Bruxelles 1893: Belle Époque
Bruxelles 1893: Belle Époque Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Overview of the Game
A game of Bruxelles 1893 is played over 5 rounds, each consisting of 3 phases:
- the Planning phase, in which the first player determines the active area for the current round;
- the Action phase, in which all players carry out a certain number of actions on the Art Nouveau board or the Brussels board;
- the Resolution phase, in which certain players will receive bonuses.
This rulebook is divided into 3 chapters:
- Chapter 1 (page 4) explains the base game rules. Please read them carefully, even if you're already familiar with the rules of the original game. There are some important differences between the first edition and this one.
- Chapter 2 (page 16) is dedicated to the rules of the Belle Époque expansion. We advise you to only play with the expansion after you've familiarized yourself with the base game rules.
- Chapter 3 (page 22) introduces an asymmetric variant, playable with or without the Belle Époque expansion.
Components
- 5 Action strips
- Brussels board
- 1 VP board (Victory Point)
- 1 Prestige strip
- 1 Art Market indicator
- 1 Try Square tile
- 5 Architect boards (player boards)
- 1 First Player tile
- 12 Belle Époque tiles
- 30 House tiles (6 per color)
- 32 Noble cards
- 30 Prestige cards
- 12 Stock Exchange cards
- 30 Artwork tiles (6 per color)
- 32 Belle Époque cards
- 30 coins of 5 BF (Belgian Franc)
- 70 coins of 1 BF (Belgian Franc)
- 1 Arrow tile
- 5 '100 VP' tiles
- 2 Compass needles and 1 plastic rivet
- 35 Architect meeples (7 per color)
- 4 Traveler meeples
- 20 discs (4 per color)
- 40 Refined Material cubes: 10 transparent (glass), 10 blue (stone), 10 brown (wood), and 10 yellow (iron)
- 15 Joker Material cubes
Chapter 1: Bruxelles 1893
Setup
- Prepare the game board as follows:
- 1a. Assemble the Art Nouveau board using the 5 Action strips, making sure the compass symbol is face up on each strip. Place the Prestige strip below them.
- 1b. Place the Brussels board to the left of the Art Nouveau board.
- 1c. Place the VP board to the right of the Art Nouveau board.
- Separate the Noble cards. Set the Georges Brugmann cards aside. Return the Georges Nagelmackers and Henri Privat-Livemont cards to the box. Shuffle the 21 remaining Noble cards and place them in a face-down draw pile on their corresponding space of the Brussels board. Then, reveal the first 4 cards.
- Shuffle the 12 Stock Exchange cards, randomly draw 5 and place them in a face-down pile on their corresponding space of the Brussels board. Return the unused Stock Exchange cards to the box.
- Shuffle the 30 Prestige cards. Place 1 card face up on each of the 5 spaces of the Prestige strip. Place the remaining cards in a face-down draw pile on their corresponding space of the Brussels board.
- Place the Art Market indicator in the center of the Art Market area of the Brussels board.
- Separate the Artwork tiles by color and place them in separate stacks on their corresponding spaces of the Workshop area.
- Place the Material cubes wood, iron, and stone in the Materials area of the Brussels board. Return the glass materials to the box.
- Place the 15 Joker Material cubes on their corresponding space of the Brussels board.
- Set the compass needles to the materials wood and stone. Before your first game, attach the two compass needles to the Brussels board using the plastic rivet.
- Place the Arrow tile on the Glass space of the compass area.
- Place as many 100 VP tiles as there are players on their corresponding space of the score track.
- Determine a first player at random, who receives the Try Square tile, First Player tile, and 5 Belgian Francs (BF). In clockwise order, each other player receives 1 additional BF (6 BF, 7 BF, 8 BF, and 9 BF).
- Place the remaining money near the board, in a general supply.
Next, starting with the first player and then in clockwise order, each player does the following:
- Take an Architect board and place it in front of you, A-side up.
- Take 1 Artwork tile of your choice (not black) and place it in front of you, color-side up.
- Choose a color and take the following components in that color: the Georges Brugmann card, the 6 House tiles, the 7 Architect meeples and the 4 discs.
In a 2-player game, each player also receives a 'neutral' Architect meeple of a non-player color.
Then, each player places:
- A. their 6 House tiles on the corresponding spaces of their Architect board;
- B. 1 disc on the 1st space of the Iris, Crown, and Architect tracks of their Architect board;
- C. 2 of their Architect meeples in the Courthouse on the Brussels board;
- D. 1 disc on space 0 of the VP track.
Return any unused components to the box.
How to Play
The game is played over the course of 5 rounds, each of which consists of 3 phases: the Planning phase, the Action phase, and the Resolution phase.
A. Planning Phase
The Art Nouveau board contains 25 Action spaces. On the intersections of these Action spaces are 16 irises, the iconic flower of Brussels. The Action spaces are presented in rows and columns numbered 1 to 4.
