The Perfumer Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• How to Use the Fragrance Card and Smelling Strip
• Set Up
  • Set up for the public area
  • Set up for the personal area
• Game Overview
• Scoring
• Apprentice Rules
  • Choose Helpers
  • The Game Turn
  • Actions
  • The End of Player's Turn
  • Learn to Distinguish Fragrance Smells (Smelling Score)
  • The End of the Game & Scoring
  • Variant Rule for 2 Players
• Perfumer Rules
• Advance Rules
  • Option 1: Mix use all Helper Tiles
  • Option 2: Mix use Helpers + Bidding

Components

Public Components

• Circle Map x1: including 7 locations of origin, the center area and the scoring track.
• Origin Board x7: placed around the Circle Map according to the locations of origin.
• Custom Order x50: each order has a perfume bottle in the lower left corner, presenting the required ingredients for making perfume and the score. The orders are categorized into 3 levels (C/B/A), requiring 3/4/5 ingredients, respectively.
• Research Token x1: placed on the center area of the Circle Map. It can be used to learn one more type of fragrance smell.
• Shop Token x1: placed on the center area of the Circle Map. The player who opens the shop can win extra score.

Personal Components

• Ingredients x49: drop-shaped components, categorized into 7 types of plants; 7 pieces for each type of plant.
• Fragrance Card x21: 3 cards for each fragrance. The front side of each card shows the plant and its name. The back side is embedded with fragrance particles.
• Smelling Strip x7: 7 different colors; each can be inserted with one fragrance card.
• Player Aid x1: placed in the center of the table to help players have a quick view of the game procedures.
• Helper Tile x15: the Helpers are classified into Level I and II. During the game, the Helpers can increase the players' capability.
• Recipe x6: 2 sides. The brown horizontal bar in the bottom is viewed as the same side. The 3 bottles of perfume marked with 5/10/15 scores are presented on each side.
• Workplace Tile x5: set for placing the Recipe, Pipette and storing 5 Ingredients.
• Bottling Token x15: used for making perfume and bottling on the Recipe. 3 for each player.
• Pipette x35 (7 colors x 5 sets): 7 different colors in 1 set. 1 set for each player.
• Player and Scoring Tokens x5 sets: 5 different colors in 1 set. 1 set for each player.

How to Use the Fragrance Card and Smelling Strip

To smell the fragrance, scratch the yellow area on the back side of Fragrance Cards or Smelling Strips gently for 1-3 times. The fragrance particles will be released gradually.

Under proper storage, the fragrance particles can be kept in the card for two years or longer. (The lifespan may be slightly different based on the preservation environment.)

Every inch of the yellow area is embedded with fragrance particles. Try to scratch the entire area evenly to release the fragrance.

A desiccant is placed inside the box to prevent excessive evaporation of the scent and reduce fragrance loss due to moisture changes. When the game ends, please return the cards to the storage bag and store them in the box to extend the card lifespan.

To extend the card lifespan, please keep the cards away from water and heat. Do not scratch the cards too deep.

Through nail tip test, the cards can be used for around 10,000 times. The numbers may fluctuate based on the user's strength. When the cards are overused and do not release fragrance anymore, you may buy the refill pack of new Fragrance Cards to replace the exhausted ones.

How to reset your sense of smell: If your sense of smell is overloaded during the game, you may try to sniff your elbow to put your nose back to work.

Set Up

The settings are applicable to all rules of the game. The discrepancy among each other rule will be highlighted in RED.

Set up for the public area

1. Map: Place Origin Boards around the Circle Map based on the 7 locations of origin.

2. Fragrance Card: Take 1 card from each type of the 7 Fragrance Cards, and place these 7 cards onto the Origin Boards.

3. Smelling Strips: Take 1 card from each type of the 7 Fragrance Cards, turn the yellow area of the cards face up, and then shuffle the cards. After that insert the Fragrance Cards into the 7 Smelling Strips randomly, and then set the Strips aside.

4. Ingredients: Place * Ingredients on their locations of origin, and then take 1 Ingredient from each location of origin to the bonus area of the Circle Map to be the player's bonus.

   • Ingredients = the number of players + 2 (for example, 4 players = 4 + 2 Ingredients).

5. Center Area: Place the Shop Token and Research Token on the center area of the Circle Map.

6. Custom Order pile: Take a number of Custom Orders according to the table below, shuffle the Custom Orders and place them face down into a pile.

