Architects of the West Kingdom Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Aim of the Game
• Components
• Setup
• First-Time Players — Key Concepts
• Playing the Game
• Placing Workers
• Board Locations
  • Quarry, Forest, Mines and Silversmith (resource gathering)
  • King's Storehouse
  • Workshop
  • Town Centre
  • Tax Stand
  • Black Market
  • Guardhouse
  • Guildhall
• Constructing Buildings and the Cathedral
  • Constructing a Building
  • Advancing Work on the Cathedral
• Virtue Track
• Black Market Reset
• End of the Game
  • End-Game Scoring
• Reminders
• Appendix — Apprentice Abilities
• Appendix — Building Effects
• Solo Play
• Variable Setup Characters

Aim of the Game

Be the player with the most Victory Points (VP) at the game's end. Points are gained by constructing Buildings and advancing work on the Cathedral. Players make many moral decisions, but only at the game's end is their Virtue judged. The game ends once a set number of constructions have been completed.

Components

• 35 Clay, 40 Wood, 40 Stone, 25 Gold, 30 Marble, 50 Silver
• 10 Player Markers and 100 Workers (in 5 colors), 5 double-sided Player Boards
• 10 Black Market Cards ("Small"/"Large"), 22 Debt Cards ("Unpaid"/"Paid"), 11 Reward Cards, 6 Multiplier Cards
• 40 Apprentice Cards, 40 Building Cards, 1 Main Board

Debts, Clay, Wood, Stone, Gold, Marble and Silver are unlimited (use Multiplier Cards if any run out).

Setup

1. Place the Main Board in the center.
2. Shuffle the Black Market Cards, place them on the left Black Market space, "Small Market" side faceup.
3. Shuffle Reward Cards and place a facedown pile to the right of the Cathedral equal to 2 per player, plus 1 (e.g. 9 in a 4-player game). Return unused cards.
4. Place Debt Cards near the Guardhouse, "unpaid" side faceup.
5. Place Multiplier Cards near the board.
6. Shuffle Apprentice Cards facedown to the right of the board; reveal 1 faceup in each of the 8 spaces to the right of the Workshop.
7. Shuffle Building Cards facedown to the left of the Workshop.
8. Place all resources in a Supply near the board.
9. Place 4 Silver in the space above the Tax Stand.
10. Each player takes 1 Player Board (side 1 faceup, unless using Variable Setup) and 20 Workers.
11. Each player places 1 Player Marker under the Cathedral and the other on number 7 of the Virtue Track.
12. Deal 4 Building Cards to each player. Each keeps 1 (facedown in front of them) and passes the rest left; repeat, then of the last 2 keep 1 and place the other facedown under the Building Card pile. Players pick up their chosen 3 cards as their starting hand (hidden from opponents).
13. Randomly choose a starting player, who receives 3 Silver. The 2nd player receives 4 Silver, the 3rd 5, the 4th 6, and so on.

Variable Setup: Use side 2 of Player Boards (each gives a unique ability and determines starting Silver/Virtue/items). The player with the most Virtue starts; players do not gain additional Silver by turn order.

First-Time Players — Key Concepts

1. Worker Investment: Each player has 20 Workers, placing just 1 per turn. Generally, the more times you visit the same location, the more you benefit (e.g. your first Worker at the Forest gains 1 Wood, second gains 2, third 3, etc.).
2. Capturing Workers: At the Town Centre, recruit locals to capture groups of Workers, placed onto your Board. Later, send them to Prison for 1 Silver each. The targeted opponent can visit the Guardhouse to release them at no cost.
3. Virtue: Many choices alter your position on the Virtue Track. High Virtue awards VP; low Virtue loses them. But sitting low lets you skimp on Taxes.

Playing the Game

Proceeding clockwise from the starting player, each player takes their turn in full. On their turn, players place 1 Worker from their Player Board to a chosen location on the Main Board. Play continues until a set number of constructions have been completed; then all players take 1 last turn before the game ends.

The number of constructions to trigger the end game is determined by the Worker spaces in the Guildhall (some spaces only used at higher player counts, per 3+, 4+, 5+ icons).

Special Rule: If a player starts their turn with no Workers on their Player Board, their entire turn is spent returning any 1 Worker from the Main Board to their Board (not placed until their next turn). The chosen Worker cannot be taken from the Guildhall, Black Market, Prison, or an opposing player's Board.

