exchange one building from their reserve for one of their own buildings in the Alhambra. The new building must be placed exactly in the vacated position in the Alhambra.
After redesigning, the Alhambra must still adhere to the building rules. The starting tile must never be redesigned or removed.
Note: Guards remain on their building during all redesign actions.
Guard Abilities
As long as a player is taking their turn, they may use one or more guard abilities. As soon as a player adds buildings to their Alhambra at the end of their turn, they must use no more guard abilities. Each ability may only be used once per turn.
To use a guard ability, the player first pays the costs that are depicted at the head of the ability tile. The player places the required number of guard(s) from their Alhambra and/or their reserve onto the next available space(s) of a placement tile: The tiles are filled from left to right. The tiles show in the form of squares how many guards can be placed there. Once all spaces on the leftmost tile are occupied, the guards are placed on the next tile, and so on. If any cash cards were required, they are placed on the discard pile.
Only in the case that a player doesn't possess any guards, they can replace the requirement of giving up a guard when paying for guard abilities by spending victory points (generally simply referred to as "points") instead (If any cards are required, they must still be discarded!). If the player does not have enough points left, this is not possible.
The replacement costs are:
| Before the 1st scoring | Between 1st and 2nd scoring | After the 2nd scoring |
|---|---|---|
| 1 point | 2 points | 3 points |
Either way, the player then uses the ability and after that flips the corresponding ability tile to its reverse side.
The Different Guard Abilities
- After buying a building, the player may exchange the building tile of that building with another building tile from the building yard (do not exchange the land tiles). This action costs 1 guard plus any 1 cash card of the currency shown at the exchanged building tile's location.
- For 1 guard and any 1 cash card (in addition to the building's costs), the player may buy a building from the preview board. However, they must pay for it exactly as required in any 1 currency.
- For 1 guard, the player takes 1 wall piece from the common supply, which they place on a building bought during their turn at the end of their turn (even on a plaza). Once all 6 wall pieces are depleted, this ability can no longer be used.
- For 1 guard, an overpaid purchase counts as paid for exactly as required. So, after an overpaid purchase, the player still performs another turn.
- For 1 guard, the player may take 1 cash card from the display area, regardless of the value of the cash card.
- For 1 guard, the player may replace a building tile from the building yard with a random building tile drawn from the cloth bag when buying a building. Return the initial building tile to the cloth bag.
- For 1 guard, the player takes a plaza from the common supply (a land tile on which no building can be built and without walls). Once all plazas are depleted, this ability can no longer be used.
- For 1 guard, the player may move one of their guards to any wall section (this section doesn't have to show a watchtower).
- For 2 guards, the player takes a half-building tile from the common supply. This tile counts as half a building of the depicted type in all scorings, thus breaking a tie in favor of its owner. Once all half-building tiles are depleted, this ability can no longer be used.
Example (1st scoring): Laura and Tim have 2 gardens each in their Alhambra. Because Laura has the garden half-building tile, she gains the points.
End of Turn
Once the player cannot perform any more actions, their turn is finished and they add all newly bought buildings to their Alhambra.
Add Buildings to the Alhambra
For each set-aside building, the player now decides whether to add it into their own Alhambra or place it in their reserve.
When adding to their Alhambra, the player must follow the building rules.
Any number of buildings may be placed in the reserve. If a player has several buildings, they may add them to their Alhambra or place them in their reserve in any order they wish.
If there are any watchtowers on the new buildings, the player places one guard from the common supply on each watchtower.
Finally, the player exchanges the building tiles for corresponding wooden buildings from the common supply. The building tile is put back into the box.
Once the player has added all their new buildings to their Alhambra or their reserve, their turn ends.
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All covered ability tiles are flipped back to their front side.
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The buildings on the building Yard and on the preview board are replenished in sequence: First, the building yard is supplemented with buildings from the preview tableau. On the preview tableau, buildings always slide along the arrows. The building in position 3 (with the arrow pointing downward) from the preview tableau slides into the building yard first: It is placed on the lowest numbered empty space on the building yard. Buildings remaining on the preview tableau are shifted further to the right, filling the next empty space on the building yard, and so on. Any remaining empty spaces on the building yard and all empty spaces on the preview board are replenished in sequence, starting with the lowest numbered empty space on the building yard, by drawing from the tower respectively from the bag.
Example: At the end of the turn, two spaces on the building yard are empty. The space marked with "1" is filled with the 12-tower from the preview board, and the one marked with "3" is filled with the 5-seraglio. The 9-pavilion is shifted to the right on the preview board, and the two newly freed spaces are filled with tiles from the tower and the bag.