   Level	2-3 players	4 players	5 players

Set up for the personal area

9. Recipe and Workplace Tile: Deal one Recipe randomly to each player. All players decide which side of the Recipe to use (distinguishable based on the brown horizontal bar at the bottom). Turn the chosen side face up and place the Recipe in the center of their Workplace Tile.
10. Combining perfume equipment: Each player takes 1 set of Pipettes (7 colors) and 3 Bottling Tokens, and places them aside the Workplace Tile.
11. Player Token and playing order: Each player chooses a color as his token, and takes the Player Token and Scoring Token based on the color he chooses. The player who recently bought a perfume (or is randomly decided) is the starting player. Every player places his own Scoring Token on the "0" of the scoring track. The starting player's Scoring Token is placed on the top; the last one should be placed at the bottom.

Game Overview

Apprentice Rules will take around 50-60 minutes. The game is played for 1 round only (when the order pile is exhausted, it is the last round). Perfumer Rules will take around 90 minutes (please refer to P.10). The game will be played for 2 rounds.

The game procedures are as follows.

• Apprentice Rules: Setting up → Choose Level I Helper → Take Game Turn → Check if there is any remaining Custom Order in the pile. If YES, continue the round; if NO, First Round Score → Try Perfumer Rules? If NO, Game End. If YES, go to Perfumer Rules.
• Perfumer Rules: Second Round Starts → Setting up (set up new Custom Orders and Smelling Strips) → Choose Level II Helper → Take Game Turn → Check if there is any remaining Custom Order in the pile. If YES, continue the round; if NO, Second Round Score → Game End.

Scoring

• Smelling Score: 5 / 10 / 15. Smell the Smelling Strips, try to represent the scent and identify what the fragrances are. Refer to your Recipe and then, according to your smelling, use the Pipettes with the corresponding colors to the Smelling Strips to create perfume. At the end of the game, take out the Fragrance Cards from all Smelling Strips; the players who make the correct combining will gain score based on difficulty of each perfume.
• Order Score: 3 / 5 / 7. Every location of origin has a Custom Order. The players need to travel to every location of origin to collect the Ingredients. After the Custom Order requirement is satisfied, the player can pay the Ingredients to complete the Custom Order and gain different scores based on the difficulty of each order. Some Custom Orders will offer extra bonus.
• Shop Score: 2. A perfume bottle is shown on the bottom left corner of all Custom Orders. The perfume bottle is designed for the players to open the shop. The player who opens the shop can gain extra 2 VP. For the requirements for opening a shop please refer to P.7.
• Helper Score: 1. Under some circumstances, the Helpers can help you gain extra scores.

Apprentice Rules

Required time: about 60 minutes.

The rules in the 2-player game are slightly different. Please refer to P.10 for detailed information.

Choose Helpers

Each player can choose a Helper during this phase. The Helper will help the player until the game ends. Helpers can increase the players' capabilities such as fast-moving or learning more about fragrance smells.

The Helpers are picked from the (last) player in reverse order. Each player chooses 1 Helper and places it beside his Workplace Tile. During the game turn, the player can initiate the Helper effect based on the above description.

Note: There is a small number on the upper left corner of each Helper. The novice player is suggested to choose a Helper with the larger number, as such Helpers usually have stronger capability. Of course, the players can ignore the Helper's number to choose their favorite Helpers based on their preference.

When the Helper is marked as "Once per game", please turn it face down after its capability is used. Such Helpers cannot be re-used during the game.

The Game Turn

Players take turns in clockwise order to play the game from the starting player. Each player performs his turn in the following order:

1. Return all fragrance-learning components. In your turn, return all Fragrance Cards and Smelling Strips that you obtained from the last turn to the center of the table.
2. Execute 5 AP (Action Points). The player in turn has 5 AP to perform his actions. Every action will spend 1 AP.
3. Take Fragrance Card (no extra AP required). After 5 AP, if you are staying on the location of origin, take the Fragrance Card from the Origin Board in your hand.
4. Take any of Smelling Strips (no extra AP required). Take 1 of any Smelling Strip from the center of the table in your hand, and end this turn.
5. Learn to distinguish fragrances. When other players take their turn, you can smell the Fragrance Card and the Smelling Strip to distinguish what fragrances they are. It will help you obtain the Smelling Score when you combine perfume based on your Recipe.

Actions

Every player can spend 5 AP to execute 5 actions during each turn. Executing 1 action will spend 1 AP. Players can freely execute any of the actions, take the same action more than once, or choose not to use up all 5 AP during his turn. There are 6 actions executable during each player's turn:

Moving (1 AP). Move your Player's Token to the location of origin next to you or to the Center Area. Every area can accommodate more than 1 player.

Take 1 Ingredient (1 AP). Take 1 Ingredient from the location of origin you stay on. Please note that every player can hold 5 Ingredients only; discard any extra Ingredients immediately when the Ingredients held are more than 5. (MAX = 5)

Complete Custom Order (1 AP). Pay the required Ingredients to complete the Custom Order from the location of origin you stay on. Place the completed order in front of you and take the score immediately, and meanwhile obtain the extra bonus of the order depending on Level A/B.

