The Red Cathedral: Contractors Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Game Setup
• The Contractors
  • The Specialist Tiles and the Specialists' Die
  • Hiring
    • Hiring in Moscow
  • City Points
  • Permits
• The New Guilds
  • Setup
  • Jewelers
  • Artisans
  • Foremen
  • Contractors
  • Wholesalers
  • Managers
  • Lawyers
  • Archivists
    • The Contract Cards
  • Master Builders
  • Brick Makers
  • Reinforcement Tiles
• Specialist Tiles
• Solitaire
  • Setup
  • Playing with Ivan and The Contractors
  • Moving Ivan's Marker

Game Setup

In order to play The Red Cathedral with the Contractors module, set up the game as you normally would, but with the following modifications:

4. Remove the Resource tile that grants 1 Recognition Point from the board and put the Resource tile from this expansion that grants 1 Permit in its place.

6. Add the Specialists' die (the black die) to the other 5 dice and set them up as usual, starting at the Permit tile.

10. Remove these two Workshop tiles and add those that grant 1 Permit or allow a player to activate the Specialists' die.

12. Set the Grand Duchy of Moscow board alongside the Market board. Place the 24 Specialist tiles in the bag and draw 5 of them, which are placed face up on the spaces of the Grand Duchy of Moscow board.

13. Mix up the 6 City tiles and place 1 randomly and face up at the top of each of the Cathedral's towers. Place the remaining City tiles face down (showing the X) on the Grand Duchy of Moscow board on their corresponding cities. You cannot send Contractors to those cities at any time during the game.

14. Each player receives 1 Permit (leave the rest near the board) and a Workshop board extension for the Contractors that is added to the lower part of their own board. They also receive 6 Contractor pawns that are placed on their extension. This board extension is also where you keep any Permits you may have during the game (maximum of 6). This board extension may be used when playing with the Advanced Workshops as well as the normal mode. When playing the basic mode, place the two extra Banners on top of the Inventory.

Be sure to include the tiles with the 3 and 4 players if they apply.

Some of these new Guilds can only be used with The Contractors module, but most of them can also be used with the basic game by itself. A few will need additional playing pieces, but those will be explained in detail in these rules.

The Contractors

The Contractors adds a fourth action to the 3 actions in the base game. This new action lets you send a Contractor to hire Specialist workers in the most important cities around Moscow, who will help you carry out the most complex tasks and thereby increase your recognition as an architect. When you send your Contractor to a city (including Moscow itself) to hire Specialists, you will need Permits and money. Using these subcontracted workers has repercussions over the length of the game: every time you complete one of the Cathedral's towers, it triggers a scoring in that city and closes off the possibility of hiring more workers there.

The four actions of the turn are:

a. Claim a cathedral section

b. Build sections of the cathedral

c. Acquire resources from the market (the source prints "Adquire resorces"; spelling corrected)

d. Hiring

The Specialist Tiles and the Specialists' Die

The new die for the Specialists works just like the colored dice for each player and the white die. This means that you can pay money to advance it additional spaces.

When you perform the Acquire Resources from the Market action and move the black die, you can use the effects of your Specialist tile as if it were a Workshop tile.

Each Specialist tile can only be used once. When you use your Specialist tile, you get the bonus shown (for further details, see page 14). Then you must place the tile face down next to your board so it shows one of the 6 tools.

At the end of the game, you will get 1 / 2 / 4 / 7 / 11 / 16 Prestige Points for each group of different tools you have (for 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 different tools). Specialist tiles are one use only.

Example: With this combination, Jorge gets 5 Prestige Points at the end of the game: 4 for the group of 3 tools and 1 point more for the tool that is on its own.

Hiring

There are 6 cities on the Grand Duchy of Moscow board that may or may not be available for you to hire Specialists. Unavailable cities will be covered with a tile showing a red X, to indicate that Contractors cannot be placed there. In order to hire Specialists, you must have money and Permits.

For example: The cities of Smolensk and Ryazan are not available so no more Contractors can be placed in them.

