Bruges

Game Components

• 1 game board
• 4 50/100 points tokens
• 6 Statue tokens
• 165 cards
• 50 workers
• 20 1-guilder pieces
• 24 3-guilder pieces
• 45 Threat markers
• 40 Canal tokens
• 4 large Player emblems
• 4 small Player emblems
• 8 player pawns
• 12 Majority markers
• 9 Overview cards
• 1 Start player banner
• 5 dice

1. Game Board

The game board is placed in the middle of the table, easily accessible to all players.

The 50/100 points tokens are placed near the end of the scoring track on the game board.

The octagonal Statue tokens are stacked sequentially on the game board. This means that the value 2 Statue token is placed at the bottom, then the value 3 Statue, and so forth, with the value 7 Statue token being placed on top of the pile.

2. Cards

There are 165 cards; the number used varies according to the number of players.

1. First, shuffle all the cards together (regardless of their back) and divide these cards in 5 stacks, as equal as possible.
2. From these 5 stacks, take one stack per participating player. Shuffle these stacks together. (i.e. with 3 players, 3 of these 5 stacks will be shuffled together.)
3. Finally, the newly formed stack is now divided into 2 approximately equal piles. These form the draw piles that are placed next to the gameboard, easily accessible to all players.
4. The remaining stacks (i.e. with 3 players, there will be 2 remaining stacks) are now piled up as the extra draw pile. This extra draw pile is only required at the end of the game.

3. Workers

The 50 workers are placed in a general supply, accessible to all players. (Player colors are not related to worker colors.)

4. Guilder

The guilders (20 1-guilder pieces and 24 3-guilder pieces) form a reserve that is accessible to all players. Players can make change at any time; whenever a card or effect calls for the use of a 3-guilder piece, you may take 3 1-guilder pieces instead.

5. Threat markers

The 45 Threat markers form a supply that is available to all players.

6. Canal tokens

The 40 Canal tokens form a supply that is available to all players.

7. Player setup

• Each player should make sure that they have enough space in front of them. This play area is where they will place their cards and other components.
• Each player chooses their color. (Here, the player uses the red pieces.)
• That player then places the large seal in front of himself to show which color he is playing.
• He places his small seal in the round box above the guard house closest to his seat.
• He takes the two pawns of his color. He places one of them on space 5 of the scoring track and the other on the town hall.
• The player also takes the 3 Majority markers of his color, laying them gray side up in front of himself.
• Once each player has taken and placed their colored pieces, each of them takes 1 worker of each of the 5 colors as well as 5 guilders and keeps them in his play area.
• Finally, each player takes 2 Overview cards (one explaining the round, the other the actions). As a reminder for future games, players will also find an Overview card that shows the initial setup.
• Players do not start the game with any cards. They will draw their first cards during the first round.

8. First player

The player who most recently ate Belgian chocolate is the first player. He takes the Start player emblem and the 5 dice.

You are now ready to play!

Round Overview

A game takes place over several rounds. Each round, players will follow these 4 phases:

1. Phase 1: Draw cards – Used during phase 3.
2. Phase 2: Roll the dice – Distribute Threat markers and advance 1 reputation step.
3. Phase 3: Play cards and perform actions – This is where the action happens!
4. Phase 4: Verify each of the 3 majorities and change the start player

Phase 1: Draw cards

Players refill their hand at the beginning of each round.

The start player begins and may draw from either of the two piles. She takes the card into her hand without looking at it. She keeps drawing cards until she has 5 cards in hand. She decides from which pile to draw before drawing each card. Only once her hand is complete may she consult her cards.

In clockwise order, the other players do the same.

When one of the draw piles is empty…

When one of the two draw piles runs out of cards, that pile is immediately replaced with the extra draw pile set aside at the beginning of the game. The players continue refilling their hand, as described above.

If the other pile runs out, split the remaining pile in half, creating 2 roughly equal piles. Keep doing this so that players always have 2 piles to draw from.

The round in which the extra draw pile enters play is the final round. After completing that round, the game ends and players proceed with the final scoring.

Exception: Usually, a pile will run out during phase 1 of a turn (when you draw cards). However, some cards allow you to draw cards during phase 3. In those cases, the extra draw pile enters play immediately, and the following round will be the last and final round.

Phase 2: Roll the dice

The start player rolls the 5 dice. He then places the dice on the board, in the appropriate spaces. Ideally, place the dice in ascending order to let players easily see which values are present.

Once the dice are rolled, the following two steps are done in the listed order:

1. Distribute Threat markers

For each die that shows a 5 or a 6, each player (without exception) receives 1 Threat marker of those colors (the color of the dice showing a 5 or a 6).

Players place their Threat markers face up in front of themselves so that they may be easily seen by the other players.

Whenever a player receives a third Threat marker of a single color, that player suffers the corresponding penalty. The various penalties are described on the last page of this rulebook.