Placing Workers

Three location types:

• Large open circle: No restrictions on how many players or Workers use it. Can be targeted by the Town Centre capture action.
• Black Market (smaller circles): Only 1 Worker per space. Removed only during a Black Market Reset. Cannot be captured.
• Guildhall (Worker outlines): Fill from left to right, top to bottom, laid on their side. Workers remain for the rest of the game. Cannot be captured.
• Prison: Workers placed only via the top Guardhouse action, Black Market Reset, or card actions. Cannot be captured.

Board Locations

Quarry, Forest, Mines and Silversmith (resource gathering)

Gain the indicated resource based on the number of your own Workers present, after placing 1. Opposing Workers don't affect your reward.

• Quarry: Stone (1, plus 1 per Worker). Forest: Wood (1 per Worker). Silversmith: Silver (1, plus 1 per Worker).
• Mines: Choose Clay (1, plus 1 per Worker) OR Gold (1 for every 2 Workers) — cannot split. (Your first Worker can only gain 2 Clay, as at least 2 Workers are needed for Gold.)

King's Storehouse

Take up to 1 action for each Worker you have there. Actions: trade any 2 pictured resources (Clay, Wood, or Stone) for 1 Virtue; or any 3 pictured resources (Wood or Stone) for 1 Marble. Several Apprentices allow further actions here. You may repeat the same action.

Workshop

Either hire 1 Apprentice or work on new Building Plans.

Hire an Apprentice: Pay a total of 4 Silver, 2 of which are Tax (placed above the Tax Stand); other Silver returns to the Supply. Your first Worker in the Workshop can only hire from the left-most column; second from the first or second column; fourth from any available. You may place 1 Silver on an Apprentice Card to skip it (always on the left-most card of a row first). After hiring, place the Apprentice faceup; shift Apprentice Cards left to fill the empty space and reveal a new card in the right-most space.

• The 2 rows are independent but work the same way.
• Max 5 Apprentices; you may discard at any time. Some Apprentices have an immediate Virtue effect (not reversed by discarding). Silver placed on an Apprentice is collected by the player hiring them. You may hire more than 1 of the same Apprentice.

Work on Building Plans: Gain Building Cards from the top of the pile: 1, plus 1 additional for every 2 Workers you have at the Workshop. Max hand limit 6 (discard excess at end of turn).

Town Centre

Recruit locals to capture Workers from "large open circle" locations. For each Worker you have at the Town Centre, spend 1 Silver to capture 1 group of Workers (of a single color) from 1 location (the first Silver is Taxed).

• Capture from up to 2 locations with 2–3 players (and solo), but only 1 with 4+ players.
• Each capture requires 1 Worker and 1 Silver. You may make fewer captures than Workers available. You may capture from the Town Centre (including the Worker just placed). Never from the Guildhall, Black Market, Prison, or another player's Board.

Place captured opposing Workers on the top left of your Board (later send to Prison for 1 Silver each). Capturing your own Workers returns them to your supply.

Tax Stand

Take all the Silver from above the Tax Stand into your supply, but lose 2 Virtue. You cannot place a Worker here if there is no Tax to steal.

Black Market

3 spaces, each paired with an action below it. Once a Worker is placed on a space, no other Workers may be placed there. Example options: (1) Pay 1 Silver, lose 1 Virtue, gain 1 Marble and 1 Stone; (2) Pay 2 Silver, lose 1 Virtue, hire any faceup Apprentice (and gain its Silver) OR draw 5 Building Cards keeping 1; (3) Pay 3 Silver, lose 1 Virtue, gain 1 Gold, 1 Stone, 2 Wood. (Black Market Cards are refreshed during a Reset.)

Guardhouse

Take 1 action for each Worker you have there:

1. Send all captured Workers from your Board to Prison, gaining 1 Silver each.
2. Release all your own Workers from Prison to your Board.
3. Pay 5 Silver (2 Tax), or take 1 Debt and lose 1 Virtue, to release all your Workers from other players' Boards (minimum 1 captured Worker required).
4. Pay 6 Silver (3 Tax) to pay off 1 Debt.

Actions may be taken in any order; you may pay off multiple Debts in a turn. When paying off a Debt, flip the Debt Card (keeping it in front of you), immediately gaining 1 Virtue plus any Debt-related Apprentice benefits.

Guildhall

Place Workers here to construct a Building from your hand or advance work on the Cathedral (lay them flat, left to right, top to bottom). Not all columns are used at lower player counts.