When you choose this action, follow these steps:

1. Move the Contractor that is farthest to the left on your board to an available city on the Grand Duchy of Moscow board. Then pay as many Permits from your supply as there are Contractors in that city (counting the Contractor you just placed plus any other Contractors of your color and any other colors).

2. Moving a Contractor may unlock a bonus on your board, which you must apply immediately.

3. Pay 2 Rubles and choose 1 of the 2 available Specialists next to that city. If you already have a Specialist on your board, you must discard it face down without activating its ability to make space for the new tile. Important: You may decide not to pay the 2 Rubles and simply discard the new Specialist and remove it from the game instead.

4. Finally, place a new Specialist tile in the empty space.

In this example, the yellow player will get a Material of their choice upon sending their third Contractor.

Example: Shei wants to hire a Specialist in Suzdal, so she moves the Contractor on the far left of her board to that city. To do so, she must pay 5 Permits (there are now 5 Contractors there). She also gets a Material of her choice. Then she must choose between tiles A or B. She decides to take A. She pays the 2 Rubles it costs and places the tile on her Workshop board extension. Finally, she takes a tile from the bag and places it in the space that was left empty.

Hiring in Moscow

When it is available, hiring Specialists in Moscow allows you to choose any of the 5 Specialists available. With regard to the other effects and costs, everything works just as it does in the other cities.

City Points

During setup, you placed a City tile at the top of each of the towers. When a tower is completed, you must follow these steps:

• Move the City tile to the matching city space on the Grand Duchy of Moscow board, and place it face down with the X showing. This indicates that Contractors can no longer be sent there to look for Specialists.

• City points: Each player who has Contractors in that city gains Recognition Points equal to the number of Banners of their color in that tower multiplied by the number of Contractors they have in that city.

Once this has been done, the game continues as normal.

Example: Shei (green) has just finished the middle section of a 3-card tower, thereby closing off the city of Suzdal. She places the City tile with the X showing on the Grand Duchy of Moscow board. Now, no more Contractors can be sent there. When scoring the city of Suzdal, Isra (yellow) gets 1 Recognition Point (1 Contractor x 1 Banner in the tower) and Shei (green) gets 4 Recognition Points (2 Contractors x 2 Banners). Jorge (red), despite having an Ornamentation there, does not get any points because he has no Banners on the tower. Likewise, Jose (blue) does not receive any points since he does not have any Banners on the tower. Moscow, on the adjacent tower, is not scored until Isra (yellow) has completed the dome card.

If a player completes their sixth Cathedral card (triggering the end of the game) and a tower at the same time, the city points are counted first as they would be normally. Then, the player who triggered the end of the game adds 3 Prestige Points to their score. At the end of the game, if there are still any towers that have not been completed, the cities associated with them are not scored.

Permits

Permits are a resource that is not stored in your inventory, but are instead kept in the space reserved for them on your board extension. Permits are used to hire the best professionals in the most important cities of the Grand Duchy of Moscow. They can be obtained in the Market in the same way as other resources, thanks to the corresponding Resource tile.

Additionally, at any moment during your turn you can lose 1 Prestige Point and obtain 1 Permit.

When awarding points at the end of the game, your Permits are counted together with your Rubles and other Materials.

The New Guilds

The construction of the Cathedral has led to an increase in the city's population to match the offer of employment. The new Guilds that have been established can help you with the more complex tasks of building.

Each new Guild is made up of 3 cards that may be combined with new game pieces. For all intents and purposes, they work just like any of the Guilds from the base game. Some cards from these Guilds can only be played when using The Contractors module, but most can be played regardless of whether you are using The Contractors or just the base game. The cards that can only be used with The Contractors are marked with this icon so they can be identified quickly.

Setup

All of these Guilds come into play in the same way: You will use a Guild card for the merchants, craftsmen, and teamsters from the basic game, and replace the Clergy card with the Guild from the expansion you wish to use instead.