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The cash card display replenished up to four cards. If a scoring card is drawn, it is placed in front of the next player in turn order. Subsequently, the display is fully replenished, and after that, a scoring takes place (see scoring). If the draw pile is empty, shuffle the discard pile and use it as the new draw pile.
Then it is the next player's turn.
Building Rules
- All buildings must have the same orientation (identifiable by the costs in the lower right corner of the land tile).
- Only similar edges can be adjacent to each other, meaning the touching edges must both show a wall section or neither do. The watchtowers don't matter in this case.
- Pedestrian rule: You must be able to reach each new building "by foot" from the starting tile, without crossing a wall section or leaving the tiles.
- Each new building must be adjacent to the Alhambra with at least one edge (diagonal placement is not allowed).
- "Holes" are not allowed (completely enclosed empty areas).
Scoring Rounds
There are 3 scoring rounds during the game. The first two scorings take place when the corresponding card is drawn from the cash cards draw pile.
Note: The scoring cards are used in the basic game only to trigger the first and second scoring rounds. The possible points to be gained are shown on the scoring board.
After the first and second scoring, the corresponding scoring card is removed from the game.
The third and final scoring takes place at the end of the game.
In each scoring, points are awarded for both majority of buildings and the longest continuous exterior wall of each player's Alhambra.
At the end of the game, each player also gains points for the guards located on their longest continuous exterior wall.
The players use their scoring marker to track their points on the scoring track. They advance their scoring marker as many spaces as the number of points they gained.
Points for Exterior Walls
In each scoring, each player first gains points for their longest continuous exterior wall.
Each wall section that is part of the longest exterior wall is worth 1 point.
Inner wall sections do not generate points.
This exterior wall is worth 8 points in a scoring. This exterior wall is shorter and therefore does not generate points. Inner walls do not generate points.
Points for Building Majorities
Important: Buildings in the reserve do not count for scoring.
If there is a tie in scoring for a type of building, meaning multiple players have the same number of buildings of that type, the points for the corresponding ranks are added together and then divided. The result is always round down.
1st Scoring
Only players who own the most buildings of a type gain points for buildings in the first scoring.
The number of points the players gain is shown on the rightmost scoring tile of the scoring board.
Example 1st scoring: Laura has the most chambers, thus gains 3 points.
2nd Scoring
Players who own the most and second most buildings of a type gain points in the second scoring.
The number of points the players gain is shown on the second scoring tile of the scoring board.
Example 2nd scoring: Max and Nina have 4 towers each. They share the points for first and second position. 13 + 6 = 19 points. Both gain 9 points (rounded down).
3rd Scoring (End of the Game)
In this final scoring, players who own the most, second most and third most buildings of a type gain points.
The number of points the players gain is shown on the rightmost scoring tile of the scoring board.
Example 3rd scoring: Tim has the most gardens and gains 17 points. Laura has the second most gardens and gains 9 points. Max gains 2 points, having the third most gardens.
Now, each guard on the longest continuous exterior wall scores points. The number of points per guard is shown on the guard board: The number beneath the placement tile where the rightmost guard is standing is the number of points per guard.
Example guard scoring: At the end of the game, the last guard (from left to right) is standing on the placement tile with 4 points shown below it. Therefore, the 3 guards on the longest continuous exterior wall score a total of 12 points. The guard standing on the shorter section of the wall does not score any points.
End of Game
The game ends when, after a player's turn, the building yard cannot be fully refilled.
The remaining buildings (one to three) from the building yard are now given to the players who have the most remaining cash in each respective currency (the costs of the buildings no longer matter). The players may still add these tiles to their Alhambra according to the building rules. They also place any guards on the tiles, if applicable.
Note: In case of a tie for the most cash in a currency, leave the building on the building yard.
Now, the 3rd scoring takes place.
The player whose scoring marker is furthest ahead on the scoring track after the last scoring wins. In case of a tie the tied players share the victory.
Special Rules for 2 Players
The same rules apply with the following changes:
There are exactly three copies of each cash card. One of them is now removed from the game, meaning only 72 cash cards are in play.
You may use the front side or the back side of the guard board.
There is an imaginary third player. Let's just call him Dirk. Although Dirk doesn't build an Alhambra, he still collects buildings and guards. Dirk does not perform any turns.
