Perfumery Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Introduction
  • The Essence of the New Era
• Game Overview and Goal
• End of the Game
• 4 Essences
• Components
• Types of Components
  • Recipe Card
  • Perfume Card
  • Note Tile
  • Stockyard Tile
  • Action Tile
  • Essence Token
  • Perfumer
  • Starting Player Marker
  • Next Starting Player Marker
  • Initial Funds Card
  • Quick Reference Card
• Setup (Central Play Area)
• Setup (Players)
• Gameplay
• Development Phase
  • Number of "Perfumers" on Action Spaces
  • 7 Types of Action Spaces
• Types of Actions
  • 1. Acquire Cards Action
  • Discard Cards to the Central Area
  • 2. Note Action
  • 3 Notes
  • 3. Sort Recipes Action
  • 4. Replenish an Essence Action
  • 5. Acquire a Floral / Synthetic Essence Action
  • 6. Hire a Perfumer Action
  • 7. Acquire the Starting Player Marker Action
• Blending Phase
  • 1. Blending Process
    • Types of Effects
    • Example of the Blending Process
  • 2. Production Process
    • Example of the Production Process
  • 3. Storage Process
    • Example of the Storage Process
  • 4. Volatilization Process
    • Deterioration of Ingredients and the Finest Fragrance
• Cleanup Phase
• Game End
  • Modernization and Branding of Perfumes

Introduction

The fragrance industry is riding the wave of a major development boom driven by a new era of fragrance research and discovery. The days of traditional single-essence fragrances are over. With a variety of ingredients and "the essence of the new era", it has become possible to create more sophisticated, luxurious fragrances.

You will be the owner of a luxury perfume brand and will be responsible for the research and development of new fragrances. Develop many luxurious fragrances to grow your brand into the world's best perfume brand with the highest value.

The Essence of the New Era

The development of innovative perfumes has ushered in a new era of fragrances made from new ingredients. In addition to perfumes using natural fragrances of traditional single garden flowers and fragrances derived from plants and animals, perfumes using "blended fragrances", which were created by a complex combination of chemically produced fragrances and isolated fragrances that were decomposed from natural fragrances, swept the world. It triggered a boom in the development of perfumes and led to the creation of many new perfumes.

Game Overview and Goal

Players take turns placing each of their "Perfumers" on an action space and performing its action. The actions allow players to get cards or install "Recipe Cards" in their Top, Middle, and Base Notes and expand them. With the installed "Recipe Cards", players will be able to blend essences. With the blended essences, players can produce perfumes according to "Perfume Cards" in their hand. Produced perfumes bring value to their brand. The winner is the player with the highest total brand value.

End of the Game

The next round after the "Perfume Card" deck and "Recipe Card" deck become empty is the final round. The game ends after the final round is played.

4 Essences

There are 4 types of essences in Perfumery. These essences are extracted and mixed to produce perfumes.

• Floral essence (icon and token): The essence of garden flowers. A well-established, traditional lady's scent. Until the beginning of the 20th century, the scent of each flower was extracted and used as perfumes.
• Green essence: The essence derived from plants, which produces a chic scent. With the establishment of various refining methods in the 20th century, it has become possible to use various ingredients, including isolated fragrances.
• Animal essence: The essence of animal origin. A scent that gives a sexual impression and provokes the opposite sex. When used in a single ingredient perfume, it would give the impression of a seedy person's scent.
• Synthetic essence: The essence of a new era. Brought about by technological innovation. The creation of perfumes with more complex scents becomes possible by this.

Components

• 40 Recipe Cards
• 40 Perfume Cards
• 12 Note Tiles (3 each of green, red, yellow, and blue)
• 12 Stockyard Tiles (4 each of Top, Middle, and Base)
• 7 Action Tiles (2 types of Action Tiles, 1 each; 5 Card Acquisition Action Tiles)
• 4 Initial Funds Cards
• 1 Starting Player Marker
• 1 Next Starting Player Marker
• 4 Quick Reference Cards
• 12 Perfumer Meeples (3 each of green, red, yellow, and blue)
• 24 Floral Essence Tokens
• 18 Green Essence Tokens
• 16 Animal Essence Tokens
• 12 Synthetic Essence Tokens

Types of Components

Recipe Card

By installing them in one of the Notes, players will be able to extract and mix essences during the Blending Phase.