Jewelers

Additional pieces: 15 Diamonds

Diamonds are stored in your inventory in the same way as any other Materials. When you pay or spend Materials (regardless if it is for a Cathedral section or Ornamentation), Diamonds can take the place of any other Materials in any amount. This means that for a section that needs 2 Bricks and 1 Wood, you could use 3 Diamonds instead.

During the setup of the game, take the Diamonds and place them with the rest of the building Materials to create a supply.

• Buy 1 Diamond for 1 Ruble.
• Buy 2 Diamonds for 3 Rubles.
• Exchange any 3 Materials for 2 Diamonds.
• (Contractors module only) Pay 1 Diamond to obtain 2 Permits.

Artisans

Additional pieces: None

Artisans allow you to activate Workshop tile actions (not Specialists).

• Activate 1 of your Workshop tiles.
• Pay 1 Ruble to activate 1 Workshop tile in another player's Workshop.
• Pay 2 Rubles to activate 1 of your Workshop tiles twice.
• Pay 2 Rubles to activate 2 different Workshop tiles in your Workshop.

Foremen

Additional pieces: 1 Foreman piece

Foremen grant players money and recognition as they move about assessing the state of the projects being done on the Cathedral.

During setup, place the Foreman under the tower that is farthest to the left.

When you have to move the Foreman, it always moves from left to right, with 1 move for each tower. The tower where the Foreman ends his movement will be the tower he evaluates. When he reaches the tower farthest to the right, he will continue his movement starting from the left again, as though he were walking in circles around the construction site.

The Foreman provides additional awards and penalties. He has got his eye on you! When a section is completed in the tower the Foreman is at, the player who completed that section is granted 1 additional Recognition Point, and for completed sections above unfinished sections belonging to other players, the penalty is 2 Recognition Points per card (instead of just 1).

• Move the Foreman 1 or 2 towers and receive as many Recognition Points as you have Banners in this new tower.
• Move the Foreman 1 or 2 towers and receive as many Rubles as you have Banners in this new tower.
• Move the Foreman 1 or 2 towers, then choose another player's color and receive as many Recognition Points as that player has Banners in this new tower.
• Move the Foreman 1 or 2 steps, then choose another player's color and receive as many Rubles as that player has Banners in this new tower.

Contractors

Additional pieces: Components from The Contractors module.

The Contractors allow you to obtain resources based on the Specialists' die or to obtain benefits based on where your Contractors are on the board. (Contractors module only)

• Obtain the resource or resources from the Market space the black die is in. This benefit is only obtained once regardless of the number of dice that are in that area.
• Obtain as many Permits as you have Contractors on the Grand Duchy of Moscow board.
• Obtain as many Rubles as there are Contractors belonging to you on the Grand Duchy of Moscow board.
• Obtain as many Rubles as there are Contractors belonging to 1 other player of your choice on the Grand Duchy of Moscow board.

Wholesalers

Additional pieces: None

Wholesalers allow you to carry out more actions in the Market every time you acquire resources.

• Pay 1 Ruble and carry out any market action once.
• Pay 2 Rubles to carry out any market action once and also obtain 1 Material of your choice.
• Pay 3 Rubles to carry out any market action twice (the same action 2 times).
• Pay 4 Rubles to carry out any 2 different market actions.

Managers

Additional pieces: None

Managers give you greater flexibility when acquiring and using basic construction Materials for the Cathedral.

• Obtain 1 Material of one of the indicated types.
• Pay 1 Material of your choice from among those indicated to obtain 1 Recognition Point.
• Obtain 1 Ruble.
• Pay 1 Gold to obtain 3 Rubles.
• Obtain 1 green jewel or 1 purple jewel.
• Pay 1 green jewel and 1 purple jewel to obtain 1 Prestige Point and 2 Rubles.

Lawyers

Additional pieces: Components from The Contractors module.