Constructing Buildings and the Cathedral

Constructing a Building

Display the card faceup above your Player Board. Some Buildings require hired Apprentices with certain skills (Carpentry, Tiling, Masonry) — you need at least 1 hired Apprentice with each matching symbol (not discarded when used). Pay the resource cost (returned to Supply). Apply any immediate Virtue change. All Buildings have an end-game or immediate effect (immediate effects trigger once built; end-game effects trigger before final scoring).

Advancing Work on the Cathedral

1. Pay the resources to the left of the Cathedral, 1 level above where your Player Marker sits (all start below the lowest level).
2. Discard any 1 Building Card facedown to the bottom of the pile.
3. Move your Player Marker 1 level up.
4. Reveal the top Reward Card and gain its benefits (then removed from play; if none left, gain 1 Virtue instead).

At game's end, score VP equal to the number in the yellow flag to the left of your current level. You can only advance if there is an available space at the next level. (Cost like "4 Stone or Wood" means any combination totaling 4.)

Virtue Track

Any Virtue gained/lost is immediately shown by moving your Player Marker. At game's end, gain or lose VP per the yellow flags at the upper and lower levels. Track icons:

• For each Virtue gained above 14, destroy 1 unpaid Debt you hold (no additional effects; returned to the Debt pile).
• For each Virtue lost below 0, take a Debt Card ("unpaid" side faceup).
• Once you have 3 or less Virtue, you skimp on Taxes: for each "avoid Tax" icon at your level, ignore 1 Tax on all future costs.
• Once you have 10 or more Virtue, you can no longer place Workers in the Black Market (until you drop below 10).
• Once you have 4 or less Virtue, you can no longer work on the Cathedral (until you rise above 4).

Black Market Reset

Triggered when: all 3 Black Market spaces have Workers; OR a Worker is placed in the Guildhall on one of the left-most spaces on the bottom 2 rows. Resolve the triggering action first, then:

1. All Workers in the Black Market are moved to Prison.
2. The top Small Market Card (left) is turned over onto the Large Market (right).
3. Players with Black Market Reset Apprentices take their actions (any order).
4. All players with 3 or more Workers in Prison lose 1 Virtue.
5. The player(s) with the most Workers in Prison each take 1 Debt Card ("unpaid").

(If no Small Market cards remain to turn over, shuffle the Large Market pile to form a new Small Market pile.)

End of the Game

Triggered once the last Worker is placed in the Guildhall. The current player finishes, then each player (including them) has 1 final turn. In the final round, players may still place Workers in the Guildhall (placed to the side).

End-Game Scoring

Resolve any end-game Building effects (all Apprentice/board effects remain active). Each player scores:

• VP for all constructed Buildings, including end-game bonuses.
• VP for level of work on the Cathedral.
• Gain or lose VP for final position on the Virtue Track.
• Lose 2 VP for each unpaid Debt.
• Gain 1 VP for each Gold and each Marble on your Board.
• Gain 1 VP for each set of 10 Silver on your Board.
• Lose 1 VP for every 2 Workers in Prison (1 alone has no effect).

Highest total wins. Ties: highest Virtue, then most remaining Silver, then shared victory.

Reminders

• Tax: Red coins indicate Tax; when paid, place above the Tax Stand. All other coins go to the Supply.
• Standard Setup: All players start with 7 Virtue and 20 Workers.

Appendix — Apprentice Abilities

• Acolyte: When advancing the Cathedral, also gain the reward shown.
• Conspirator: Spend 1 less Silver (not Tax) when making captures at the Town Centre.
• Debt Collector: When paying off a Debt, also gain the additional resources shown.
• Gatekeeper: Release 2 of your Workers from Prison every Black Market Reset.
• Illusionist: Do not lose Virtue when taking actions at the Black Market.
• Jeweller: When collecting Silver at the Silversmith, also gain 1 additional Silver.
• Labourer: Has all 3 skill types.
• Merchant: As a King's Storehouse action, spend Silver to gain the resources shown.
• Miner: When collecting Clay or Gold at the Mines, also gain 1 additional Clay.
• Patron: As a King's Storehouse action, spend resources to gain the Virtue shown.
• Pickpocket: Gain 1 Gold when stealing from the Tax Stand.
• Squire: Gain the reward shown if you have no Workers in Prison during a Black Market Reset.
• Stonecutter: When collecting Stone at the Quarry, also gain 1 additional Stone.
• Swindler: When taking a Black Market action, also gain the additional resources shown.
• Thief: Lose 1 less Virtue when stealing from the Tax Stand.
• Trader: As a King's Storehouse action, spend resources to gain those shown.
• Trickster: Pay 1 less Silver than required when taking Black Market actions.
• Woodcutter: When collecting Wood at the Forest, also gain 1 additional Wood.

