Classic Art Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Overview
• Components
• Setup
  • Art Category
• Gameplay
  • Season Setup
  • Player Turn
  • Playing Cards
    • Artwork Cards
    • Art on Loan Cards
  • Placing Prediction Tokens
  • Ending A Season
  • Earning Prestige
  • Retrieving Prediction Tokens
  • Checking For Game End
  • 2-Player Variant
• Game End
  • Calculating Prestige
• Art Catalog
  • Etching & Engraving
  • Still Life
  • Sculpture
  • Portrait
  • Landscape
• Rules Summary
  • Season Setup
  • Player Turn
  • Ending A Season
  • Earning Prestige
  • Retrieving Prediction Tokens
  • Checking For Game End
  • Game End

Overview

Classic Art is a competitive game of prediction in which 2-5 players take on the role of Curators striving to assemble the best art collections. Each Season, players take turns predicting the demand of various collections of artworks that populate 1 of 5 corresponding Exhibitions: Etching & Engraving, Still Life, Sculpture, Portrait, and Landscape.

At the end of each Season, players score Prestige based on their successful exhibition predictions. The more accurate their predictions, the more Prestige the player earns. At the end of the game, scores are tallied and the player with the highest Prestige wins!

Components

• 1 Gallery Board
• 1 First Player Token
• 25 Prestige Tokens (5 for each color)
• 30 Prediction Tokens (6 for each color)
• 5 High-Risk Tokens (1 for each color)
• 55 Artwork Cards (11 for each category)
• 10 Art on Loan Cards (2 for each category)
• 1 Rulebook

Setup

1. Place the GALLERY BOARD in reach of all players in the middle of the table.

2. Each player chooses a color and takes all the TOKENS of that color. This includes 6 Prediction tokens, 5 Prestige tokens, and 1 High-Risk token.

3. During Season Setup, players are dealt CARDS according to player count. Then, place the remaining deck of cards in the allotted space on the Gallery Board. Discarded cards are placed facedown on this deck.

4. The player who most recently visited a Museum receives the FIRST PLAYER TOKEN.

Prediction tokens – Used for placing predictions on unoccupied Exhibition spaces in each of the 5 Exhibitions.

High-Risk tokens – Used to increase Prestige earned on successful predictions.

Prestige tokens – Used to indicate a player's Prestige on the scoring track in the center of the Gallery Board for each of the 5 Categories.

Art Category

The cards are divided into 5 Categories represented on the Gallery Board by 5 different colored sections called Exhibitions. Each Category has 11 Artwork cards and 2 Art on Loan cards.

Each card shows an Artwork icon or an Art on Loan icon. The 5 Categories are:

• ETCHING & ENGRAVING
• STILL LIFE
• SCULPTURE
• PORTRAIT
• LANDSCAPE

Gameplay

Classic Art is played in Seasons. In each Season, players take turns playing Artwork cards from their hand into Exhibitions and placing Prediction tokens in the hope of earning Prestige for successful predictions in each Art Category.

Season Setup

At the start of every Season, shuffle all the cards and deal cards to each player according to the player count.

Player count	Cards dealt
2*/3-Player Game	11 cards per player
4-Player Game	9 cards per player
5-Player Game	7 cards per player

* See 2-Player variant rules on pg. 5.

Then, reveal the top 2 cards from the deck and place them next to the corresponding Exhibition of the Gallery Board. If an Art on Loan card is drawn, specific rules apply (see ART ON LOAN CARDS). The remaining deck of cards is placed in the allotted space on the Gallery Board and will not be used until the next Season. Discarded cards are placed facedown on this deck.

Beginning with the first player and going clockwise, players take 1 setup turn each:

• A player MAY place 1 of their Prediction tokens
• OR Double Down by placing 2 of their Prediction tokens in a single unoccupied Exhibition space.

If a player places tokens during their setup turn, the player also places their High-Risk token on this prediction. This is the only use for the High-Risk token, which otherwise remains unused for the rest of the Season.

Then, the Season begins with the first player taking their turn and continues clockwise.