Lawyers help you acquire more Permits for your Contractors or to exchange them for benefits. (Contractors module only)

• Obtain 1 Permit.
• Pay 1 Permit to deliver 1 Material.
• Pay 2 Permits to obtain 1 Prestige Point.
• Pay 1 Permit to obtain 1 Material of your choice.

Archivists

Additional pieces: 15 Contract cards

Archivists allow you to draw 3 Contract cards and keep 1 of them to score at the end of the game or provide you with benefits in exchange for Recognition Points. During setup, take the Contract cards, shuffle them, and place the deck face down near the Archivist's Guild.

Contract cards grant you additional Prestige Points based on their objectives. Contract cards are scored at the end of the game, but always before all the other end-of-game scoring.

You cannot have more than 3 Contract cards: If you already have 3 cards when you draw, then you can discard one of those already held and place it on the bottom of the deck. Keep your Contract cards secret from the other players until the end of the game.

• Pay 2 Rubles to draw 3 Contract cards and keep 1. Return the other 2 to the bottom of the deck.
• Pay 1 Recognition Point to choose any Market area and obtain the resource or resources for that area multiplied by the number of dice there.
• Pay 1 Recognition Point to carry out any 1 action of any of the other 3 Guilds.
• Pay 1 Recognition Point to activate 1 Resource tile and obtain the resource or resources that it shows.

The Contract Cards

The 15 Contract cards are listed here as printed.

• Return 2 Wood to the supply to obtain 2 Prestige Points.
• Return 2 Stones to the supply to obtain 2 Prestige Points.
• Return 4 Rubles to the supply to obtain 2 Prestige Points.
• If you have built all of YOUR Ornamentations, you obtain 2 Prestige Points.
• For each Ornamentation you have built on YOUR OWN Cathedral sections, you obtain 1 Prestige Point.
• If you have claimed at least 3 sections in the same tower (whether they are completed or not), you obtain 3 Prestige Points.
• For each tower where you have NO presence (Banners/Ornament.), you obtain 2 Prestige Points (4 points in 2-player games).
• If you have completed a section of each type (base, middle, and dome), you obtain 2 Prestige Points.
• Return 2 Bricks to the supply to obtain 2 Prestige Points.
• Return 1 jewel and 1 Gold to the supply to obtain 3 Prestige Points.
• If you have 6 face-up Workshop tiles in your Workshop, you obtain 3 Prestige Points.
• For each Ornamentation you have that is NOT built, you obtain 2 Prestige Points.
• For each Ornamentation you have built on THE OTHER PLAYERS' Cathedral sections, you obtain 1 Prestige Point.
• If you have 3 Ornamentations of any type in the same tower, you obtain 3 Prestige Points.
• For each tower where you are present (Banners/Ornamentations), you obtain 1 Prestige Point (2 points in 2-player games).

Master Builders

Additional pieces: The Cathedral cards that were not included in the game.

Master Builders allow you to use the Cathedral cards that were not used in the game. During setup, take all these extra cards and shuffle them to create a single deck. After resolving the action, place the Cathedral card in a discard pile. If this deck runs out, reshuffle the discard pile and create a new deck.

• Pay 2 Rubles to draw 1 card from the Cathedral deck and obtain 2 Materials of your choice from those required on the drawn card.
• Pay 3 Rubles to draw 2 Cathedral cards and obtain 2 Materials of your choice from those required on 1 of those cards and 1 resource from the other card.
• Pay 1 Recognition Point to obtain the Rubles from 1 section you have under construction (you still receive the full value when the section is completed.)
• Pay 1 Ruble to obtain half of the Recognition Points from 1 section you have under construction, rounded down (you still receive the full value when the section is completed).

Brick Makers

Additional pieces: Reinforcement tiles

Brick makers convert Bricks to award extra benefits during the game by adding reinforcements to the Cathedral or by exchanging favors.

During setup, take all the Reinforcement tiles and place them face up next to the Market board. When a Reinforcement tile is acquired, you can use it at any time during your turn, but you can only use one Reinforcement tile per turn. Once used, the tile is returned to the box.