Flip the first Stock Exchange card face up. It contains 4 rows, each of which is associated with a player count. Each row contains 2 pairs of numbers. Each pair of numbers defines an iris on the Art Nouveau board: the first number designates the row and the second the column.
The first player chooses 1 of the 2 pairs of numbers and places the Try Square tile on the corresponding iris. This tile must be oriented in such a way as to create the largest possible area (i.e. the area containing the largest number of Action spaces). From now on, we'll refer to this area as the 'active area'.
Example: Gabriel chooses the iris at coordinates 2-2. He imagines 2 perpendicular lines crossing the corresponding iris, which splits the Art Nouveau board into 4 separate areas. Gabriel places the Try Square tile in such a way that the largest area becomes the active area.
B. Action Phase
Starting with the first player and then in clockwise order, on your turn you may carry out an action or pass. If you pass, you won't be able to play again until all players have passed (which marks the end of the Action phase).
In a 2-player game, at the start of the Action phase, each player - starting with the first player - places their neutral Architect meeple on an empty Action space (i.e. without a House tile) of the active area: there can be no tiles on it. If there are no empty Action spaces, you can't place your neutral meeple. These neutral meeples block the Action spaces they are placed on.
Actions on the Art Nouveau board
To carry out an action on the Art Nouveau board, place 1 of your Architect meeples on an Action space in the active area, and place at least 1 BF underneath it. This means you can't place an Architect meeple on an Action space of the Art Nouveau board if you don't have any money. Stack the coins underneath your Architect meeple. Once you've carried out the action, you're no longer allowed to change the amount you've placed.
There can only be 1 Architect meeple on each Action space of the Art Nouveau board.
You're allowed to place your Architect meeple on an Action space, even if you can't carry out the associated action. However, if you can carry it out, you must do so.
Workshop action
Create a work of art: take an Artwork tile of your choice (not black) from the Workshop area and place it in front of you with its colored side face up (the white side is only used in the expansion).
Sales action
Sell one of your works of art, as follows:
- a. Decide which work of art you would like to sell. The Artwork tile must be of a different color than the ones currently displayed in the Art Market area.
- b. You may move the Art Market indicator horizontally and/or vertically, by a number of spaces equal to the number of Artwork tiles in your possession. The indicator must always stay completely within the grid.
- c. Sell the chosen Artwork tile, by placing it on 1 of the 2 corresponding spaces of the Art Market area.
For the first two sales in the game, place the sold Artwork on an empty space of the Art Market area. From then on, before placing your Artwork you must remove 1 of the 2 Artwork tiles in the Art Market area and return it to its corresponding stack in the Workshop area.
- d. Receive an amount of money and points, based on the position of the indicator's colored square that matches the color of the work of art you sold. The row of the Art Market indicator shows how much money you gain, and the column shows the amount of VP you score.
Example: Elisabeth has 2 works of art and decides to sell her green one. She's allowed to sell it, because there are currently no green Artwork tiles in the Art Market area. Since she has 2 Artwork tiles, she may move the Art Market indicator by 2 spaces. She replaces the brown Artwork tile in the Art Market area with her green one, and returns the brown Artwork tile to its stack. The green corner of the Art Market indicator points to 2 BF and 6 VP. She collects these rewards immediately.
Nobles action
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a. Take 1 of the 4 available Noble cards from the Brussels board, by paying the cost indicated on the board, below the card (0 to 3 BF). Return any money you spent to the general supply.
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b. Immediately gain the effect depicted on the card.
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c. Next, choose to either discard the Noble card, or to keep it in front of you for the rest of the game. You won't be able to discard it later.
If you decide to keep it, rotate it by 90° to show you've already activated its effect this round. Noble cards you keep can be activated once per round, but at the end of the game you'll have to pay the cost listed on them. For each noble you won't be able to pay, you will lose 5 VP.
You're not allowed to keep 2 identical nobles: if you decide to purchase a Noble card you already have in front of you, gain its effect once, then discard the card.
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d. Slide the 3 remaining Noble cards to the right, then flip the top card of the draw pile and place it on the leftmost space. If the draw pile is empty, shuffle the discard pile to create a new face-down draw pile.
Effects of the Noble cards:
- Georges Brugmann: take 5 BF.
- Edouard Empain: take 2 Joker Material cubes.
- Ernest Solvay: take 1 Refined Material cube of your choice, OR discard 1 Joker Material cube to take 2 Refined Material cubes of your choice.
- Charles Buls: advance your disc by 1 space on your Iris track.
- Prince Albert: advance your disc by 1 space on your Crown track.
- Henry Van De Velde: advance your disc by 1 space on your Architect track.
- Emile Vandevervelde: take 1 of your Architect meeples from the Courthouse and add it to your personal supply. It is immediately available.