Player Turn

During a player's turn, they MUST:

• Play 2 cards from their hand next to the corresponding Exhibitions.

Then, a player MAY:

• Place 1 Prediction token in any unoccupied Exhibition space,

OR

• Double Down, if possible, placing 2 Prediction tokens in any single unoccupied Exhibition space. A player may only Double Down once per season.

Playing Cards

There are 2 types of cards played in Classic Art:

Artwork Cards

When an Artwork card is played, place it next to the Art Category of the corresponding Exhibition of the Gallery Board. The total number of Artwork cards in that Exhibition will count towards the scoring of players' predictions at the end of the Season.

Art on Loan Cards

When an Art on Loan card is played, discard that Art on Loan card AND 1 other Artwork card from the corresponding Exhibition facedown on the deck on the Gallery Board. This reduces the number of artworks in an Exhibition, affecting the predictions for that Category.

Art on Loan cards can be played even if there are no other Artwork cards in the Exhibition. When this happens, the next time an Artwork card is played in this Exhibition, 2 cards are discarded: The Art on Loan card and the Artwork card.

NOTE: The total number of cards in each Exhibition is public information. Players may count them at any time.

EXAMPLE: Raphael plays an Art on Loan card in the Portrait Exhibition. Then, he discards the Art on Loan card and 1 of the Artwork cards from the Portrait Exhibition.

Placing Prediction Tokens

When Prediction tokens are played, they must be placed in a single unoccupied Exhibition space. This acts as the player's prediction of the total number of artworks they believe will be in that Category at the end of the Season:

• Rarity Show: Exhibition spaces 1- to 4- A Rarity Show has 4 or fewer artworks. When a player predicts a Rarity Show, they score Prestige if the number of Artwork cards placed in that Exhibition at the end of the Season is EQUAL TO OR LOWER THAN their prediction. A Rarity Show fails if too much artwork becomes available.

• Grand Exhibition: Exhibition spaces 5+ to 8+ A Grand Exhibition has 5 or more artworks. When a player predicts a Grand Exhibition, they score Prestige if the number of Artwork cards placed in that Exhibition at the end of the Season is EQUAL TO OR HIGHER THAN their prediction. A Grand Exhibition fails if not enough artwork becomes available.

At the end of a Season, successful predictions earn the Prestige value written beside the Exhibition space and the successful Prediction tokens are returned to the players. Failed prediction tokens don't earn players Prestige and are lost.

NOTE: As it is optional to place Prediction tokens, a player can find themselves with unplayed Prediction tokens at the end of a Season. On the other hand, the number of predictions a player can make during each Season is limited by their available Prediction tokens.

EXAMPLE: During the Season, Raphael placed a single Prediction token on the 1- and 8+ spaces for the Sculpture Exhibition. He will earn 5 Prestige (as noted by the Prestige value) if there is 1 or fewer OR 8 or more artworks available in the Exhibition at the end of the Season. Of course, he cannot earn Prestige for both predictions. Donatello, however, placed a single token on the 2- space and Doubled Down on the 4- space. He can earn up to 5 Prestige for both his predictions if there are 2 or fewer artworks available at the end of the Season.

Ending A Season

When all players have 3 remaining cards in their hand, a final turn is played simultaneously. Each player MUST:

• In secret, choose 2 of the 3 cards in their hand to play,
• AND discard the last card facedown on the deck.

Then, all players reveal their chosen cards at the same time, placing them in their corresponding Exhibitions. Now that all cards have been played, Prestige will be tallied based on players' predictions.

Earning Prestige

Count the number of Artwork cards in each Exhibition. If a player correctly predicted the number of cards in an Exhibition, they earn the Prestige value written beside the Exhibition space, multiplied by the number of tokens placed. Each token multiplies the score as follows:

Tokens placed	Prestige earned
1 token	1 x Prestige value
2 tokens	2 x Prestige value
1 token with High-Risk token	2 x Prestige value
2 tokens with High-Risk token	3 x Prestige value

Each player moves their Prestige tokens up on the scoring track (in the center of the Gallery Board) 1 space for each Prestige earned for each Art Category, up to a maximum of 10. After scoring Prestige, players retrieve their prediction tokens accordingly (see RETRIEVING PREDICTION TOKENS).

