Artisans
Artisans Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Game Components
- 168 Material cards (7 different materials, 24 cards for each: textiles, clay, wood, stone, glass, gold, metal). Each corner of each material (I, II, III, IV) represents the advancement in techniques working with these materials through time, starting with level "I" and reaching the most evolved techniques at level "IV".
- 1 First Player token
- 9 Artisan cards with unique abilities that are activated during the game
- 1 Round Tracker card
- 1 wooden cube to track rounds
- 24 Art Object cards. On the left, each card shows the required combination of materials and corresponding level of technique to craft the specific art object. In the bottom right are shown the Victory Points this art object is worth at the end of the game.
Game Setup
Material Deck: For 2 players use 12 cards of each material, shuffle these well to create the Material Deck and return the remaining cards to the box.
Place the Material Deck face down in the middle of the table. Deal each player 6 cards (one card at a time and alternating between players).
For 3 players use 18 cards of each material, then follow the instructions of the 2-player game.
For 4 players use all cards of each material, then follow the instructions of the 2-player game.
Market Setup: Reveal 5 Material cards and place them in a circle as shown. Place the First Player token in the center of the circle. These cards make up the market: the place where you collect/trade materials to create the various Art Objects.
Art Objects: Sort the Art Object cards by their Victory Points (3-7), creating five different sets and shuffle each set of cards. You will need to make two decks of 10 cards each, returning the remaining 4 cards to the box.
To create the first deck, use the following combination of cards:
- 4 Art Object cards worth 3 Victory Points.
- 3 Art Object cards worth 4 Victory Points.
- 2 Art Object cards worth 5 Victory Points.
- 1 Art Object card worth 6 Victory Points.
To create the second deck, use the following combination of cards:
- 1 Art Object card worth 4 Victory Points.
- 2 Art Object cards worth 5 Victory Points.
- 3 Art Object cards worth 6 Victory Points.
- 4 Art Object cards worth 7 Victory Points.
Shuffle each deck and place them face down on the table. Place Deck 1 to the left and Deck 2 to the right. Reveal the top 4 cards of Deck 1 and place them face up in a row below the decks. When you wish to craft an Art Object, you will select one of the available 4 revealed cards.
Afterwards turn over the top card of Deck 1, so that all players can see the next Art Object, allowing you to develop better your materials.
Round Tracker: Place the Round Tracker card next to the Market, with the side showing the numbers 1-6 facing up. Place the wooden cube on number 1, representing the 1st round/month. At the end of round 6, flip the card to the side showing rounds 7-12. At the start of each round, move the wooden cube to mark your current round.
Artisan Cards: Starting with the youngest player and proceeding clockwise, you each take one Artisan of your choice and place them in front of you, face up and visible to all players. Pass the remaining Artisans to the player on your left and so on. After all players have chosen an Artisan, return the remaining cards to the box.
Each Artisan card has a unique ability that is in effect throughout the whole game. This ability may affect your strategy and the Victory Points you try to collect.
The Game Round
The game is played over 12 rounds. Each round represents one month. A round is divided into two phases:
a) Collect: Trade of materials / craft an Art Object b) Development of materials
In the first phase of the round, you must choose to either visit the Market or craft an Art Object. During the first and second round you will not be able to craft Art Objects, as you first need to develop at least 2 different materials as explained below.
The youngest player starts the game.
Phase (A): Market
- The maximum number of cards you can have in your hand is 6.
- If you have exactly 6 Material cards and wish to collect a card from the Market, you trade. You pick one card from your hand and swap it with the desired card in the Market under one condition: The card you are placing into the Market may not be the same as the cards on either side of the card it is replacing (left or right).
- If you have less than 6 Material cards in your hand, you can choose one card from the Market and add it to your hand.
- When you end your turn, play continues with the player to your left. The Market remains open until one player chooses to take the First Player token. The player who takes the First Player token may not perform any other Market action. The remaining players may each take one last action before the Market closes or pass.
- If while the Market remains open, there are no cards in it, reveal 5 new cards from the Material deck. Continue playing until the Market closes.
- If after the Market closes, there are still cards remaining in it, place these in a discard pile next to the Material deck.
- If the Material deck runs out of cards, shuffle the discard pile to form a new Material deck.
