Camargue
Camargue Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Game Materials
- 80 landscape tiles. Each landscape tile has a Camargue emblem at the top right, which indicates the orientation of the tile. Tile types: Curves (1 each), Straight lines (1 each), T-junctions (2 each), Junctions (2 each), in the 5 landscape types: village, water, grain, forest, lavender.
- 1 Starting tile
- 5 Emergency tiles
- 10 helper tiles for 2 landscape types each
- 18 Score markers
- 6 Scoring boards
- 2 Game rules
Note: Before the first game, you need to carefully remove all parts from the punch-out sheets.
Each time you score points, note your points on the scoring board. The scoring board is divided into 3 columns, with the values from 0-9. On the right you mark the ONES, in the middle the TENS and on the left the HUNDREDS. When noting your points, it is best to proceed from right to left. First place the marker for ones, then for tens and finally for hundreds. Whenever a marker passes the "9", you start again at the "0" in the same column. The marker in the adjacent column to the left is automatically moved up 1 space. (The manual's illustration shows a board reading 263 points.) We will show you exactly how this works in the scoring examples.
Object of the Game
Together you create the beautiful "Camargue" region. By placing landscape tiles, you build up the landscape tile by tile and earn points. The larger the area of a landscape type, the more points you will score. If you then send an important helper to support others, you will be rewarded with plenty of points.
Set-Up of the Game
Everyone takes a scoring board and places it in front of them. Place a score marker on each of the 3 spaces with a "0".
Pick out the starting tile with the colorful emblem on the back and place it face up in the middle of the table so that there is enough space around it. This is the start of the open display. The emblem in the corner determines the orientation of all future landscape tiles.
The 80 landscape tiles are shuffled face down together with the 10 helper tiles. Then everyone draws 3 tiles into their hand, which they keep secret from the others.
Tip: Hold your tiles in your hand in the same orientation as the starting tile. In other words, if you see, from your seat, the emblem on the starting tile at the bottom right, turn all the tiles in your hand so that the emblems are also at the bottom right. This will make it easier for you to position them later.
The remaining tiles are placed in several face-down piles ready for everyone to draw from.
Place the emergency tiles in the box, ready to hand. They are only needed in an emergency.
ATTENTION playing with four persons! After shuffling, you must remove 2 tiles and put them back in the box unseen. They are no longer needed for the game. This ensures that all persons have the same number of turns.
Course of the Game
The game is played over several rounds in a clockwise order, starting with a person you decide on together.
When it is your turn and you have 3 tiles in your hand, you can either place a landscape tile or discard a helper tile.
You then receive points for the tile you played and draw one tile from any draw pile so that you have 3 tiles in your hand again. If there are no more tiles to draw, you do not have to draw any more. Then it is the next person's turn in clockwise order.
If it is your turn and you only have 2 tiles in your hand, you do not play a tile but only draw 1 tile, if there are any left. Then it is the next person's turn in clockwise order. You can find out how it can happen that you only have 2 tiles in your hand under "Special feature: Place helper tiles out of turn".
Place a landscape tile...
Take a landscape tile from your hand and place it face up in the display. The following placement rules apply:
a) Each landscape tile has a unique orientation, which is determined by the emblem. When you place a landscape tile, you must always align it so that the emblem is in the same corner as on the starting tile.
b) The played landscape tile must be placed with at least 1 edge next to already placed tiles. Placing tiles diagonally across a corner is not permitted.
c) The played landscape tile must continue a path.
d) The played landscape tile may not cut off a path.
(Illustrated wrong examples: a tile incorrectly oriented because the emblem is not at the top right as on the starting tile (point a); a tile that does not touch the edge of another tile (point b); a tile that does not continue an existing path (point c); a tile that cuts off the path (point d).)
... and score points
By placing a landscape tile, you score points for the area of this landscape type. To do this, count all the tiles of this area that touch each other vertically and horizontally, including the tile you have just placed. Memorize the result. Then count the edges that the tile touches. Now multiply the number of tiles by the number of edges. Say out loud the result and note it down on your scoring board.
Note: The area may consist only of the tile that has just been placed.
Scoring examples
Example 1: A grain tile with a curve is placed. The grain area consists of 1 tile after placement. The placed tile touches 1 edge. By placing the grain tile, the person scores 1 x 1 = 1 point. The person starts with 0 points and moves their ONES marker up 1 space. The new score is "1".
Example 2: A forest tile with a straight line is placed. After placement, the forest area consists of 2 tiles. The placed tile touches 2 edges. By placing the forest tile, the person scores 2 x 2 = 4 points. The person previously had 27 points and first moves their ONES marker 4 spaces further. As this passes the "9", the TENS marker is immediately moved up 1 space. The ONES marker lands over the "0" on space "1". The new score is "31".
Example 3: A village tile with a straight path is placed. The village area consists of 6 tiles after placement. The village tile at the top left, which is diagonally adjacent, is not connected to the area and is not counted. The placed tile touches 3 edges. By placing the village tile, the person scores 6 x 3 = 18 points. The person previously had 96 points and now first moves their ONES marker 8 spaces further and then their TENS marker 1 space (1 8). As both the ONES marker and the TENS marker pass the "9", the TENS marker and the HUNDREDS marker must additionally be moved up 1 space each. The ONES marker lands over the "0" on space "4". The TENS marker lands on space "1" and the HUNDREDS marker also on space "1". The new score is "114".
Discard a helper tile and score points
Instead of placing a landscape tile, you can also place a helper tile and score 10 points. To do this, place any helper tile from your hand face up next to the playing field and note 10 points on your scoring board.
Special feature: Place helper tiles out of turn
The helper tiles have another function that you can use out of turn. Each helper tile shows helpers for two different types of landscape.
If a person places a landscape tile for which you have a matching helper in your hand, you can also score these points. To do this, place a helper with the corresponding landscape type face up in front of you and say out loud "I have a matching helper!". Then note down the same number of points on your scoring board as the person who scored points with their landscape tile.
You may only place one helper tile in front of you at a time, even if you have several matching ones in your hand.
Important: As long as there is a helper tile in front of you, you may not perform this action again.
Several people can perform this action at the same time, as long as they have a matching helper tile in their hand.
Important: Anyone who has played a helper tile does not draw a tile from the draw pile.
Then it is the turn of the person sitting to the left of the person who placed the last landscape tile.
If it is your turn again and you only have 2 tiles in your hand, you may not place a landscape tile. Instead, you place the helper tile in front of you face up next to the playing field and draw a tile from a draw pile so that you have 3 tiles in your hand again. Then your turn is over and it is the next person's turn in clockwise order.
If all the draw piles have been used up, your turn ends after you have placed the helper tile next to the playing field. It is the next person's turn in a clockwise order.
The emergency tiles
In the very rare case that you cannot play any of your tiles, you show your tiles to the others. They check whether you really can't play a tile.
- If you are wrong and the others find at least one place where you could have placed a tile, you must place the tile in the open display following the placement rules. You receive the points for the tile as usual and draw up to 3 tiles again.
- If you were right, you place 1 emergency tile in any place of your choice. Unlike the other landscape tiles, you do not place the emergency tile with the path, but with the edge without the path on any other landscape tile on the outside, so that the 3 edges with the paths are free. You may not cut off a path with the emergency tile either. Afterwards, your turn follows the usual rules of the game.
End of the Game
When the last face-down tile has been drawn, you continue to play without drawing until all the tiles have been played. Then the game is over. The person with the most points wins. In case of a tie, the persons involved share the win.