EXAMPLE: At the end of the Season, only 3 Artwork cards remain in the Sculpture Exhibition making it a Rarity Show. Donatello earns 2 Prestige for his Double Down prediction on 4-, but does not earn 3 Prestige for the 2- Prediction. Raphael does not earn any Prestige for either of his Predictions. During Season Setup, Leonardo and Venus also made predictions in the Sculpture Category. Leonardo placed a prediction with a High-Risk token on 3- and earns 4 Prestige. Venus placed a prediction with a High-Risk token on 6+ and does not earn Prestige.

Retrieving Prediction Tokens

Prediction tokens are retrieved by the players after scoring Prestige. If a player loses Prediction tokens, they have fewer tokens available for the next Season. But, if a player has no more than 1 Prediction token at the end of a Season, they then retrieve all of their lost Prediction tokens.

• Successful Prediction tokens are retrieved by each player.
• Failed Prediction tokens are placed aside.
• High-Risk tokens are retrieved by each player, whether correct or not.

TIP: A player may choose to play more recklessly if they have lost several Prediction tokens already. In this way, they either score big or retrieve all their tokens at the end of the Season.

Checking For Game End

Once scoring has been completed, check the scoring track. If EVERY Category has at least 1 player with 5 PRESTIGE OR MORE, the game ends. Otherwise, begin a new Season by doing the following:

• Shuffle all cards back into the deck.
• The first player hands the First Player token to the player on their left.
• Follow all steps under Season Setup.

2-Player Variant

When playing with 2 players, the following additional rules apply:

• During Season Setup, after both players are dealt their hand (see SEASON SETUP), draw 10 cards from the deck facedown to form a new deck for the House. The House will be contributing Artwork towards the Exhibitions. The House does not make predictions or earn Prestige.
• During each turn, when a player plays 2 cards from their hand, they must also reveal 1 card from the House.
• When both players are left with 3 cards in hand, a final turn is played simultaneously (see ENDING A SEASON). When both players have revealed their final cards, also reveal the 2 remaining cards from the House and end the Season.

Game End

If every Category on the scoring track has at least 1 player with 5 PRESTIGE OR MORE, the game ends. Calculate the overall Prestige and declare the winner.

Calculating Prestige

When determining the winner, only tokens at 5 Prestige or above on the scoring track are considered. Earning 1-4 Prestige in a Category will not count towards the final Prestige scoring. The player with the highest overall total Prestige wins.

EXAMPLE: After earning 2 Prestige, Donatello moves his Prestige token in the Portrait Category on the scoring track to reach 6 Prestige. This is the last Category to reach 5 Prestige or more on the scoring track. The game ends after this Season. Only Prestige of 5 or more are counted towards the final score. Donatello has 13 Prestige (7 in Etching & Engraving and 6 in Portrait). Michaelangelo has 12 Prestige (6 in Etching & Engraving and 6 in Landscape). Raphael has 14 Prestige (8 in Still Life and 6 in Sculpture). Leonardo has 19 Prestige (5 in Still Art, 6 in Sculpture, and 8 in Landscape). Venus has 23 Prestige (8 in Still Life, 10 in Sculpture, and 5 in Landscape). Venus wins!

Art Catalog

Etching & Engraving

Among art mediums, Etching & Engraving is a multi-tiered process that starts long before the artwork can be created. Artists must patiently and precisely carve through wood or metal plates before they are applied through ink or paint to their chosen surface (canvas, wood, paper, etc.). Although labor-intensive, this medium gave rise to printmaking and allowed for Art to be produced for the masses. This allowed people to share ideas more widely through publications such as books, newspapers, and posters.

