Bruges: The City on the Zwin
Bruges: The City on the Zwin Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 1 game board – An additional board, placed below the base game board.
- 40 person cards – 22 new person cards for the 11 groups of the base game (2 per group), plus 17 cards of the new group Travellers (see Module 1). Each card has a front and a back.
- 12 Stock Exchange cards – Each shows a scroll with a number, an action symbol and an improvement text.
- 2 overview cards.
- 2 player pawns – In black.
- 2 player seals – In black.
- 3 Majority markers – In black.
- 10 workers – 2 per color.
- 10 Threat markers – 2 per color.
- 10 Canal tokens.
- 1 50/100-point token.
- 2 Statue tokens – Valued 8 and 9.
- 30 ship tokens – 6 per color.
- 6 action markers.
Note: This expansion contains no additional guilders; the guilders from the base game are sufficient.
Combining the Modules
The individual modules can, in principle, be combined as the group wishes. If the game is played with 5 players, however, the additional cards from Module 1 are required.
Module 1: New Citizens – Additional Cards and a New Group of People
New residents and visitors from distant lands enrich life in Bruges.
Components
This module consists of 40 new person cards:
- 22 new person cards. Each of the 11 person groups from the base game receives 2 new cards. An overview of the new people is given below; it can be used to take them out again if desired. Each group now contains 17 people (15 from the base game plus 2 new ones).
- 17 Traveller cards. The new group Travellers is entirely new. Like the other groups, it consists of 17 cards. The group has its own symbol.
- 1 updated Engraver. At the request of some players, the person "Engraver" from the first edition of the base game has been slightly changed. Owners of the first edition may remove the original Engraver from the game and use the updated Engraver instead.
Note: Do not use both Engravers in one game!
The updated Engraver scores only 1 point per group of people on display. In return, it costs only 9 guilders.
Setup
The new cards are shuffled well together with those from the base game. Then 6 roughly equal piles are formed (one more pile than in the base game).
One of these 6 piles is used per participating player. For example, with 4 players, 4 piles are used. The piles used are shuffled together.
The resulting new pile is divided into 2 roughly equal halves, and each half is placed into one of the two card holders. These are the 2 draw piles.
The remaining piles are stacked on top of one another and set aside as the extra draw pile.
How Do the New Citizens Work?
The cards are built in the same way as in the base game. As in the base game, each card can therefore be used for the 6 possible actions. Only the people depicted on the cards are new.
Cards from the discard pile. Some people allow you to choose a card from the discard pile. Depending on the size of the discard pile, this can take some time. So that the game is not slowed down, players may look through the discard pile at any time. They may do so even when they are not on turn, and even when they have no such person on display.
Card explanations for these people can be found in the Card Explanations section at the end of this rulebook.
The 22 New People
The new people are listed by group, with the German names in parentheses:
- Noble: Duchess (Herzogin), Lord (Lord)
- Bureaucrat: Master of Measures (Eichmeister), Hangman (Henker)
- Entertainer: Puppeteer (Puppenspieler), Soothsayer (Weissagerin)
- Merchant: Market Warden (Marktvorsteher), Barterer (Tauschhändler)
- Craftsman: Brewer (Brauer), Tanner (Gerber)
- Castle: Court Marshal (Hofmarschall), Master of Ceremonies (Zeremonienmeister)
- Church: Lay Brother (Laienbruder), Prior (Prior)
- Artist: Stained-Glass Painter (Glasmalerin), Model (Model)
- Protector: Militia (Miliz), Scout (Späher)
- Underworld: Saboteur (Saboteur), Executioner (Scharfrichter)
- Scholar: Navigator (Nautiker), Strategist (Stratege)
The English names of the people are the translator's renderings of the German names.
Module 2: 5th Player – Space and Components for One More Player
The flourishing metropolis attracts further trading families.
Setup
The additional board is placed below the base game board. Its left side shows 2 new canal sections for the 5th player.
The 5th player places their small seal on the round space of the guard house between the two canal sections. (The German "Torhaus" is rendered as "guard house", the term used in the base game rulebook.)
The additional 50/100-point token is placed with the others on the board.
The two Statue tokens valued 8 and 9 are placed on the stack of Statue tokens so that the token valued 9 is on top.
The additional player components (1 seal, 2 player pawns and 3 Majority markers, all in black) are handled as for the other players.
The 5th player also receives the usual starting equipment: 1 worker of each color, 5 guilders and 2 overview cards.
The additional 10 workers, 10 Threat markers and 10 Canal tokens are placed with the others in the general supply.
How Does the Game Work With a 5th Player?
The game plays exactly as with 2–4 players.
Module 3: The Zwin – Additional Actions When Building Canals
This module makes building canals considerably more attractive. Whenever a player builds a section of canal, they can immediately buy an additional function. The available functions change every round and are shown on the ships.
Setup
The additional board is placed below the base game board. Its right side shows berths for 5 ships.
The 30 ship tokens are sorted by color. The 6 ships of each color are shuffled and placed as face-down stacks next to the additional board. Then the top ship of each stack is turned face up, so that its symbol is visible.
How Does the Zwin Work?
In Phase 2, "Roll the dice", an additional step is performed after Step 1, "Distribute Threat markers", and Step 2, "Advance 1 reputation step".
Additional step: Place ships. For each die showing a 3 or 4, the start player places the top ship of the die's color on the berth of the matching color. Ships on a berth are active this round, and players may use them.
Example: The blue die shows a 3 and the yellow die shows a 4. The top ship of the blue stack and the top ship of the yellow stack are activated.