Front: card value; number of players; card effect (each card has either extraction or mixing). Back: technical value.

Perfume Card

Perfumes can be produced during the Blending Phase. Produced perfumes add brand value to your brand. The storage space can store one non-volatile essence.

Front: card value; list of essences needed for the production (Top, Middle, Base); perfume name; flavor text; storage space ("Some "Perfume Cards" do not have storage space."); number of players; brand value. Back: technical value.

Note Tile

There are three types of Note Tiles for each player color: Top, Middle, and Base. During the Development Phase, by placing their "Perfumer" on the action space of a Note Tile, players can install "Recipe Card" from their hand into that Note.

Stockyard Tile

This is where the essences extracted and mixed in the Top, Middle, and Base Notes during the Blending Phase are temporarily stored.

Action Tile

During the Development Phase, players can place their "Perfumer" on the action space of the Action Tile to perform various actions.

Essence Token

Tokens of four types of essences used during the Blending Phase. Each token corresponds to the essence icon written on the cards: Floral essence, Green essence, Animal essence, Synthetic essence. (It is treated as either floral, green, or animal essence only in the production process of perfumes.)

Perfumer

Meeples to be placed on the action spaces during the Development Phase. Each player has two "Perfumers" initially, but may have three later in the game.

Starting Player Marker

The player who has this marker at the beginning of the Development Phase starts their turn.

Next Starting Player Marker

The player who has this marker during the Cleanup Phase will be the starting player in the next round.

Initial Funds Card

The initial funds (value 2), which can be used for installing "Recipe Cards" during the Development Phase.

Quick Reference Card

Game flow is summarized. Please refer to it as necessary during the game.

Setup (Central Play Area)

1. Make two decks of "Perfume Cards" and "Recipe Cards". Depending on the number of players, put unused cards back into the box.
   • In a 4-player game, all cards are used. In a 3-player game, 8 "Perfume Cards" and 8 "Recipe Cards" marked "4" on the front side are not used. In a 2-player game, 13 "Perfume Cards" and 13 "Recipe Cards" marked "3,4" on the front side are not used.
2. Separate "Perfume Cards" and "Recipe Cards" into three groups of I, II, and III as marked on the back side. Then, shuffle each group of cards well, and stack them face down so that the group III cards are on the bottom and the group I cards are on the top to make a deck.
   • Be careful not to mix them after stacking.
3. Arrange as many "Acquire Cards Action Tiles" as the number of players +1, and place the "Perfume Card" deck on the upper right side and the "Recipe Card" deck on the lower right side.
   • Arrange 3 Acquire Cards Action Tiles in a 2-player game, 4 in a 3-player game, and 5 in a 4-player game.
4. Draw the same number of cards as the "Acquire Cards Action Tiles" from each deck and arrange them one by one from the right end as shown on the next page. Arrange the "Perfume Cards" above the Tiles and the "Recipe Cards" below the Tiles.
   • Hereafter, the side where "Perfume Cards" are placed will be referred to as the upper side, and the side where "Recipe Cards" are placed will be referred to as the lower side.
5. Place the "Next Starting Player Marker" below the "Recipe Card" on the far right.
6. Place the other Action Tiles to the left of the "Acquire Cards Action Tiles".
7. Separate the "Essence Tokens" by type and keep them within everyone's reach.
   • These are called a supply. As the supply is unlimited, you can replace them with something else if you ran out.

Setup (Players)

1. Each player chooses a color and takes 3 "Perfumers" of their color. Place one of them on the Hire a Perfumer action space in the central area. Keep the other two at hand.
2. Each player takes 3 "Note Tiles" of their color and arrange them in the order of Top, Middle, Base from left to right in front of them.
3. Place 3 "Stockyard Tiles" above the matching "Note Tiles".
4. Each player takes one "Initial Funds Card" and hold it as a hand. Do not reveal the hand to the other players during the game.
5. The starting player takes the "Starting Player Marker". The person who put on a perfume most recently is the starting player.
6. Each player takes a "Quick Reference Card".

Gameplay

The game is played over a multiple number of rounds until the endgame condition is triggered (see Game End (p. 32)). Each round consists of the Development Phase, the Blending Phase, and the Cleanup Phase in this order.