- Maurice Maeterlinck: score 5 VP.
Materials action
Take 2 Refined Material cubes of your choice (wood, iron, or stone). They can be identical or different. The materials are limited: if a certain type runs out, it's currently not available.
Construction action
Construct a house by following the 4 steps explained below. The steps are also outlined on the reverse side of the House tiles.
- a. Pay the construction cost by returning the required materials to the general supply in the Materials area. This cost is determined by:
- the location of the House tile on your Architect board. Start by constructing the 2 houses at the bottom, which cost 2 materials each. Then, move on to the 2 houses in the middle, which cost 3 materials each. The 2 houses at the top cost 4 materials each, but also score 5 VP each as soon as you construct them.
- the compass needles, which determine the type(s) of materials required (see 'Rules for the compass' below). Important: you're allowed to replace each type of element (even '3 BF') by a white Joker Material cube.
- b. Immediately score 5 VP if you constructed the house without using a Joker Material cube.
- c. Move 1 of the compass needles 1 step clockwise. As soon as a needle reaches the Arrow tile, swivel it around until it points at the iron material. Important: the two needles can never overlap (i.e. point to the same material).
- d. Place the House tile on an available Action space of the Art Nouveau board. The Action space cannot contain a tile or a meeple, but it can be outside of the current active area.
At the end of the game, each of your constructed houses will be worth a number of VP, based on the level you reached on your Architect track.
Free action
Players can still use an Action space, even if one of the players has constructed a house on it. When one of your opponents places their Architect meeple on one of your houses, they first get to carry out the associated action on the Art Nouveau board, and then you immediately receive a free action.
The free action depends on the type of Action space your house is covering:
- Workshop: take 1 black Artwork tile from the general supply (if available). A black work of art works just like any other color of Artwork tile. If you sell it, the amount of money and points you gain are determined by the position of the black square on the Art Market indicator (max. 4 BF and 4 VP).
- Sales: score 1 VP for each work of art you currently possess.
- Nobles: choose 1 of your nobles (not yet activated during the current round) and activate their effect.
- Materials: take a Refined Material cube from the general supply.
- Construction: score 1 VP for each of your constructed houses.
Rules for the compass
- The construction materials are iron, wood, stone, and 3 BF (glass is only used in the Belle Époque expansion).
- If you construct a house with a cost of 2 material cubes, you must use 1 material of each type the needles are pointing to. If you construct a house with a cost of more than 2 material cubes, you may choose how to divide the cost between the required types, as long as you use at least 1 of each.
- If one of the needles is pointing to the "1 material of your choice" space, you may choose any type of refined material or 3 BF, but you must always use the material the other needle is pointing to at least once.
- If one of the needles is pointing to the empty space, you can only use the type of material the other needle is pointing to. The amount of materials you need to pay is still determined by the cost next to the House tile on your Architect board.
Example: Louise (red) wants to build her 4th house. It costs 3 materials. One needle of the compass points to "Wood" while the other points to "3 BF": she can use 2 wood and 3 BF, or 1 wood and 6 BF. She has 2 BF, 2 wood, 2 stone and 1 joker material. She therefore pays 2 wood but does not have enough BF, so she replaces them by paying 1 joker material. She can therefore build her 4th house, but since she used a joker material, she does not gain the immediate 5 VP she would receive if she had only used refined materials.
Actions on the Brussels board
There are 4 available actions in the Brussels area. In order to carry out a Brussels action, place 1 of your Architect meeples on one of the 4 Action spaces of the Brussels board. This does not cost money, but you must keep the following rules in mind:
- In games with 2 or 3 players, you must always place 1 Architect meeple more than the player who previously chose the same action. The first player to carry out a certain action places 1 Architect meeple, the second player (the same player or someone else) to carry out that action places 2 Architect meeples, and so on.
- In games with 4 or 5 players, the Brussels actions are considered to have 2 available Action spaces. The first 2 players to choose a certain action only have to place 1 Architect meeple there. The 3rd and 4th players who want to carry out that same action must place 2 Architect meeples, and so on.
Then, carry out the associated action. The 4 Brussels actions are:
Stock Exchange action
Immediately gain an amount of money equal to the number depicted on this round's Stock Exchange card.
Grand-Place action
Activate the effect of your nobles by rotating them 90°. The maximum number of nobles you're allowed to activate depends on your level on the Crown track before triggering the action. You may choose the order in which you want to activate your nobles. Each Noble card can only be activated once per round.
Example: In this 4-player game, Gabriel (green) wants to activate his nobles. Because Elisabeth (blue) and Louise (red) have already carried out this action during the current round, Gabriel must place 2 Architect meeples on the Grand-Place. Gabriel's current level on his Crown track is 2, which means he may rotate 2 of his Noble cards to activate their effects.
Cinquantenaire Park action
Copy 1 of the 5 Art Nouveau actions.