• During the scoring, if your score is tied with other players', place your Scoring Token on top of theirs.
• When a Custom Order has been completed, place a new order from the pile immediately to the location of origin. If the pile is exhausted, it is not necessary to place the new order, as the game is going to end and will be scored (please refer to P.9).

The completed order shows "gain 5 + extra bonus" (the 5 being the base score shown on the order). The extra bonuses, as printed on the rulebook page, are:

• Gain 1 Ingredient immediately (the printed icon is a drop, i.e. an Ingredient).
• Gain 1 Moving action immediately. (The source prints "Moving acion"; corrected here to "action".)

Open the Shop (1 AP, only in the Center Area). To open the shop, players have to offer at least 1 completed Custom Order to the center area, and the perfume bottle on each order needs to be different. Stack the completed orders on the center area.

• The first player who opens the shop can offer any number of orders.
• The subsequent player who wants to open the shop is required to offer more orders than those placed on the center area.
• After the shop-opening requirement is reached, take the Shop Token, and the shop is successfully opened. The player who opens the shop will obtain extra 2 VPs at the end of his turn, until other players open the shop and take away the Shop Token.

When the player opens the shop, if there have been other player's order(s) that were made to open the shop in the center area, please remove them to the game box and do not use them in this round.

Perfume bottle pattern rule: the bottles with the same pattern = 1 order; the bottles with 2 patterns = 2 orders.

Combining Fragrances & Bottling (1 AP). During the learning process, if you have been able to distinguish the fragrance on some Smelling Strips, you can combine a perfume on your Recipe.

The Pipette colors are related to the Smelling Strip colors. Place the Bottling Token on the perfume to show that it has combined fragrance ("fragrance-combining action" completed). The fragrance-combining action takes 1 AP in the player's turn and gives a bonus to the player. For example, if you think the blue Smelling Strip smells like Ravensara, you can place the blue Pipette on the perfume on your Workplace Tile that possibly contains the same fragrance.

• The Pipette can be placed at any time to record the smelling experience (please refer to the Tips below), but every perfume can be bottled only one time. Therefore, once the player spends AP to complete the Combining Fragrances procedure, the positions of the Pipettes are unchangeable.
• Before the end of the game, the players who do not complete the Combining Fragrances & Bottling action are unable to gain the score, even if they have the correct answer with the Pipette.
• When players think they have gathered all Pipettes of 1 perfume, spend 1 AP in the player's turn to place the Bottling Token on the perfume to show that they have done the combining. This action will gain 1 bonus Ingredient from the Center Area to the player.

Bonus: After the Bottling is done, if there remains any material on the bonus area of the Center Area, the player can take any of the Ingredients to place on the storing area of his own Workplace Tile. Please note that every player can hold 5 Ingredients only. If no Ingredient remains on the bonus area, the player cannot gain this bonus.

Tips: How to use the Workplace Tile & Pipettes. The Workplace Tile and Pipettes can be used as a "note". During the game, players can freely place the Pipettes on their Workplace Tile to record the fragrance smell they have identified. Before spending 1 AP to complete the Combining Fragrances & Bottling action, players can freely change the position of the Pipettes at any time. For example, if you think the pink Smelling Strip smells like lavender, you can place the pink Pipette on your Workplace Tile near the perfume that contains lavender on your Recipe.

Take the Research Token (only in the Center Area). The player who takes the Research Token can learn more fragrance smells. Execute the Research effect after the end of your turn (refer to "The End of Player's Turn" below).

When your turn ends, you can take 1 of any Fragrance Card or Smelling Strip.

The End of Player's Turn

When you cannot or do not take further action (that is, you need not use up 5 AP), your turn ends. Execute the following steps in order:

• a. If you are staying on one location of origin: If there remain Fragrance Cards, take the local Fragrance Cards in your hand. If not, you will not obtain any Fragrance Cards.
• b. If there remain Smelling Strips on the center of the table: Choose 1 of them to your hand. If not, you will not obtain any Smelling Strip.
• c. If you hold the Research Token: Return it to the Center Area, and take 1 of any Fragrance Card or Smelling Strip on the table. Important: you can also take another player's Fragrance Card or Smelling Strip.
• d. If you hold the Shop Token: You will gain 2 VPs immediately. You will keep the Shop Token until another player uses more Custom Orders than the Center Area to "snatch" the Shop Token from you.