• Development Phase: Players perform their turns in clockwise order from the starting player. Each player places their "Perfumers" on action spaces of the "Action Tiles" or action spaces of their "Note Tiles" to perform the corresponding actions.
• Blending Phase: All players perform four processes simultaneously: blend essences, produce perfumes, store unused essences, then return unstored essences to the supply.
• Cleanup Phase: All players prepare for the next round simultaneously.

Then the next round begins with the Development Phase.

Development Phase

The player who has the "Starting Player Marker" at the beginning of the Development Phase is the starting player. Starting with the starting player and proceeding clockwise, each player places one of their available "Perfumers" on either "Action Tile" action space or their "Note Tile" action space, to immediately perform the corresponding action. The Development Phase ends once all players place their available "Perfumers" and perform actions. Players must skip their turn if no "Perfumer" is available when their turn comes.

• Each player has two "Perfumers" initially, but may have up to three during the game.
• If a player has an available "Perfumer", they must place it on one of the action spaces and perform its action. It is not allowed to place a "Perfumer" on an action space if its corresponding action cannot be performed.

In their turn, the player places one available "Perfumer" in one of the action spaces and immediately performs its action.

Number of "Perfumers" on Action Spaces

• On an action space with one "Perfumer" icon, only one "Perfumer" can be placed.
• On an action space with multiple "Perfumer" icons, each player may place one "Perfumer" at the same time.
• On an action space with one "Perfumer" icon of a specific color, only the player who has the "Perfumers" of that color can place only one perfumer.

7 Types of Action Spaces

1. Acquire Cards Action
2. Note Action
3. Sort Recipes Action
4. Replenish an Essence Action
5. Acquire a Floral/Synthetic Essence Action
6. Hire a Perfumer Action
7. Acquire the "Starting Player Marker" Action

Types of Actions

1. Acquire Cards Action

The player acquires all the card(s) and marker that line up above and below the Tile on which their "Perfumer" is placed. The acquired card(s) are added to their hand. If the player gets the "Next Starting Player Marker" at this time, they receive the "Starting Player Marker" from the player who currently has it. Each player can have up to 7 cards in their hand. If a player has 8 or more cards in their hand as a result of acquiring cards, they must discard card(s) of their choice to the central area until they have 7 cards in their hand.

• Keep the "Starting Player Markers" in front of the player (at hand). These markers are not included in their hand.
• As the game progresses, the number of the cards placed in each column will increase, and the players will be able to get more cards.

Discard Cards to the Central Area

To discard card(s), place them one by one at the bottom of every column, starting with the column with the fewest number of cards and toward the left end column without skipping. When you reach the left end, go to the right end and then move toward the left end. If there are more than one columns with the fewest cards, start with the column closest to the decks (the right side). Cards can be discarded in any order of the player's choice.

• Hereafter, perform the same operation when instructed to "discard cards to the central area".
• If the "Next Starting Player Marker" remains in the column, it counts as one card.
• The "Initial Funds Cards", "Recipe Cards" and "Perfume Cards" are all discarded in the same manner.

2. Note Action

The player installs a "Recipe Card" from their hand between the Note Tile on which the "Perfumer" is placed and the "Stockyard Tile" of the Note. This will increase the number of perfumes that can be produced later. If there already is a "Recipe Card" that has been installed, the newly installed "Recipe Card" can be inserted at any position of the player's choice. More than one "Recipe Card" may be installed at a time as long as they are installed within the same Note as the one the "Perfumer" is placed. After installing "Recipe Cards", the player must pay the installation cost by discarding card(s) that have a total value equal to or greater than the total value of the installed card(s) from their hand to the central area.

• The player cannot place their "Perfumers" on another player's "Note Tile" action space.
• There are no refunds if the value of the discarded card(s) is more than the required value.
• The "Initial Funds Cards", "Perfume Cards" and "Recipe Cards" in the hand can be used (discarded) for payment. One or more cards may be used for payment.

Example: to install a value 6 card and a value 4 card in the Top Note, discard any cards from the hand so that the total value is 10 or more.

