Lady Richmond Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Contents
• Game Setup
• How to Play
  • Auction
  • Important Auction Rules
• Auctioneer Cards
• Cheat Tiles
• End of the Game
• Short Instruction
  • Aim of the Game
  • Preparation
  • How to Play
  • Blue Auctioneer Cards
  • Red Card "Clearance Sale"
  • Cheat Tiles
  • End of the Game
• Transcription Notes

Contents

• 1 game board
• 50 coins
• 1 money chest (three pieces, to be assembled)
• 1 auction block
• 15 cheat tiles
• 12 auctioneer cards
• 37 object cards

Component note: the point values of the object cards are printed on the cards themselves; they are not listed in the rulebook text.

Game Setup

Place the game board in the middle of the table. Assemble the three-piece money chest and place it to the side. Shuffle all playing cards face down, and place them to the side as a draw pile. Leave space for a discard pile.

Place the auction block in the middle of the game board.

Deal one card from the draw pile face down on each of the seven game board fields.

Each player selects a character and places the 3 associated cheat tiles (cheat, swap, borrow) face up in front of them. Each player also receives 10 coins for their personal stockpile. The remaining coins and cheat tiles are placed back in the box.

Tip: It's best to keep your personal coin stockpile as hidden as possible during the game. After all, who wants people looking into their wallet?

How to Play

Whenever a card is turned over on the game board, each player can decide whether they would like to start an auction. To do this, they need to grab the auction block. Once the auction block is grabbed, then all face-up cards are up for bid as one group.

Doesn't any player want to start an auction? Then, in a clockwise direction, the next player turns over the next card for everyone to see. Cards continue to be turned up to reveal the point values until a player decides to start an auction by grabbing the auction block.

Auction

• Grab the auction block: To start an auction, you must be the first person to grab the auction block.
• Announce the opening bid: Announce your opening bid and place the appropriate number of your coins on the table. You are bidding on all face-up cards that are currently on the game board.
• Raise or pass: After the opening bid, the player to your left must raise your bid by one or more coins and then place the appropriate number of coins in front of them. Anyone who doesn't want to bid can pass. Play continues in a clockwise direction, with players raising the current bid by one or more coins (by laying the respective number of coins in front of them), or by passing. If a player passes, then they may not make a bid later in the auction round.
• Acceptance of a bid: Bidding continues until no player wants to further raise the bid. The player with the highest bid wins the auction. The winner places the number of coins bid into the money chest and then takes all of the face-up cards on the game board and places them into a face-down pile. The other players take the coins they bid back into their hidden stockpile.

The player who won the bid may turn over the next card on the game board.

Important Auction Rules

• Warning! Did you grab the auction block but can't make an opening bid because you don't have any coins? Then you need to shuffle the cards you have already won and place them all face down, draw any card, and place it in the discard pile as a fine.
• Turn over cards fairly. Even when the auction gets chaotic, you should always turn over a new card in such a way that all players can see it at the same time. This means players must pick the card up from the furthest side and turn it over quickly. Players may find it is easiest to first turn the game board so that the card is in front of them when turning it over.

Auctioneer Cards

Just like with a real auction, the auctioneer regularly intervenes in the events. If one of the blue auctioneer cards is turned over, you must immediately follow the corresponding instructions. You may not start an auction and should not grab the auction block.

• Pause: The auctioneer demands a small break. Nothing is done at this point, and it's the next player's turn.
• Clear away face-up cards: The auctioneer is unhappy about the lack of bids. All face-up cards are immediately removed from the game board and placed in the discard pile.
• Clear away all cards: "My auction, my rules." The auctioneer has all the cards (both face-up and face-down cards) on the game board cleared away and placed on the discard pile. Seven new cards from the draw pile are then placed on the game board.
• Payday: You get a call from your bank, which wants to settle your account. Open the money chest. The players who have less than 10 coins in their personal stockpile may stock up so they again have 10 coins. Before this happens, any players who at that point in time may have 11 coins (see "borrow" cheat tile) must hand over their surplus coins.

Once the auctioneer's instructions have been followed, the next player turns over the next card.

If the red "clearance sale" auctioneer card is turned over, the following happens:

• Blind auction: The auctioneer is in a particularly good mood. That's why all face-up and face-down cards on the game board are now up for bid. Will one of the players grab the auction block? Then the auction of all the cards can start.