Finally, the top ship of each stack that was rolled is turned face up again. This way, players always see which ships can arrive in the next round. Ships whose dice do not show a 3 or 4 remain where they are for the next round.
Example: The top ship of the blue stack and the top ship of the yellow stack are turned face up. The 3 other stacks remain unchanged.
Using Ships
Whenever a player, on their turn, plays a card to perform the action Build 1 Canal token, they may – after they have fully performed the action – additionally use 1 of the active ships.
Note: A player may use a ship only if they build a Canal token by playing a card. They may not use a ship if they perform an action in another way, for example by activating a person.
The player decides which of the ships active this round they wish to use. (This does not have to be the ship in the color of the card played.)
They pay 1 worker of the color of that ship (returned to the supply) and immediately perform the additional action shown on the ship.
A ship used in this way is not used up. It may still be used by all players.
Example: The player plays a blue card and builds a Canal token on a blue canal space. This round, the blue and the yellow ships are active. The player decides to use the yellow ship, so they return 1 yellow worker to the supply and take 2 blue workers and 1 purple worker.
The additional actions of the ships are described in detail below.
At the end of the round, the active ships are removed. If the stack of a color is empty, the removed ships of that color are shuffled and set up as a new stack.
The Actions on the Ships
-
Take 3 workers. The player takes 3 workers of colors of their choice from the supply and places them in their play area. They may choose the colors completely freely.
-
Take 6 guilders. The player takes 6 guilders from the supply and places them in their play area.
-
Return 2 Threat markers. The player returns up to 2 Threat markers from their play area to the supply. For each Threat marker returned in this way, they take 1 point.
-
Activate 1 Arrow person. The player immediately activates 1 person with the lightning-bolt symbol (the Arrow symbol, see the base game rulebook) in their play area.
Translator's note: the printed text in the German edition reads "Blitz-Person aktivieren" ("activate a lightning person"). The Russian edition of the expansion describes this action as activating a person's one-use effect, "as if you had just recruited that person". The two descriptions are consistent with the base game's Arrow rules.
-
1 additional action. The player draws 1 card from one of the two draw piles and immediately performs an action with it.
-
Advance 1 step. The player moves their pawn 1 space forward on the reputation track.
Module 4: The Stock Exchange – Improved Actions
Each round, one of the 6 possible actions is improved. Each of these improvements can, however, be used only a limited number of times. First come, first served.
Setup
Each Stock Exchange card has a name, which has no further meaning in the game. The number on the scroll shows how many action markers are placed on the card, that is, how many times this improvement can be used. The action symbol shows which action is improved, and the card text gives the exact improvement.
The 12 Stock Exchange cards are shuffled and placed as a face-down stack next to the board, visible to all players. The 6 action markers are placed beside them.
How Does the Stock Exchange Work?
The changes to the individual phases of the base game are described below.
Phase 1: Draw cards. In each round, after all players have refilled their hands in Phase 1, the start player reveals the top Stock Exchange card. They then place the number of action markers shown on the card (5 or 6) on it. If only 5 action markers are placed on the card, the remaining marker stays next to the cards.
Example: The top Stock Exchange card shows a "6" on its scroll. The start player places all 6 action markers on the card.
Phase 2: Roll the dice. Phase 2 is not changed by this module.
Phase 3: Play cards. Each Stock Exchange card shows a specific action. If a player, on their turn, plays a card and thereby performs the action shown, they may use the improvement shown on the Stock Exchange card.
Note: A player may use a card's improvement only if they perform the action by playing a card. They may not use it if they perform the action in another way, for example by activating a person.
When they use the improvement, they remove 1 of the action markers from the card.
When a player removes the last action marker from the Stock Exchange card, they also return the card to the box. For the rest of the round, no further improvements from the Stock Exchange are possible. Only in the next round is a new Stock Exchange card revealed.
Example: The symbol on the card shows the action "Take 1–6 guilders". The player plays a purple card and performs the matching action. The purple die shows a 1 this round, so under the normal rules the player would take only 1 guilder. However, they use the improvement on the Stock Exchange card and take 5 guilders instead.
Phase 4: Verify the 3 majorities and change the start player. If action markers remain on the Stock Exchange card, they are taken off the card and the card is returned to the box. In the next round, a new card is revealed.
Card Explanations
The following explanations apply to the new people.
Brewer, Master of Measures, Finn, Duchess, Court Marshal, Market Warden, Model, Navigator, Prior, Executioner, Scout and Soothsayer: These 12 people (1 person from each group) have this new function. As a representative, only the Brewer is described here:
- You may search the discard pile before you play the Brewer, to see whether another Craftsman is in the discard pile.
- You must have an empty house in your play area in order to play the new card.
- You do not have to pay guilders to play the new card.
You may activate the new card from now on, under the usual rules.
Egyptian, Dane, Englishman, Greek and Italian: These 5 Travellers have the same function. As a representative, only the Egyptian is described here:
- You may search the discard pile before you play the Egyptian, to see whether a card of the matching color is in the discard pile.
- You must pay 1 worker of the card's color in order to play it as a house.
French, Norwegian, Portuguese, Russian and Spaniard: These 5 Travellers have the same function. As a representative, only the Frenchwoman is described here:
- This person must be activated directly before you play a card. When you then play a card, you may name a color and perform an action as if the card you played had the color you named.
Translator's note: the printed explanations cover 11 of the 17 Traveller cards; the Finn (Finne) appears only in the list of the 12 people with the new function and is not described separately in the German text. The remaining 6 Traveller cards are not named in the printed text. Players should consult the card text itself for these people.