3 Notes

Each player has three Notes that are necessary for the production of perfumes: Top, Middle, and Base. These correspond to the list of essences needed to produce perfumes shown on the "Perfume Cards". By installing "Recipe Cards" in each Note, the number of perfumes that can be produced will increase. For each Note, "Recipe Cards" can be installed between the "Note Tile" and the "Stockyard Tile". As shown below, "Recipe Cards" can be stacked to show their effects only, so that it will be easier to see the effects used in the later Blending Phase.

3. Sort Recipes Action

The player selects one of the "Recipe Cards" placed in their 3 Notes (Top, Middle, and Base) and move it to any position within the same Note or to a different Note.

4. Replenish an Essence Action

The player replenishes one empty storage space of their produced "Perfume Card" with one corresponding essence from the supply.

• The cards that already have stored essences cannot be replenished.
• The stored essences can be used as an essence of any Note.

Example: a card whose storage space can store one floral essence.

5. Acquire a Floral / Synthetic Essence Action

The player takes one floral essence or synthetic essence from the supply and place it on the "Stockyard Tile" of any Note. While the floral essence can be acquired for free, the synthetic essence costs value 5. Payment shall be made by discarding any card(s) that have a value of 5 or more from the hand to the central area.

• On this action space, all players may place one perfumer at the same time during a round.
• Synthetic essence is treated as either floral, green, or animal essence in the production process only.

6. Hire a Perfumer Action

The player pays the cost of value 7 to hire the third "Perfumer". During the Cleanup Phase of this round, the player collects the third "Perfumer". The third "Perfumer" will be available for use from the next round. Each player can have up to 3 "Perfumers". The players who have already hired their third "Perfumers" cannot perform this action.

• On this action space, all players may place one "Perfumer" at the same time during a round.
• Payment shall be made by discarding any cards that have a total value of 7 or more from the hand to the central area.

7. Acquire the Starting Player Marker Action

The player receives the "Starting Player Marker" from the player who has it.

• If, after taking this action, another player takes the "Next Starting Player Marker" left on the central area, hand over the "Starting Player Marker" to the other player.
• If, before taking this action, there is a player who's got the "Next Starting Player Marker" in their turn, receive both the "Starting Player Marker" and the "Next Starting Player Marker" from that player.

Blending Phase

This phase is performed by all players simultaneously. The players perform the following four processes in sequence.

1. Blending process
2. Production process
3. Storage process
4. Volatilization process

1. Blending Process

Use the effects of the "Note Tile" and "Recipe Cards" to blend essences for each of the 3 Notes. The effects are resolved separately for each Note. Each effect must be resolved one by one, starting with the bottommost effect to the topmost effect. Move the extracted or mixed essences to the upper cards to resolve the effects in sequence.

• It is not necessary to resolve all effects. Unwanted effects can be skipped in the middle.
• It is recommended that every player performs the blending process even if they have no "Perfume Card" in their hand.

Types of Effects

• Extraction: Take the essence shown in the bracket from the supply.
• Mixing: Pay the essence specified in the left bracket to the supply and take the essence shown in the right bracket from the supply.
  • This effect cannot be used if the player does not have the essence required for payment.

Example of the Blending Process

The player performs blending for the Top Note.

1. Use the effect of the "Note Tile", extraction, to get 1 floral essence from the supply.
2. Use the effect of the first "Recipe Card", mixing, to pay the floral essence obtained in 1 and get floral essence and green essence from the supply.
3. Use the effect of the next "Recipe Card", extraction, to get floral essence and green essence from the supply.
4. Skip the effect of the next "Recipe Card", mixing (pay floral essence and floral essence and get green essence and animal essence), to save the essences to be paid for the effect of the next "Recipe Card".
5. Use the effect of the last Recipe Card, mixing, to pay floral essence and green essence and get green essence, animal essence and synthetic essence.

Now place the blended essences (floral, green, green, animal and synthetic) on the "Stockyard Tiles".

Blending for the Top Note is finished. Continue blending for the Middle Note and the Base Note.

(The blending process for this Note is completed. Place the blended essences on the "Stockyard Tile".)