At the start of the game, take 6 land tiles from the tower, and 6 building tiles from the bag. Replace the building tiles with the corresponding wooden buildings from the common supply, and set them aside for Dirk – clearly visible to both players. Half of the number of the guards (rounded up) depicted on these tiles are placed on the leftmost available spaces on the guard placement tiles.
In scorings, Dirk also gains points for building majorities, but an exterior wall is not scored for him.
Immediately after the first scoring, Dirk receives another 6 buildings. Again, half of the number of the guards (rounded up) depicted on these tiles are placed on the leftmost available spaces on the guard placement tiles.
After the second scoring, Dirk receives buildings again. However, this time not necessarily 6 pieces, but one-third (rounded down) of the land tiles remaining in the tower, and the same number of building tiles. Guards are treated the same way as before (place half of their number, rounded up, on placement tiles).
After the third scoring, Dirk does not receive any buildings.
Only one rule is changed for the two players: Whenever they add buildings to their Alhambra at the end of their turn, they are allowed not only to add it to their Alhambra or their reserve, but they can also give the building to Dirk as a gift. In this case, all guards on the building(s) are placed onto the placement tiles.
Game Variants and Expansion Modules
Additional Wooden Gardens and Towers
For owners of the classic Alhambra game, there are 2 additional wooden gardens and towers. Thus the set of all wooden buildings may also be used to augment the classic game in 3D style.
Classic Scoring
In the classic scoring, the scoring is not done using the scoring board, but rather through the two scoring cards and the table shown alongside: For the 1st and 2nd scoring, the table printed on the respective scoring card is used. For the 3rd scoring, the table shown here is used. The scoring board and scoring tiles remain in the box.
The Three Expansion Modules "Medina", "The Bazaars" and "The Field Camps"
Each module can be added to the basic game individually or in any combination. They can also be used when playing with the classic scoring.
Medina
No one wants to have a crafts district, or a medina, right outside their door. However, the player with the fewest crafts districts ends up facing economic problems and negative points.
Components
- 9 Medina wooden buildings
- 9 Medina land tiles
Changes in Setup
Mix the 9 medina land tiles with the regular land tiles and put them into the tile tower. Add the medina wooden buildings to the other wooden buildings in the common supply.
Changes in Game Play
Whenever a medina land tile is drawn from the tile tower, it is placed on the preview board or the building yard, just like regular land tiles. However, no building tile from the bag is placed on it. Instead, a medina wooden building is directly placed on it from the common supply.
If a player buys a medina (land tile + wooden building), the same building rules apply as for other buildings, including the option to initially place it in the reserve or redesign it later.
Changes in Scoring
The medinas are always scored last. During the 1st scoring, the player with the fewest medinas built in their Alhambra gains negative points. In the 2nd scoring, negative points are given to the 2 players with the fewest medinas, and in the 3rd scoring, the 3 players with the fewest medinas gain negative points:
| 1st scoring | 2nd scoring | 3rd scoring | |
|---|---|---|---|
| The player with the fewest medinas. | -3 | -6 | -9 |
| The player with the second fewest medinas. | 0 | -3 | -6 |
| The player with the third fewest medinas. | 0 | 0 | -3 |
Tie
In case of an equal number of medinas, the respective tile with the highest costs becomes decisive: The player with the lower costs cost gains the higher number of negative points.
| Built medinas | 3rd scoring | |
|---|---|---|
| Player A | medinas costing 6, 2, 8 | -3 |
| Player B | medinas costing 5, 3, 4 | -6 |
| Player C | medina costing 10 | -9 |
Example: Player C has the fewest medinas and gains 9 negative points. Players A and B both have 3 medinas. Since the highest costs of a medina built by Player B is 5 and by Player A is 8, Player A gains 3 negative points, while Player B gains 6 negative points.
Special Situation: No Medina Built at All
All scorings: All players who have not built a medina in their Alhambra gain additional negative points according to this table:
| 1st scoring | 2nd scoring | 3rd scoring |
|---|---|---|
| 1 negative point | 2 negative points | 3 negative points |
Special Situation: Several Players Without a Medina
1st scoring: All players without a medina share the 3 negative points among themselves (rounded up).
2nd scoring: The negative points for first and second rank among are added together and shared among these players (rounded up).
3rd scoring: If 2 players have not built a medina, the negative points for first and second rank are added together and shared among these players (rounded up). The negative points for the third rank are awarded as usual. If 3 or more players have not built a medina, the 18 points are shared among all involved players (rounded up).
The Bazaars
If optimally built, the bazaars can generate up to 24 additional points for adjacent buildings of matching color, but only in the final scoring.