• Pay 2 Bricks and choose 1 of the available Reinforcement tiles. If there are no more tiles left, then this action cannot be performed.
• Pay 1 Brick to deliver 1 Material to the Construction Site.
• Exchange 1 Brick for 2 Rubles.
• Exchange 1 Brick for 1 Recognition Point.

Reinforcement Tiles

• Obtain 5 Rubles.
• Carry out any 1 action of any of the 4 Guilds.
• Activate 1 of your Workshop tiles.
• Deliver 1 Material to the Construction Site.
• Obtain 3 Recognition Points.
• Do not pay the cost to place a Workshop tile during a Claim a Cathedral Section.
• Obtain 2 Materials of your choice.
• Obtain the corresponding resource or resources from the Market for 1 die of your choice.

Specialist Tiles

Each Specialist tile shows one of the following effects:

• Obtain what is shown on the tile: Materials, Rubles, Permits, or Recognition Points.
• Activate 2 of your Workshop tiles once each, or activate the same tile twice.
• Obtain 1 Material of your choice and deliver 1 Material. You can do these two things in the order that you prefer.
• Return the Material shown to the supply and obtain the indicated number of Prestige Points.
• Discard 1 of your Ornamentations that has not been added to the Cathedral and obtain 3 Prestige Points. Return the Ornamentation to the box.
• Activate 1 Resource tile of your choice and obtain the resource or resources it shows.
• Pay the indicated Material to obtain 3 Recognition Points.
• Pay up to 5 Rubles to obtain an equal number of Recognition Points.
• Perform a Claim a Cathedral Section action.

Solitaire

Obviously, Ivan Yakovlevich's influence can be seen in the team of contractors involved in the construction of Saint Basil's. He is able to show his side as a fierce competitor both at the building site as well as in the search for specialized workers.

Setup

Set up the game as you would normally for a 2-player game along with The Contractors expansion. In addition to the normal solitaire setup, you must add the Contractor card for Ivan and the tile showing the icon (as printed in the setup illustration) for the black colored die.

After setting up the cards and tiles, place all of Ivan's Contractors next to the card that performs the hire action as shown in the image.

Place Ivan's marker next to the City tile above the tower where Ivan claims his starting section. Then, place one of Ivan's Contractors in that city without obtaining any Specialist tile.

Ivan starts out with a slight advantage: Place Ivan's score marker in the space that shows 3 Prestige Points.

Place your own marker according to the usual rules.

Remember that you will be the starting player with 3 Rubles and 1 Permit.

Playing with Ivan and The Contractors

The solitaire game plays in the same way as normal, with the exception that Ivan performs one more action.

When Ivan carries out the hire action, place 1 of his Contractors on the city matching the tile Ivan's marker is currently located next to. Ivan does not turn in any Permits in order to perform this action. He simply places 1 of his Contractors there.

After placing the Contractor in the city, take both of the available Specialist tiles. Ivan does not perform the tiles' actions unless he can obtain Recognition Points without paying anything. Then flip them over and put them to one side to make up part of Ivan's score at the end of the game. At any time, if Ivan has 2 Specialist tiles with the same tool, both are returned to the bag and he loses them.

Important: If Ivan places a Contractor in Moscow, he does not obtain any tiles, but instead gains 1 Prestige Point.

Example: It is Ivan's turn. After moving the green die, he must place a Contractor in the city of Smolensk. After placing the Contractor (A), he obtains the 2 tiles available in Smolensk: flip them over and place them in his scoring area (B). Since he now has 2 tool tiles of the same type, those 2 tiles are both returned to the bag (C).

Moving Ivan's Marker

Every time you or Ivan claim a new section, Ivan's marker must be moved to that tower.

Example: Ivan just claimed a section in the tower with the Vologda tile, so Ivan's marker is moved there. Later, you claim a section in the tower corresponding to Smolensk, so his marker is moved there.

The scoring of cities when a tower is completed works just as it does in the multiplayer game (see the City Points section above).