Saint Catherine's Market action
Take up to 3 white Joker Material cubes, depending on how many are left in the general supply.
Passing
If you can't or don't want to carry out any more actions, you must pass. If you pass, you will no longer be able to play during this phase, but you will immediately gain 1 BF for each differently colored Artwork tile in your possession (including black). The other players may continue playing until they also decide to pass.
If you're the first player to pass this round, take the top Prestige card from the pile and place it in front of you without revealing it. It will stay there for the rest of the game. If you already have a Prestige card in front of you, cover its bottom part with the new Prestige card so only the '1 BF' symbol remains visible. Then gain 1 BF for each visible '1 BF' symbol. The Prestige card you just took will also add 2 Manneken Pis symbols to your total during the Resolution phase this round.
Once all players have passed, proceed to the Resolution phase.
Example: Elisabeth has 1 Architect meeple left, but she decides to pass. She has 2 blue Artworks and 1 green one, so she gains 2 BF. Because she's the first player to pass this round, she takes the top Prestige card from the pile and places it face down on top of her other Prestige card (which she obtained by being the first to pass during a previous round). She immediately gains an additional 2 BF. During the Resolution phase, when determining who will be the starting player in the following round, the Prestige card Elisabeth just took will count as 2 Manneken Pis symbols.
C. Resolution Phase
Resolve the following 3 majorities in this order:
1. Column majorities
For each individual column in the active area, check to see which player has contributed the largest total amount of money. That player receives the Prestige card at the bottom of the column, placing it in front of themselves.
If there's a tie, no one receives the card.
Example: Louise (red) has the majority in this column, because she placed a total of 3 BF and Gabriel (green) only placed 2 BF. Louise gains the Prestige card and places it in front of herself.
Then, determine the first player:
Add up all the Manneken Pis symbols on the Prestige cards you gained during the 'Column majorities' step. Add 2 Manneken Pis symbols if you were the first to pass this round.
The player with the most Manneken Pis symbols receives the First Player tile and will be the first player in the next round. If there's a tie, check who among the tied players is closest to the current first player in clockwise order. They will become the new first player.
Note: ignore the image of Manneken Pis depicted on the First Player tile when determining the new first player.
Example: Louise has gained two Prestige cards containing 1 Manneken Pis each, so she totals 2 Manneken Pis. The card Elisabeth has gained contains no Manneken Pis, but the Prestige card she took by passing first grants her 2 Manneken Pis for this round. She therefore also has 2 Manneken Pis. Since Louise was the first player in this round, Elisabeth will be the first player in the next round.
For each card you gained, you must now choose to either gain its bonus or slide it underneath your Architect board:
Gain its bonus. There are 4 types of bonuses:
- Advance your disc by 1 space on your Iris track.
- Advance your disc by 1 space on your Crown track.
- Advance your disc by 1 space on your Architect track.
- Take 1 of your Architect meeples from the Courthouse and add it to your personal supply.
Some cards will have you choose between several bonuses. Others will allow you to gain 2 identical or 2 different bonuses.
Once you've gained the card's bonus, discard it.
Slide the card underneath your Architect board. Your Architect board shows 4 Strategic rows, which at the start of the game are worth 1 VP each during final scoring if you fulfill their condition. You can increase the VP multiplier of these rows by sliding Prestige cards with a VP symbol underneath your Architect board. Only the VP symbol(s) should remain visible.
Important: you're not allowed to place more than 1 card in the same Strategic row in a single round.
Important: if there's a tie for the distribution of the Prestige cards, no one receives the card. This means no one benefits from the Manneken Pis symbols on it, and no one may slide it underneath their Architect board. All players involved in the tie gain the card's bonus, after which the card is discarded.
Example: During the 'Column majorities' step, Louise gained 3 Prestige cards. She chooses to slide 2 of them underneath her Architect board. During final scoring, she will now score 3 VP per Noble card in her possession, and 2 VP for each set of 4 BF. For her 3rd card, she chooses to gain the bonus. She advances her disc by 1 space on her Architect track and her Crown track, and then discards the card.
2. Iris majorities
The player with the most Architect meeples around a completely surrounded iris gains a number of VP equal to their level on their Iris track. The money placed underneath the Architect meeples does not influence these majorities. If there's a tie, each player involved receives VP based on their respective positions on their own Iris tracks. Repeat this process for each iris surrounded by 4 Architect meeples.
Example: Let's look at the majorities for the 4 numbered irises, keeping into account the respective positions of the players on their Iris tracks:
- 1 and 4: these irises are not completely surrounded and are therefore ignored.
- 2: Gabriel (green) gains 2 VP (because his disc on his Iris track is on a space with the number 2).
- 3: Louise (red) and Elisabeth (blue) are tied. Louise gains 3 VP and Elisabeth gains 2 VP.
