Middle Ages Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Goal of the Game
• Game Info
• Components
• Setup
• Gameplay
• Description of the Estates
  • Field
  • Mill
  • Village
  • Rampart
  • Market
  • Barracks
  • Church
  • Palace
• Example of a First Turn with 3 Players
• End of Game
• Event Card Effects
  • Skilled Trades
  • Precious Goods
  • Alliance
  • Barbarian Invasion
  • Black Plague
  • New Defenses
  • Triumphant Return
  • Baby Boom
  • Peasant Revolt
  • Restoration
  • Good Harvest
  • Reconstruction Aid
  • Vast Tracts of Land
  • Expensive Ceremonies
  • Earthquake

Goal of the Game

Be the richest player at the end of the 16th round.

Game Info

• Duration: 30 minutes
• Players: 2-5
• Age: 10+
• A Game by Marc André
• Illustrated by Claire Conan

Components

In each of the 5 player colors:

• 1 Fiefdom board
• 1 Lord piece
• 1 Scout piece

84 Plot tiles numbered 1 to 23 and divided into two piles, one of 52 tiles (blue backs) and the other of 32 tiles (orange backs). There are 8 different types of Plot tile, each representing an Estate on your Fiefdom board:

• Field (x14)
• Mill (x13)
• Village (x12)
• Rampart (x11)
• Market (x10)
• Barracks (x9)
• Church (x8)
• Palace (x7)

112 Money tokens:

• 8 Plot tokens
• 8 Extra Coin tokens
• 15 Event cards
• 40 Coins (value 1)
• 18 Coins (value 5)
• 36 Rubies (value 10)
• 18 Diamonds (value 50)

Setup

If you are playing a 4- or 5-player game, put the stack of 32 Plot tiles (orange backs) next to the play area. If you are playing a 2- or 3-player game, leave them in the box, you won't need them.

A. Shuffle the 52 Plot tiles (blue backs) and make a pile with the number side up. (Feel free to make several piles for practical reasons, but always draw from the same pile before moving on to the next.)

B. Draw as many Plot tiles as there are players, plus one (i.e. 4 tiles in a 3-player game) and place them in a horizontal row in the middle of the table, without flipping them.

• Arrange the tiles in numerically ascending order; smallest number on the left, largest number on the right. Then flip them.
• Do the same under this row, 3 times, so that you have 4 rows in total, without forgetting to arrange them in ascending order.

C. Shuffle the Event cards, draw 4, and place them face up below the bottom row. Return the remaining Event cards to the box; they won't be used in this game.

D. Each player chooses a color and takes its Fiefdom board, as well as the Lord and Scout pieces of that color.

• Choose the playing order for the 1st round by randomly drawing the players' Scout pieces one at a time. Then, in that order, each player places their Lord piece on any empty Plot tile in the top row (each Plot tile can only hold one Lord piece).

Gameplay

1. Discard the empty Plot tile in the row where the Lord pieces are.
2. Turn order is determined by the position of the Lord pieces in the current row, from left to right. The player whose Lord piece is furthest on the left therefore plays first.

On your turn, perform the following actions in order:

• Immediately move your Lord to any empty Plot tile in the row below. (On the 4th, 8th and 12th rounds, place it in the top row. Because the 16th round is the final one, do not move your Lord).
• Take the Plot tile your Lord moved from and place it above the Estate of the same type on your Fiefdom board (A).

Note: Each of the 8 columns on your board represents an Estate, above which all the tiles of the corresponding Estate will be placed. All Estates have a Special Effect and an Income.

• Perform its Special Effect (B). Special Effects are unique for each Estate type (see Description of the Estates, below).
• Take its Income (C). Income all works in the same way: Gain the indicated sum (2 or 3 coins) for each tile in this Estate, as well as any other Estates that may be indicated.

Example: You have two Rampart tiles (A) and you place your first Village tile (B). Each Village and Rampart tile on your Fiefdom board gives you 2 Coins (C): You gain a total Income of 2 x 3 = 6 Coins.