Still Life

Still Life may come off as a direct subject, though, in reality it is quite the opposite. Inanimate objects have quite the story to tell, from conveying one's day to day life to the documentation of an entire culture or class of people. Still Life is used to convey an array of subject matter, from the classification of items and their properties in science to its use in symbolic means for religion. One of Still Life's more memorable movements was 'Vanitas' or 'Memento Mori,' where items of death and decay were painted to convey the impermanence of life, intended for the viewer to ponder their mortality.

Sculpture

Sculpture as a medium has existed since time immemorial and is by far the most sizable and multi-dimensional amongst art mediums. In the pre-classic art era, the subject matter of this medium was heavily influenced by the worship of Gods and the admiration of Man. Sculptures were used in religious institutions to honor the divine and in political and governmental locations to honor rulers and government. Over time, Sculpture made a shift back to naturalism, which lead us to the pieces in the Renaissance which are more in tune with the observation of the visual world.

Portrait

For centuries, portraiture served as an extravagant medium to memorialize oneself. The wealthy and the powerful were among those who sought to embed their image to the medium. Portraits were hung in homes, businesses, political organizations, and places of worship. As a form of permanence, portraits exerted a presence in a space, embedding legacies of men, women, and religious figures from scripture. Today, portraiture serves as an insight into the storied past of humanity.

Landscape

Artists have painted Landscapes for millennia, offering us an insight into the past of lands long forgotten and a visual history of the known world. Through Landscape pieces, we have learned about the architecture of the time, the flora and fauna of the region, and even the livelihood of its people. During the Impressionist era, Landscape painters explored a more abstract style by capturing motion in the environment through personal interpretation and emotion rather than the direct observation of what was in plain sight.

Rules Summary

Season Setup

At the start of every Season, shuffle all the cards and deal cards to each player according to the player count.

Player count	Cards dealt
2*/3-Player Game	11 cards per player
4-Player Game	9 cards per player
5-Player Game	7 cards per player

* See 2-Player variant rules.

Then, reveal the top 2 cards from the deck and place them next to the corresponding Exhibition.

Beginning with the first player and going clockwise, players take 1 setup turn each:

• A player MAY place 1 of their Prediction tokens
• OR Double Down by placing 2 of their Prediction tokens in a single unoccupied Exhibition space.
• A player also places their High-Risk token on this prediction.

Player Turn

Going clockwise, beginning with the first player:

1. A player MUST play 2 cards from their hand next to the corresponding Exhibitions.
2. Then, a player MAY place 1 of their Prediction tokens OR Double Down, placing 2 of their Prediction tokens in a single unoccupied Exhibition space (only once per Season).

Ending A Season

When all players have 3 remaining cards in their hand, a final turn is played simultaneously. Each player MUST:

• In secret, choose 2 of 3 cards in their hand to play,
• AND discard the last card facedown on the deck.

Then, all players reveal their chosen cards together and place them in the corresponding Exhibitions.

Earning Prestige

After all cards have been played, the Season ends and Prestige is scored for each successful prediction. Players move their Prestige tokens up on the scoring track in each Art Category and proceed to retrieve their tokens.

Tokens placed	Prestige earned
1 token	1 x Prestige value
2 tokens	2 x Prestige value
1 token with High-Risk token	2 x Prestige value
2 tokens with High-Risk token	3 x Prestige value

Retrieving Prediction Tokens

Prediction tokens are retrieved by the players after scoring Prestige. If a player has no more than 1 Prediction token at the end of a Season, they then retrieve all of their lost Prediction tokens.

• Successful Prediction tokens are retrieved.
• Failed Prediction tokens are placed aside.
• High-Risk tokens are retrieved, whether correct or not.

Checking For Game End

Once scoring is completed, check the scoring track. If EVERY Category on the scoring track has at least 1 player with 5 Prestige or more, the game ends.

Otherwise, begin a new Season by doing the following:

• Shuffle all cards back into the deck.
• The first player passes the First Player token to the player on their left.
• Follow all steps under Season Setup.

Game End

Players total up their Prestige on the scoring track. Scoring 1-4 Prestige in a Category will not count towards the final Prestige tally. The Player with the highest overall Prestige wins.