3. Brussels majority
The player who placed the highest total number of Architect meeples on the 4 Action spaces of the Brussels board combined, must place 1 of their Architect meeples on the Courthouse. If there's a tie, all involved players lose an Architect meeple to the justice system. Architect meeples in the Courthouse are unavailable and cannot be used by their owners.
Example: Elisabeth (blue) placed 1 Architect meeple in the Brussels area. Louise (red) and Gabriel (green) each placed 2. Louise and Gabriel each have to place 1 of their Architect meeples on the Courthouse.
End of the Round
- Retrieve your Architect meeples, except for those tied up in the Courthouse. In a 2-player game, also retrieve 1 neutral meeple.
- Return all the money on the Art Nouveau board to the general supply.
- Rotate your Noble cards upright, so they can be activated again.
- Discard the rightmost Noble card on the Brussels board (value 0). Slide the remaining cards to the right, reveal the top Noble card of the draw pile, and place it on the leftmost space (value 3). If the draw pile is empty, shuffle the discarded cards to create a new face-down draw pile.
- Discard the Prestige cards that are still on the Prestige strips, and refill each column with a new, face-up card.
- Discard the Stock Exchange card.
End of the Game
At the end of the 5th round, the game is over. Discard the Joker Material cubes you still have in your possession and pay the money depicted on the Noble cards you decided to keep.
For each Noble card you couldn't pay, you immediately lose 5 VP. Unpaid cards are also discarded.
Then, proceed to final scoring, by adding the following to the VP you scored over the course of the game:
- VP for construction: each house you've constructed scores a number of VP equal to the level you reached on your Architect track.
- Each of your Refined Material cubes scores 1 VP.
- The player with the First Player tile scores 5 VP.
- VP for the 4 Strategic rows on your Architect board: each row is worth 1 VP per condition met, even if no card is slid underneath. The Prestige cards slid under your board act as VP multipliers.
- Architect meeples: for each of your unlocked Architect meeples (not counting those tied up in the Courthouse) and starting with the 3rd meeple, score a number of VP equal to the number of visible VP symbols.
- Noble cards: for each of your Noble cards, score a number of VP equal to the number of visible VP symbols.
- Artwork tiles: for each of your Artwork tiles (regardless of color), score a number of VP equal to the number of visible VP symbols.
- Money: for every 4 BF you still have, score a number of VP equal to the number of visible VP symbols.
The player with the most VP is the winner. In case of a tie, these players share the victory.
Example: It's the end of the 5th round. Elisabeth has 80 VP, and 4 Noble cards worth 13 BF in total. She only has 12 BF, which means she must discard the Noble card she wasn't able to pay. Because of this, she also loses 5 VP. She decides to discard the card that costs 5 BF, which leaves her with 4 BF.
She now has 75 VP, to which she adds:
- 40 VP for her 5 constructed houses, since the disc on her Architect track is at the level with the number 8;
- 3 VP for her 3 Refined Materials;
- 10 VP for her 5 Architect meeples (from the 3rd meeple, the first 2 are not taken into account);
- 3 VP for her 3 Noble cards;
- 3 VP for her Artwork tile;
- 1 VP for her remaining 4 BF.
Chapter 2: Belle Époque
The Belle Époque spans the period between the end of the 19th century and the start of World War I. It's when several European countries experience their biggest technological, social, and cultural breakthroughs in history. During this short period, Belgium is the host of many exhibitions, including 4 World Expos. Brussels - the country's capital - becomes the cradle of a flamboyant, artistic movement known as Art Nouveau.
The Belle Époque expansion includes 2 new nobles and 1 new refined material: glass. It allows for the construction of a new type of building: pavilions. This expansion also brings new bonuses that will open up new and exciting strategies.
Setup
Follow the regular base game setup, with the following exceptions:
- Flip the VP board to its Belle Époque side.
- Shuffle the 32 Belle Époque cards. Randomly draw 5 and place them face up on the corresponding spaces of the Belle Époque board. Return the unused cards to the box.
- Shuffle the 12 Belle Époque tiles face down. Randomly draw 3, 4, 5, or 6 (in games with 2, 3, 4, or 5 players, respectively), and place them face up on the corresponding spaces of the Belle Époque board.
- Place 5 of the remaining Belle Époque tiles face down in a cross in the middle of the Art Nouveau board, as depicted. Return any unused tiles to the box.
- Return the Arrow tile to the box.
- Add the 10 Glass cubes to the Materials area of the Brussels board.
- Place the 4 Traveler meeples on the Train space of the Brussels board.
- Add the Georges Nagelmackers and Henri Privat-Livemont cards to the other Noble cards and shuffle the pile before revealing the first 4 cards.