(Black Market and Building Card effects allow hiring any faceup Apprentice; only the Workshop action is restricted by Workers placed.)

Appendix — Building Effects

• Gain Resources / Cards (Betting House, Clay Pit, Drafting Room, Factory, Lumber Camp, Smithy, Thieves' Den, Treasury, Well): immediately gain the shown resources or cards.
• Capture / Release Workers (Armoury, Barracks, Fortress, Hideout): immediately take the action shown (Fortress may capture from 1 or 2 locations).
• Church: immediately destroy 1 unpaid Debt.
• Library: immediately discard 1 Building Card to gain 2 Gold.
• Monument: all players immediately gain 1 Virtue (controller gains 2 total).
• Palace: immediately gain 1 Gold for every 4 Virtue you currently have.
• Tavern: immediately hire any 1 faceup Apprentice for free.
• Watchtower: all players with 3+ Workers in Prison immediately lose 1 Virtue.
• Resource Markets (Clay/Silver/Stone/Wood Market): gain 2 additional VP if you have more of the shown resource than any other player (ties don't count).
• Cathedral Contribution (Chapel, Steeple): if you have advanced the Cathedral more than any other player (ties don't count), gain the reward shown.
• Virtue Boost (Castle, Gallery, Reservoir, Trading Post): gain 1 Virtue before scoring for each shown item/resource you hold.
• VP Boost (Aquaduct, Keep, Lighthouse, Moneylender): gain 1 VP for every 3 Captured Workers, Virtue, paid Debt, or constructed Buildings shown.
• Apprentice Huts (Carpenter's, Mason's, Tiler's Hut): score 1 additional VP per hired Apprentice with the indicated skill.
• Dungeon: lose 2 Virtue before scoring.
• Fountain: lose 1 less VP for each unpaid Debt.
• Gambler's Den: lose 1 additional VP for each unpaid Debt (3 total per unpaid Debt).
• University: gain 2 additional VP if you have no unpaid Debts.

Solo Play

Aim: score higher than your Byzantine opponent (Constantine = Standard / Helena = Hard). Setup follows a 2-player game (5 Reward Cards) with changes: start with 3 Silver and 7 Virtue; remove the 4 "Resource Market" Building Cards; deal yourself 5 Building Cards, keep 3; give the opponent their Board and 20 Workers (markers under the Cathedral and on 7 Virtue; no Silver or Building Cards); separate 20 Starting Scheme Cards (brown header) from 10 Future Scheme Cards (black header).

You take your turn first (as in the standard game), then your opponent. On the opponent's turn, reveal the top Scheme Card, which places 1 of their Workers in a specific location (some behave differently for them). The opponent: doesn't collect/use Silver, resources, Apprentices, or Buildings; doesn't require goods/cards for the Cathedral; can always advance the Cathedral or visit the Black Market regardless of Virtue; collects Marble only for scoring; can capture and sell Workers (1 Marble for all) but not its own; can receive and destroy Debts. If the Scheme pile runs out, reshuffle discards. If the opponent starts with no Workers, don't draw a card — return all their Workers (excluding Guildhall/Black Market) to their Board and reshuffle Schemes.

The game ends as a regular 2-player game (12 constructions). Opponent's score: Cathedral (VP), Virtue (VP), Marble (1 VP each), Workers in the Guildhall (Constantine 1 VP each, Helena 3 VP each), unpaid Debts (-2 VP each), prisoners (-1 VP per pair). (A "2P vs Bot" variant adds a Byzantine opponent to a 2-human-player game.)

Variable Setup Characters

• Ada: starts with no prisoners, 0 Silver, 11 Virtue, 1 Gold, 1 extra Building Card. May ignore 1 Tax on all actions.
• Caroline: starts with 8 prisoners, 10 Silver, 3 Virtue, 1 unpaid Debt, 1 Marble. Gains 1 Building Card each Black Market action.
• Frederick: starts with no prisoners, 4 Silver, 7 Virtue, 1 Stone. Does not discard a Building Card when advancing the Cathedral.
• Rudolf: starts with no prisoners, 3 Silver, 9 Virtue, 1 Wood. Pays 1 less Silver (not tax) hiring Apprentices; may hire up to 6.
• Therese: starts with 4 prisoners, 5 Silver, 5 Virtue, 1 extra Building Card. Treats Marble and Gold as the same resource.