Did no player grab it? Then the next player turns over the next card on the game board, and the "blind auction" lapses.

It is possible that during a later auction there is still a "pause", "payday", or "blind auction" auctioneer card face up on the game board. If this is the case, the player who wins the bid takes this card.

Cheat Tiles

When it is a player's turn to make a bid in an auction, before making a bid or passing, they may choose to play one or more of their cheat tiles to make life difficult for the others.

• Cheat Peek: What's coming next? Take a secret peek at two of the covered cards of your choice on the game board. Then place them back face down.
• Swap: With this cheat tile you can swap one of the cards you won at auction for one of the cards on the game board. If you take a card that was face-up on the game board, then you must place your card face-up on the resulting free space. If you take a face-down card from the game board, then your card should be placed face down on the appropriate field.

Warning! If you place an auctioneer card face up on the game board it doesn't become active again! If you place it face down on the game board, the instructions are followed again when the card is turned over.

Important! The current bid remains, even if, for example, a noble old-timer has turned into a glass of pickled eggs.

• Borrow: If you're short on cash you can "borrow" a coin. In a manner of speaking it stays in the family. Decide which player has to give you a coin out of their personal stockpile. If the player you chose doesn't have any coins left, then you're unlucky and are left empty-handed.

Once a cheat tile has been played, it must be turned over, and you may not use it again in the current game.

If all the cards on the game board are auctioned, draw seven new cards and place them face down on the game board. If a player turns over the last card on the game board and no one wants to start an auction, then the remaining cards are cleared off and placed in the discard pile. Seven new cards are then drawn and placed face down on the game board. The player whose turn it is then turns over a card, and play continues as described.

End of the Game

The game ends when all the cards have been auctioned or placed on the discard pile, and the draw pile is empty.

Now add up the points on your object cards and deduct any negative points. The player with the most points wins the fight for Lady Richmond's inheritance. If there is a tie, the player wins who has the most objects in a single category (e.g., the largest stuffed animal collection).

Short Instruction

Aim of the Game

Attend the inheritance auction and bid to purchase the most valuable treasures and earn the most points by the end of the game.

Preparation

• Set up the game board, place the auction block in the middle of the game board, shuffle the playing cards, set up a face-down draw pile, and place a card from the draw pile face down on each of the seven fields outlined on the board.
• Assemble the money chest.
• Each player receives: 3 cheat tiles of one character and 10 coins.

How to Play

Turn over a card on the game board.

• No players care to start the auction bidding process on this card? Leave it turned up and turn over the next card.
• A player would like to start an auction? Grab the auction block.
• Auction: Grab the auction block → announce a starting bid and place coins out in front of you → players take turns raising or passing → have all but one player with the highest bid passed? The highest bidder puts the number of coins bid into the chest and takes the card(s) from the game board into his/her pile.
• Turn over the next card.

Have all seven cards laid out been auctioned/cleared or turned over and nobody wants to bid on them? Then remove those cards and lay out seven new cards, face down from the draw pile.

Blue Auctioneer Cards

• Pause: no bidding allowed.
• Clear away face-up cards: immediately place face-up cards on the discard pile.
• Clear away all cards: place all laid-out cards on the discard pile and lay out seven new cards face down from the draw pile.
• Payday: open the money chest and refill or reduce each player's money stockpile to 10 coins.

Red Card "Clearance Sale"

• Blind Auction: All laid-out cards (face-up and face-down) are up for auction. No peeking at face-down cards.

Cheat Tiles

Each of the 3 cheat tiles can be played once (but only before bidding or passing) during the entire game. Once a cheat tile is used, it is then turned over.

• Cheat Peek: player can look at two face-down cards on the game board.
• Swap: swap one of the cards you won at auction for one of the cards on the game board.
• Borrow: take a coin from another player.

End of the Game

The draw pile and game board are empty = end of the game. Most points = winner. Tie: the player with the largest number of object cards in one category = winner.

Transcription Notes

• Obvious typesetting errors in the source were corrected without changing meaning: "rfurther" is printed as "further", "play use one or more" is printed as "play one or more", and the heading "CLEAR ANCE SALE" is printed as "Clearance Sale".