Components
- 8 Bazaar wooden buildings
- 8 Bazaar land tiles showing different combinations: Each bazaar land tile shows a distinct currency in the top left corner and the colors of 3 building types at the bottom.
Changes in Setup
Mix the 8 bazaar land tiles with the regular land tiles and put them into the tile tower. Add the bazaar wooden buildings to the other wooden buildings in the common supply.
Changes in Game Play
If a bazaar land tile is drawn when refilling the building yard or preview board, place it face up next to the game board. No building tile from the bag is placed on it. Instead, place a bazaar wooden building from the supply directly on it.
Continue drawing land and building tiles until both the building yard and preview board are completely replenished.
The bazaar can be bought like any other building. It must be paid for in the required currency, as shown on the top left corner.
The costs correspond to the building on the building yard in the respective currency. A bazaar may only be paid for exactly as required. Subsequently, the player performs one more action.
If a player buys a bazaar (land tile + wooden building), the same building rules apply as for other buildings, including the option to initially place it in the reserve or redesign it later.
Currently, this bazaar costs 4 florins.
Changes in Scoring
Bazaars generate points only in the final scoring.
To determine the points generated by a bazaar, you have to check how many adjacent buildings of matching color are built next to the bazaar (up to a maximum of 8 buildings). Diagonally placed buildings are also considered as being adjacent!
A building is considered to be of a matching color if its color is depicted on the bazaar land tile. The number of these matching buildings adjacent to the bazaar is multiplied by the number of matching, distinct colors.
The total is the number of points that player gains.
Example: This bazaar has 6 adjacent buildings, 2 spaces are vacant, and 4 of these buildings match the required colors.
All 3 colors of the bazaar are present in the neighborhood. This results in: 4 buildings × 3 colors = 12 points.
If the tower were missing in this example, the result would be significantly lower: 3 buildings × 2 colors = 6 points.
Additional Notes
- If appropriately placed, a building can count for multiple bazaars.
- The scoring of a bazaar is not affected by walls.
- Any number of bazaars can be available next to the game board.
- If the price-determining that determines the costs is missing from the building yard (because it has just been bought), the corresponding bazaar cannot be bought at this time.
- Unsold bazaars are not given to players at the end of the game.
The Field Camps
If appropriately built, a field camp gives an extra point for each building adjacent in a straight line in each scoring. Slightly different building rules apply to field camps - in principle, they are built outside of the walls.
Components
- 8 Field camp wooden buildings
- 8 Field camp land tiles - showing one or two reinforcements for the walls of the Alhambra, known as bastions.
Changes in Setup
Mix the 8 field camp land tiles with the regular land tiles and put them into the tile tower. Add the field camp wooden buildings to the other wooden buildings in the common supply.
Changes in Game Play
The field camp land tiles enter the game just like the other land tiles: they are placed on the preview board or the building yard and can be bought paying the printed costs according to the rules of the base game. However, no building tile from the bag is placed on them. Instead, place a field camp wooden building from the supply directly on them.
Adding / Placing Field Camps
Like when buying other buildings, at the end of the turn, field camps must either be placed in the reserve or added to the player's Alhambra. The building rules of the base game apply, with the following modifications:
- Field camps must have the same orientation as the other buildings – recognizable by the number on the flag.
- Field camps may only be placed next to wall sections with their bastion(s) touching the wall section.
- Field camps may only touch each other with their edges without bastions.
- The "pedestrian rule" does not apply to field camps.
Not allowed: Bastion touching bastion. Not allowed: Bastion touching a building's edge without a wall section. Not allowed: Bastion touching green edge. Allowed: Green edge touching green edge or bastion touching a wall section. Not allowed: Green edge touching a building's edge without a wall section.
Changes in Scoring
In each scoring, the field camps are taken into account. They don't give points themselves but give extra points for buildings in the direction(s) of the arrow(s).
Count the buildings in a straight, uninterrupted line in the direction of the printed arrow(s).
Note: Inner walls do not break this line.
Each of these buildings is worth 1 point.
Note: Starting tiles and plazas count as buildings for this purpose only.
Field camps with 2 arrows are scored in both directions.
Example: The field camp on the left gives 4 points, and the one opposite it also gives the same amount. The field camp at the bottom adds a total of 2 points. In total, 10 points are scored by field camps in this example.
Additional Note
- When scoring the longest continuous exterior wall, wall sections with adjacent bastions count the same as those without bastions.