2. Production Process

Each player produces perfumes to increase their brand value. Perfumes can be produced by playing any number of "Perfume Cards" from the hand and paying the essences specified on each card. To pay the essences needed for the production, return the essences to the supply from the "Stockyard Tiles" or the storage spaces of the produced "Perfume Cards". Each "Perfume Card" shows the list of essences required for the production for each Note. Arrange the produced "Perfume Cards" at hand until the end of the game, when each player calculates their score.

• At this time, synthetic essence is treated as either floral essence, green essence or animal essence in the production process only.
• The essence on the storage space of the "Perfume Card" can be paid as the essence of any Note.
• The player may use the essences on the storage spaces of the "Perfume Cards" first before using the essences on the "Stockyard Tiles".

The "Perfume Card" shows its brand value, the list of essences needed for the production (listed in the order of top, middle, and base from left to right), and its storage space.

Example of the Production Process

The player has essences available for the production on the Top, Middle and Base Note "Stockyard Tiles" and the essences stored on the produced "Perfume Cards". The player plays two "Perfume Cards" from hand to produce the perfumes.

The first "Perfume Card":

• No essence is needed for the Top Note.
• 2 floral essences are needed for the Middle Note.
• 1 green essence is needed for the Base Note.

To pay the essences for the production, return floral essence and synthetic essence from the Middle Note "Stockyard Tile" to the supply. Next, since there is no green essence on the Base Note "Stockyard Tile", return green essence from the storage space of the produced "Perfume Card" to the supply to produce the perfume of the first "Perfume Card".

The second "Perfume Card":

• 2 green essences are needed for the Top Note.
• 1 animal essence is needed for the Middle Note.
• 1 floral essence is needed for the Base Note.

To pay the essences for the production, return two green essences from the Top Note "Stockyard Tile" to the supply. Next, return animal essence from the Middle Note "Stockyard Tile" to the supply. Finally, return floral essence from the Base Note "Stockyard Tile" to the supply to produce the perfume of the second "Perfume Card".

3. Storage Process

Each player may move the remaining essences on the "Stockyard Tile" of each Note to the storage spaces of the produced "Perfume Cards". The stored essences can be used in the production process of the later rounds to produce perfumes. The stored essences can be used for any Note.

• Each storage space can store one essence which is the same as the one illustrated in the storage space.

Example of the Storage Process

After the production process, move the remaining essences from the "Stockyard Tiles" to empty storage spaces of the already produced "Perfume Cards".

4. Volatilization Process

Each player returns all essences left on the stockyard Tile of each Note to the supply.

Deterioration of Ingredients and the Finest Fragrance

Jasmine, the finest fragrance, contains an animal-smelling substance called indole. In order to obtain a pure jasmine fragrance, the extraction process must be carried out before this substance is produced in large quantities. Indole is produced when the sun comes up, so the flowers are picked before dawn, and a plant is built in the middle of the field for the extraction process. Once picked, the flowers deteriorate in just a few hours.

Cleanup Phase

All players perform the following steps simultaneously to prepare for the next round.

1. Each player collects their used "Perfumers" from the action spaces.
   • The player(s) who played "Perfumer" hiring action in this round collect the third "Perfumer". They can use 3 "Perfumers" from the next round.
2. Add one card above each "Acquire Cards Action Tile" from the "Perfume Card" deck and one card below each Tile from the "Recipe Card" deck.
   • At this time, start with the column closest to the decks (the rightmost column).
3. If any player has the "Next Starting Player Marker", place it at the bottom of the column with the fewest number of cards.
   • If there are more than one columns with the fewest cards, place it at the column closest to the decks.

In the next round, the player with the "Starting Player Marker" starts their turn in the Development Phase.

Depending on the column, the number and types of cards which can be acquired during the next Development Phase will be different.

Game End

If the "Perfume Card" deck and "Recipe Card" deck run out during the Cleanup Phase, the next round is the final round. The game ends when the Blending Phase of the final round is over.

Each player sums up the brand values written on their produced "Perfume Cards". The winner is the player who has created the luxury brand with the highest total brand value. If more than one brand has the highest value, each owner is the winner.

Modernization and Branding of Perfumes

The development of innovative perfumes has modernized the perfume industry. Perfumery has now established itself as a form of "haute couture" for luxury brands and has become one of the symbols of the aura of luxury brands. Scents are engraved in memory, leaving a lasting impression on people more than the clothes they wear.