3. When all Lords have moved to the next row, fill the now-empty row by drawing tiles and arranging them in ascending order before revealing them.

• Ignore this step from the 13th round onwards, as the rows for the last 3 rounds of the game will already have been revealed.

Note: We recommend you designate one player to fill in the empty rows for the entire game.

• If the Plot tile pile is empty:
  • In a 3-Player game: Shuffle the discarded tiles to form a new pile.
  • In a 4-Player game: Replace it with the pile of 32 tiles (orange backs).
  • In a 5-Player game: Replace it with the pile of 32 tiles (orange backs). When this pile is empty, Shuffle all discarded tiles (blue and orange backs) to form a new deck.

4. At the end of the 4th, 8th, 12th and 16th rounds, apply the effect of the leftmost Event card and turn it face-down. Event cards are described in Event Card Effects, below.

Description of the Estates

Reminder: Apply an Estate's Special Effect in full before obtaining its Income (This may have an impact on the Village, Church or Palace Estates). If the Special Effect cannot be applied, simply obtain the Income.

Important: At the end of the game, each player loses 10 Gold Coins for each of their Estates that do not have at least one Plot tile.

Field

Effect: Gain 1 Coin for each Farmer symbol on all Plot tiles on your Fiefdom board.

Income: Gain 2 Coins for each Field tile on your Fiefdom board.

Mill

Effect: All players with fewer Mill tiles than you must give you 2 Coins.

Income: Gain 2 Coins for each Mill tile on your Fiefdom board.

Village

Effect: Choose a Plot tile in your Cemetery (see below) and place it on your Fiefdom board without activating its effect.

Income: Gain 2 Coins for each Village tile and each Rampart tile on your Fiefdom board.

Rampart

Effect: Place your Scout piece on any visible Plot tile in any row other than the one where your Lord is (including those above your Lord) to reserve it. The other players cannot place their Lord there.

Income: Gain 2 Coins for each Field tile and each Rampart tile on your Fiefdom board.

Note about the Rampart: You can place your Lord piece on another Plot tile than the one you reserved when you play onto that row. Take back your Scout when you place your Lord.

Market

Effect: Gain 1 Coin for each Chest symbol on all Plot tiles on your Fiefdom board.

Income: Gain 2 Coins for each Mill tile and each Market tile on your Fiefdom board.

Barracks

Effect: You attack all players with fewer Rampart tiles than you have Barracks tiles. Attacked players place the leftmost (topmost) tile of their Fiefdom board in their Cemetery and give you 2 Coins.

Income: Gain 2 Coins for each Village tile and each Barracks tile on your Fiefdom board.

Cemetery: When a Plot tile is destroyed during the game (Because of a Barracks tile or an Event card), the affected player places it on the right of their Fiefdom board. This area is called the Cemetery. Plot tiles in a Cemetery never go back to the draw pile. They can only be placed back in their Fiefdom board with a Village's Special Effect.

Church

Effect: Place an 'Extra Coin' token onto one of the free spaces under your Fiefdom board (each space can only hold one 'Extra Coin' token). Each time you receive Income for this Estate, gain one Coin more per Plot tile of that Estate.

Example: You choose to put your 'Extra Coin' token in your Village Estate. The Income for this Estate is now one more Coin per Village tile and Rampart tile on your Fiefdom board.

Income: Gain 3 Coins for each Church tile on your Fiefdom board.

Palace

Effect: Choose one of the Plot tokens and place it in a free space under your Fiefdom board in an Estate where we don't already see its symbol (each space can only hold one Plot token). The Plot token adds one type of Plot tile to that Estate for Income purposes.

Example: You choose a Field Plot token, which you cannot add to the Field or Rampart Estates, as they already have that symbol.

Income: Gain 3 Coins for each Palace tile on your Fiefdom board.