- The player with the First Player token will go first in the next phase of the round "Development of Materials" and in the first phase of the next round/month.
- At the beginning of each round/month the player with the First Player token reveals 5 new Material cards from the Material deck, creating a new Market. Then they return the First Player token back to the Market.
Phase (A): Art Objects
At the start of each round/month, if you choose to craft an Art Object, you cannot at the same time visit the Market. You will be able to visit the Market when it is your turn again (in the same round). You cannot craft an Art Object if you have already visited the Market in the same round.
To craft an Art Object you must have developed the required Materials at the required level (see Development of Materials below). When you craft an Art Object, take the card, and place it in front of you. At the end of the game, it will grant you the Victory Points stated on the card. The Material cards you have developed remain in play and are not lost.
When you craft an Art Object, you do not reveal a new one until the beginning of the next round/month. At the beginning of the next round/month, reveal a new card or cards from the equivalent deck, to refill the empty space left by the card/s you crafted. Then turn the top card of the deck face up so players can see the next Art Object.
In each round/month you can craft only 1 Art Object.
At the start of round 7, if there are any cards left in the Art Object Deck 1, remove them from the game. Proceed with the game using Deck 2. If there are revealed cards left, leave these in play. The cards from Deck 2, you will be using for the remainder of the game, will be more challenging to craft.
Phase (B): Development of Materials
The player with the First Player token goes first. Afterwards, play continues clockwise with the player on their left.
Choose 1 type of material among the cards in your hand (textiles, clay, wood etc.) and place as many cards of that type as you wish in front of you, face up at level 1 as shown in the image. Each level 1 Material card you have in front of you at the end of the game is worth 1 Victory Point.
In following rounds/months you can play either the same or a different type of material, depending on the Art Object you plan to craft, but always only one type of material per round/month.
If you have already developed a type of material at level 1, then the next time you wish to play material cards of this type, you will place the cards at level 2 as shown in the image. At the end of the game, each level 2 card placed in front of you will grant you 2 Victory Points, while cards of level 3 grant you 3 Victory Points each. Every material can be developed up to level 4 and every level 4 card will grant you 4 Victory Points.
As you can also see in the image on the right, when you develop a material, the cards you play must be equal or less in number than the cards of the previous level of that material.
Example: Textile level 1: number of cards 3. Textile level 2: number of cards 1, 2 or 3 would be allowed. 4 or more cards would not be allowed.
Game End
The end of the 12th round/month is also the end of the game.
Attention: At the end of the 12th round, following the Development of Materials, all players, starting with the player with the First Player token and proceeding clockwise, may craft one additional Art Object, provided of course they have the required materials at the required level.
Calculate the Victory Points granted by the Material cards you have developed, the Art Objects you have crafted, and any additional points granted by your Artisan card. The cards in your hand are not counted.
The player with the most Victory Points is the winner. In case of a tie, the player with the most Art Objects is the winner. If there still is a tie, the player with the most Material cards in play is the winner. Should there still be a tie, the players share the victory.
Artisans and Their Abilities
The Gold Lover: Each Art Object that requires Gold, grants you 4 additional Victory Points.
The Carver: Each Art Object that requires Wood or Stone or both materials, grants you 3 additional Victory Points.
The Versatile: For each different type of material you have developed to craft your Art Objects, you are granted 2 additional Victory Points.
The Specialist: For each different type of material that you have developed to level 4, you are granted 5 additional Victory Points.
The Night Worker: At the start of each new round/month you can both create an Art Object and go to the Market at the same time!
The Perfectionist: When you develop a material to the next level, you may play 1 card more than the cards of the previous level of that material.
The Artoholic: Each Art Object you craft grants you 2 additional Victory Points.
The Opportunist: If another player takes the First Player token, before the Market closes you can take 2 Market actions instead of 1.
The Provident: At the start of the round/month you may choose and take one of the 4 revealed Art Object cards and reserve it by placing it in front of you underneath the Provident card. The other players cannot craft this Art Object, while you are allowed to craft any of the available Art Objects. If you craft the reserved Art Object underneath the Provident card, you may choose and reserve a new card. If by the end of the game you still have a reserved card underneath the Provident card, you lose as many Victory Points as shown on that Art Object.