How to Play
The Belle Époque expansion plays just like the base game, with the following exceptions:
Action Phase
1. Belle Époque tiles
If you place one of your Architect meeples on an Action space occupied by a Belle Époque tile, after carrying out your action you may place 1 of your available Architect meeples (but not a Traveler meeple) on one of the revealed Belle Époque tiles of the Belle Époque board. If you do so, that Architect meeple stays there for the rest of the game. You will no longer be able to use it to carry out actions, but you will benefit from its effect at the end of the game.
In a 2-player game, you're not allowed to place a neutral meeple on an Action space occupied by a Belle Époque tile.
Example: Gabriel places an Architect meeple on the 'Nobles' Action space, which contains a Belle Époque tile. After taking one new Noble card, he decides to place 1 of his other available Architect meeples on the Belle Époque tile that grants him +2 VP for each constructed building (which includes houses as well as pavilions).
2. Nobles action: the new Noble cards
- Georges Nagelmackers: take 1 Traveler meeple from the Train space. It can only be used to carry out an action on the Brussels board.
- Henri Privat-Livemont: create a white Artwork. Take an Artwork tile (not black) and place it in front of you, with its white side face up.
3. Sales action: white Artwork
- A white Artwork tile counts as a joker. When selling a white Artwork, you may consider it a color of your choice, except for a color that's already present in the Art Market area. You will gain half of the benefits (BF/VP) the chosen color would normally give you.
- You're not allowed to sell a white Artwork if another white Artwork tile is already present in the Art Market area.
- A white Artwork will also provide you with 1 BF when passing. However, it's not worth any VP at the end of the game, unless you possess the associated Belle Époque tile.
4. Materials action: glass
When choosing this action, you may also take glass materials.
5. Construction action
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Glass is used to construct houses, just like any other refined material.
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You're not allowed to place your House tile on an Action space occupied by a Belle Époque tile.
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Instead of a house, you may also construct a pavilion: place your House tile on 1 of the 5 corresponding spaces of the Belle Époque board. Then, take the corresponding Belle Époque card. Keep it face up in front of you for the rest of the game.
Some spaces require a surcharge of 1 or 2 glass materials, in addition to the required materials. Important: you're not allowed to use Joker Material cubes to replace the glass materials required to pay this surcharge.
Example: Louise constructs a pavilion on the 3rd space, by also paying the surcharge of 2 glass materials. She takes the corresponding Belle Époque card and keeps it face up in front of her for the rest of the game.
Free action: If one of your opponents places their Architect meeple on one of your houses to carry out the 'Construction' action, you immediately receive 1 VP for each house and each pavilion you've currently constructed.
6. Belle Époque cards
Each Belle Époque card has a different effect. These effects are available immediately, but you may only activate them once per round. After activating an effect, flip the card face down to show you've already used it.
Each Belle Époque card bears a symbol reminding which action the card is linked to or at which moment of a game turn the card can be used.
The Belle Époque cards are numbered, which allows you to quickly find the description of their effects in the table below.
Effects of the Belle Époque cards
Some effects activate when you carry out an action on the Art Nouveau board (by placing your Architect meeple on the associated Action space, not when you carry out the Cinquantenaire Park action):
- Workshop action: after you've carried out the action, receive 1 BF for each artwork in your possession.
- Workshop action: after you've carried out the action, you may transform one of your white artworks by flipping it to its colored side.
- Sales action: before selling, you may move the Art Market indicator up to 2 additional steps.
- Sales action: before choosing which artwork you want to sell, you may return 1 of the Artwork tiles in the Art Market area to its corresponding stack.
- Nobles action: when discarding a Noble card, after benefiting from its effect you also score 3 VP.
- Nobles action: before choosing your Noble card, you may discard 1 to 4 of the available Noble cards, slide any cards you didn't discard to the right, and refill the empty spaces with new Noble cards from the draw pile.
- Materials action: after you've carried out the action, take 2 Joker Material cubes.
- Materials action: after you've carried out the action, you may exchange 1 Joker Material cube for 1 Refined Material cube.
- Construction action: when paying the construction cost, you may replace 1 material cube with 1 other material cube (refined or joker). Even if you replace it with a Joker Material cube, you still score 5 VP.
- Construction action: after you've carried out the action, score 1 VP for each material you used (refined or joker). Note: the glass materials you used as a surcharge when constructing a pavilion are not taken into account.
Some effects activate after you've carried out an action on the Brussels board:
- Stock Exchange action: gain 1 BF for each meeple on the Stock Exchange space, including Traveler meeples and the Architect meeples you placed there yourself.
- Stock Exchange action: score 1 VP for each set of 5 BF in your possession.
- Grand-Place action: activate 1 additional noble (if you have any left to activate).
- Grand-Place action: you may discard 1 of your activated Noble cards to gain an amount of money equal to the value depicted on that card.
- Cinquantenaire Park action: you may take back all or part of the money you've placed on 1 of the Action spaces of the Art Nouveau board. Your Architect meeple stays on the Action space. You're allowed to split the money up into small change.