Example of a First Turn with 3 Players

1. The Pink player is designated First Player. Starting with them, each player places their Lord on an empty tile in the top row.

• The Pink player chooses the Barracks tile.
• The Blue player chooses the Field tile.
• The Green player chooses the Rampart tile.

2. The empty tile in the top row is discarded.

3. Blue is positioned furthest to the left, so they play first and place their Lord onto the Field tile on the row below.

4. Then they take the Field tile and place it above their Fiefdom board and apply its Special Effect and Income.

• Special Effect: Not having a tile with a Farmer symbol yet, the Special Effect has no effect.
• Income: They receive 2 Coins for their Field tile.

5. Green plays next, they place their Lord onto the 3rd tile of the row below: the Rampart tile.

6. They place the Rampart tile above their Fiefdom board and apply its Special Effect and Income.

• Special Effect: Allows them to place their Scout. They choose to place it on the Barracks tile on the 3rd row; that tile is now reserved for them.
• Income: They receive 2 Coins for their Rampart tile.

7. Pink's next, they place their Lord onto the first tile of the 2nd line: the Barracks tile.

8. They place the Barracks tile above their Fiefdom board, apply its Special Effect, and gain its income:

• Special Effect: They attack all the players who have fewer Rampart tiles than Pink has Barracks tiles. As Pink only has one Barracks tile, this only targets players who have no Rampart tiles, meaning the Blue player. Blue must give 2 Coins to Pink and place their only Field tile into their Cemetery.
• Income: Pink gains 2 Coins for their Barracks tile.

9. The first turn is over. Green is chosen to rebuild the rows, and so draws 4 new Plot tiles and lays them out according to the numbers on their backs before revealing them.

10. The second turn begins with Pink. The empty Barracks tile is discarded. Pink and Blue aren't allowed to place their Lord on the Barracks tile, which is reserved for Green by their Scout.

End of Game

The game ends on the 16th round, after the effect of the 4th and final Event card has been applied and the card turned face down.

Important: Each player loses 10 Gold Coins for each of their Estates that do not have at least one Plot tile.

Each player adds up the Coins they have gained throughout the game. The player with the most Coins wins the game.

In the event of a tie, the player with the most Palaces wins. If the tie persists, the player with the most Churches wins, and so on, comparing the number of Estates of each type from right to left.

Event Card Effects

There are 15 Event cards; only 4 are drawn and used each game (see Setup).

Skilled Trades

Each player gains 1 Coin for each Farmer symbol in their Fiefdom board.

Precious Goods

Each player gains 1 Coin for each Chest symbol in their Fiefdom board.

Alliance

Each player gains 3 Coins for each Church tile and each Palace tile in their Fiefdom board.

Barbarian Invasion

Each player discards a Mill tile AND a Field tile (if they have any) and places them in their Cemetery.

Black Plague

Each player discards a Village tile AND a Barracks tile (if they have any) and places them in their Cemetery.

New Defenses

Each player gains 3 Coins for each Rampart tile in their Fiefdom board.

Triumphant Return

Each player gains 2 Coins for each Market tile and each Barracks tile in their Fiefdom board.

Baby Boom

Each player gains 2 Coins for each Mill tile and each Village tile in their Fiefdom board.

Peasant Revolt

Each player discards a Palace tile (if they have any) and places it in their Cemetery.

Restoration

Each player chooses 1 Plot tile from those in their Cemetery and places it in their Fiefdom board without activating its effect.

Good Harvest

Each player gains 2 Coins for each Field tile in their Fiefdom board.

Reconstruction Aid

Each player gains 3 Coins for each Plot tile in their Cemetery.

Vast Tracts of Land

Each player gains 2 Coins for each Plot tile of different Estate in their Fiefdom board.

Expensive Ceremonies

Each player loses 2 Coins for each Church tile AND each Palace tile in their Fiefdom board.

Earthquake

Each player discards a Rampart tile (if they have any) and places it in their Cemetery.