Learn to Distinguish Fragrance Smells (Smelling Score)

After the above steps are completed, your left-hand side player takes his turn. The Fragrance Card and Smelling Strip you hold will be kept till your next turn, so you can learn to distinguish fragrance smells from your Fragrance Card and Smelling Strip when other players take their turns.

Tips: Points to learn fragrance smell. A Fragrance Card is visible information. The players who obtain the Fragrance Card from the location of origin shall make up the full fragrance experience with their nose and describe plant scents in mind in their own way to memorize the fragrance smell. A Smelling Strip is invisible information. The player shall distinguish the smell with their nose based on their experience from Fragrance Card learning. The players who have an acute sense of smell can gain a high score.

The End of the Game & Scoring

When the last tile of the Custom Orders pile is turned up and placed, the game is going to end. Let the players continue their turns until the starting player takes a turn. The starting player no longer takes actions and the game ends immediately.

Take out all Fragrance Cards from the Smelling Strips and present their pictures to all players to see if any player successfully combined perfume on their own Recipe.

Next, check the Recipe by all Smelling Strips to see if everyone gives the correct answer. Check in order from the player who has the highest score on the scoring track. The players who hit the answer can gain the corresponding score from the Recipe and move their own Scoring Token on the scoring track. However, the players who do not complete the Combining Fragrances & Bottling action are unable to gain the score, even if they have the correct answer to the Pipette.

The player who has the highest score wins the game! If two or more players are tied for the highest score, the player whose Scoring Token is placed on the higher position wins the game.

Variant Rule for 2 Players

When the game is played by 2 players, follow the setup for 3 players. The only difference between 2-player and 3-player games is that each player has 7 AP in the 2-player game. Other rules are the same as those in the general game procedure. The player can also choose to play Apprentice Rules or Perfumer Rules.

Perfumer Rules

Required time: about 90 minutes.

Under this rule, the players first run Apprentice Rules and then Perfumer Rules; each rule is run for 1 round. After the end of the Perfumer Rules, the player who has the highest score wins the game.

1. First, based on Apprentice Rules, play the complete game procedure for 1 round.

2. After scoring Apprentice Rules, clear the remaining Custom Orders and Helpers, and return them to the box (not been used). The players' Ingredients on the Workplace Tile, Fragrance Cards and the completed Custom Orders will be kept.

3. Return the Shop Token to the Center Area. Take 1 Ingredient from each location of origin and place these 7 Ingredients in the bonus area. (If there is no Ingredient left on a location of origin, no need to refill the bonus area.)

4. Set up the Custom Order piles based on the table below, and place 1 order in each location of origin.

   Level	2-3 players	4 players	5 players
   B	11	13	15
   A	4	5	5
   Total	15	18	20

5. Shuffle the Fragrance Cards and insert them into the Smelling Strips randomly.

Advance Rules

After familiarizing yourself with Apprentice and Perfumer Rules, players can add one of the rules below to make the game more interesting.

Option 1: Mix use all Helper Tiles

Mix use Level I and II Helpers and pick any you like. Choose Helpers from the (last) player in reverse order.

Option 2: Mix use Helpers + Bidding

If players wish to use other Helpers to increase their capabilities, we suggest adding the Bidding procedure to the Advance Rules:

• When setting up the game, decide the starting player. Move every player's Scoring Token to "10" on the scoring track. The rest of the settings are the same as Apprentice Rules.
• When the game begins, start the Helpers bidding procedure:
  • A. First, mix Level I and II Helper Tiles. The player whose Scoring Token is placed at the very bottom of the scoring track goes first to choose 1 Helper Tile and place it in the center. Then, all players start bidding.
  • B. The player whose Scoring Token is placed at the top of the scoring track is the first bidder. Place bid price from "1". Every player can place a higher asking price or "pass" the bid in turn. The bidding stops when the last of the players does not "pass" the bid. Then, deduct 10 (of the scoring track) from this player's asking price = moving position, and move the player's Scoring Token to the moving position. Next, the player gets the Helper Tile and leaves the bidding. (Note: The asking price cannot be higher than 10. That is, the "score" cannot be negative.)
  • C. Repeat A and B. The rest of the players continue the bidding. As stated above, the player whose Scoring Token is placed at the very bottom first starts to place his bid from "1". Every player places his asking price or passes the bid in turn until one of the players wins the bid.
  • D. Repeat A to C until every player gets 1 Helper Tile. The remaining Helper Tiles will not be used during the round, so return them to the box.
• Note 1: If there is only 1 player left for bidding, this player can self-place a number (at least "1"). After deducting 10 from his asking price, this player obtains the Helper directly.
• Note 2: If the Perfumer Rules are played, after the first round scoring, the players will start the 2nd bidding. The players cannot bid on the used Helpers, so please remove the used Helpers from the game.