- Cinquantenaire Park action: score 1 VP for each artwork in your possession.
- Saint Catherine's market action: you may exchange 2 Refined Material cubes for 1 artwork, or 1 artwork (not white) for 2 Refined Material cubes.
- Saint Catherine's market action: create a white artwork.
Some effects activate at specific times during the game:
- Start of the round: gain 1 Traveler meeple.
- Start of the round: you may freely choose the position of the Try Square tile, even if you're not the first player. You may ignore the coordinates on the Stock Exchange card, but the Try Square tile always has to be placed on an intersection between 4 Action spaces, and oriented in such a way as to create the largest possible active area.
- During the round: if you place your Architect meeple on a house (yours or an opponent's), score 3 VP.
- During the round: after you've carried out the action, you may place an Architect meeple or a Traveler meeple on this card to immediately carry out an extra turn. End of the round: if it was an Architect meeple, take it back. If it was a Traveler meeple, return it to the Train space. Note: in order to carry out this extra turn, you must have another meeple available.
- End of the round: you may pay 2 BF to activate the effect of the Noble card that's discarded at the end of the round. You don't obtain the card: you only activate its effect.
- End of the round: before rotating your Noble cards upright, score 1 VP for each noble you didn't activate this round.
- Column majorities: when you gain a Prestige card from a column, you may instead take a Prestige card located under a column of the inactive area.
- Column majorities: when determining the first player, you have 2 extra Manneken Pis symbols.
- Iris majorities: choose one of your Architect meeples standing on a Belle Époque tile on the Art Nouveau board, it counts as double.
- Iris majorities: also gain 2 BF for each iris where you have the majority.
- Brussels majority: before determining the Brussels majority, take back one of your Architect meeples from the Brussels area.
- Brussels majority: before determining the Brussels majority, score 1 VP for each Traveler meeple that was used in the Brussels area.
- Pavilion visit: score 2 VP for each of your Belle Époque cards.
- Pavilion visit: gain 3 BF for each of your Belle Époque cards.
Resolution Phase
1. Brussels majority
Before resolving this majority, remove all Traveler meeples from the Brussels area and place them back on the Train space.
2. Pavilion visit
This step is resolved after the 3 majorities (Column, Iris, and Brussels) and only applies after the first pavilion has been constructed. Receive 1 VP for each differently colored Architect meeple in the same row as each of your pavilions (this includes your own Architect meeples, as well as the neutral meeples in a 2-player game).
Example: There are 3 Architect meeples in the row next to Louise's (red) pavilion: 1 green meeple, and 2 red meeples. This means she scores 2 VP.
End of the Round
Before carrying out the usual steps, do the following:
- Flip any Belle Époque cards you used during this round face up, so you can use their abilities again.
- Return your unused Traveler meeples (if any) to the Train space of the Brussels board.
End of the Game
First, activate the effects of the Belle Époque tiles that contain an Architect meeple. If you've claimed multiple Belle Époque tiles, activate each effect:
- Score 1 VP for each set of 7 VP you scored during the game - in order to avoid mistakes, apply the effects of this tile first before scoring any other end-game points.
- Choose 1 of the 4 Strategic rows on your Architect board. It will count as having 2 additional VP multipliers during final scoring.
- Gain 3 BF multiplied by your position on the Iris track. Note: your disc starts on the first space. The track contains 6 spaces, which means you can gain from 3 BF to 18 BF.
- This tile counts as 4 additional artworks when calculating VP during final scoring.
- Score 2 VP multiplied by your position on the Crown track. Note: your disc starts on the first space. The track contains 6 spaces, which means you can score from 2 VP to 12 VP.
- You possess 1 additional constructed house. It will be worth a number points during final scoring, depending on the level you reached on your Architect track.
- Score 3/5 VP (in games with 2/3 or 4/5 players, respectively) for each of the Prestige cards you took from being the first to pass.
- Each of your constructed buildings (houses and pavilions) will be worth 2 additional VP during final scoring.
- Score 4/5/6/7 VP (in games with 2/3/4/5 players, respectively) for each orthogonal connection between your own houses constructed on the Art Nouveau board.
- The Portrait medallion becomes the 7th space of your Architect track. If your disc reaches this space, each of your constructed buildings (houses and pavilions) will be worth 15 VP instead of 10 during final scoring.
- Score 3 VP for each of your white artworks.
- All of your nobles have a cost of 0 BF. You don't have to pay for any of them.
Then:
- Pay your nobles.
- Discard your white artworks.
- Proceed to final scoring as normal (see Chapter 1, End of the Game).
Important:
- Just like houses, pavilions will score VP depending on the level you reached on your Architect track.
- White works of art are not worth any VP at the end of the game.
Chapter 3: Asymmetric Variant
This variant is playable with or without the Belle Époque expansion.
Setup
- When placing the 5 Action strips to assemble the Art Nouveau board, alternate which sides are facing up. Only 1 in 2 strips should be placed with their compass side face up.
- Flip your Architect board to its B-side. Each B-side has asymmetric traits, as well as a unique character with a special ability that can be used each time you carry out the associated action (even via the Cinquantenaire Park action).
Specifications of the individual boards
Paul Hankar board:
- This board has a modified Iris track.
- During the Nobles action: before choosing your Noble card, reveal the top card of the draw pile. You may take this card for free, instead of one of the other revealed Noble cards. If you don't, this card will be used to refill the leftmost empty space.
Paul Cauchie board:
- This board has a modified Crown track.
- During the Workshop action: take 1 material that corresponds to the color of the artwork created: yellow = iron, brown = wood, blue = stone, green = glass (or a Joker Material cube, if you're playing without the expansion).
Victor Horta board:
- This board has a modified Architect track.
- During the Materials action: aside from 2 Refined Material cubes, also gain 2 BF.
Paul Saintenoy board:
- Each of the four Strategic rows on your Architect board has 1 additional VP multiplier symbol.
- During the Construction action: before constructing, you may move 1 of the 2 compass needles by 1 step (clockwise or counterclockwise). Note: after constructing, you still have to advance 1 of the 2 compass needles 1 step clockwise.
Gustave Strauven board:
- This board has modified construction costs.
- During the Sales action: receive an additional 1 BF and 1 VP.
Round Overview
The game is played over the course of 5 rounds. Each round consists of 3 phases: Planning, Actions, and Resolution.
A. Planning Phase
The first player places the Try Square tile according to the values indicated on the Stock Exchange card, and depending on the number of players.
B. Action Phase
Turn after turn, the players perform their Art Nouveau or Brussels actions.
Actions on the Art Nouveau board — Art Nouveau actions require you to pay a minimum of 1 BF. The 5 Art Nouveau actions are:
- Workshop: take 1 Artwork tile of your choice {free action: take 1 black Artwork tile}.
- Sales: sell 1 of your artworks {free action: score 1 VP for each artwork you currently possess}.
- Nobles: take a Noble card by paying its cost (if any), immediately gain its effect, then discard it or keep it until the end of the game {free action: activate one of your nobles}.
- Materials: take 2 Refined Material cubes {free action: take 1 Refined Material cube}.
- Construction: construct a house (or pavilion if you're playing with the expansion), by paying the construction cost indicated by the compass needles and the location of the House tile on your Architect board {free action: score 1 VP for each of your constructed buildings}.
Actions on the Brussels board — The Brussels actions do not cost money but an increasing number of meeples. The 4 Brussels actions are:
- Stock Exchange: gain an amount of money equal to the number depicted on this round's Stock Exchange card.
- Grand-Place: activate 1 or more of your nobles, depending on your level on the Crown track.
- Cinquantenaire park: copy 1 of the 5 Art Nouveau actions.
- Sainte-Catherine's Market: take up to 3 white Joker Material cubes.
C. Resolution Phase
- Column majorities: for each column, check to see which player has contributed the largest total amount of money. They receive the corresponding Prestige card. Then, determine the new first player, depending on the number of Manneken Pis symbols. Finally, for each card won, use its bonus or slide it underneath your Architect board.
- Iris majorities: for each completely surrounded iris, each player who has the majority of meeples gains VP equivalent to their level on the Iris track.
- Brussels majority: the player who has placed the highest total number of Architect meeples on the Brussels board actions area must place 1 of them on the Courthouse.
- With expansion — Pavilion visit: after the resolution of the 3 majorities, receive 1 VP for each differently colored Architect meeple in the same row as each of your pavilions.
Score Sheet
A photocopiable score sheet is available for download by scanning the QR code in the rulebook, or at: https://www.geekattitudegames.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Bxl1893_feuille_de_score_A5.pdf
Also Available
Discover Bruxelles 1897: the card game version. In 1897, the Brussels Universal Exhibition took place, under the sign of Art Nouveau of course. You will find all the mechanics of the Bruxelles 1893 original game in this version, with the added possibility of offering your works of art to the public at the Universal Exhibition. A small box that's easy to take everywhere and does not sacrifice the complexity of the original game.
Credits
Designer: Etienne Espreman - Artwork: Ammo Dastarac - English Translation: Jo Lefebure for The Geeky Pen
The author wants to thank: Benoît Vanhopstal, Orlando Sà, Nicolas Opdebeeck, Cynthia Luca, and Vanessa Parent.
[email protected] - www.geekattitudegames.com - Etienne Espreman - @GeekAttitude
Geek Attitude Games, Rue Maes 24, 1050 Bruxelles, Belgique
©2023, Geek Attitude Games, rue Maes 24 - 1050 Brussels - Belgium