2. Advance 1 reputation step

Each player now has the opportunity of advancing 1 step on the reputation track. The price to do so is determined by the dice. The price to pay, in guilders, is equal to the total sum of every die showing a 1 or a 2.

The start player goes first. If he wishes to advance, he pays the sum in guilders to the bank, after which he advances his pawn by one step. A player may not advance without paying.

Note: The first time a player advances, he will take his pawn from the town hall and put it on step 1 of the reputation track.

In clockwise order, the other players do the same.

If a player does not have enough guilders to advance, then he cannot do so. Similarly, a player that has enough guilders to advance but does not wish to pay does not move.

Each round, a player may only advance by 1 step on the reputation track.

If no dice show a 1 and/or a 2, then it is not possible to advance during that round.

Note: Dice showing a value of 3 or 4 have no special effect during this phase.

Phase 4: Verify the 3 majorities and change the start player

At this point of a round, players verify whether or not one of them has a majority and can therefore flip their corresponding Majority marker colored-side up. The following elements are verified in order:

1. Reputation: If a single player occupies the most advanced position on the reputation track (on a higher number than any other player), that player may flip her Reputation Majority marker colored-side up.
2. People: If a player has more people in her play area than any other player, she may flip her People Majority marker colored-side up. The number of people is compared with every other player individually. Therefore, a player need not have more people than every other player combined, simply more people than each other player.
3. Canal: If a player, counting both of her canal sections, has built more Canal tokens than any other player, she may flip her Canal Majority marker colored-side up.

Majority Rules

These rules apply to all 3 majorities:

• A player must have a clear majority to be able to flip her marker colored-side up.
• Once flipped, a marker will stay on its colored-side for the remainder of the game. As such, a flipped marker indicates that the player once had, at some point during the game, the majority in that area.
• If a player passes a majority holder, then that player will also be able to flip the corresponding Majority marker at the end of the round. This means that at the end of the game, more than one player can score the Majority marker of a given section.

Change the start player

After verifying the 3 majorities, players straighten the cards they rotated (if any), the Start player banner is passed to the next player in clockwise order and a new round begins.

Phase 3: Play cards and perform actions

This is where the action happens!

General rules for this phase:

• Each player begins this phase with 5 cards in hand.
• On their turn, each player, one after the other, plays exactly 1 card from their hand to do 1 of the 6 possible actions.
• This continues until every player has played 4 cards from their hand, and thus performed 4 actions, at which point this phase ends. (Each action may be performed more than once if the player so desires.)
• Then this phase ends. Usually, players will each have 1 card in hand at that point.

Note: Any of the 6 actions may be performed with any card. As such, there are no cards that allow you to perform a specific action.

Anatomy of a card

• Card color: There are 5 different card colors (blue, brown, red, purple, and yellow). The front and back of each card shows its color.
• Actions: The first 5 actions are depicted on the banner found on the right-hand side of each card. With the exception of the color, these 5 actions are always the same.
• Person: The person section of each card shows a different character. Each person has a different price, special effect, and group.

The 6 Actions

I. Take 2 workers

Play 1 card into the discard pile to take 2 workers of the played color. Place these workers in your play area, visible to all players.

Workers are not limited by the components. Should you run out of a worker color, use replacement pieces you deem appropriate.

II. Take 1–6 guilders

Play 1 card into the discard pile to take a number of guilders from the bank equal to the value shown on the die of the color of the played card. Place your guilders in your play area.

Guilders are not limited by the components. Players can make change at any time.

III. Discard 1 Threat marker and get 1 point

Play 1 card into the discard pile to discard 1 Threat marker of the color of the played card back into the supply. Each Threat marker discarded this way gets the player 1 point; advance your pawn 1 space on the scoring track to show this.

Note: Every time a player discards 1 Threat marker, she gets 1 point. This also applies when discarding Threat markers with the help of a person (see the Jailer, page 1 of the rules supplement).

IV. Build 1 Canal token

Each player has a guard house that bears their small seal. From these guard houses, one canal is heading left and another is heading right. Each canal section is divided into 5 canal spaces. This means that each player has 2 canal sections, each with 5 spaces, for a total of 10 canal spaces. These canals may only be built by their owner (the one whose seal is on the guard house).

• A player’s first built canal will always be one of the 2 sections next to her seal.
• On subsequent canal building actions, the player may continue in the direction she started, or not. A player will always have 2 options when building a canal, unless a section is completed.
• To build a canal, you must first play 1 card matching the color of the canal space you wish to build on. Furthermore, you must pay the number of guilders shown on that space. After doing this, you place 1 Canal token on that space.
• If a player reaches space 3 of a section, that player scores 3 points at game end.
• When a player completes one of her two canal sections, she takes the topmost Statue token and will score the printed points at game end. Each player may earn a maximum of 2 statues.

V. Build 1 house

Play 1 card face-down in front of yourself to show that you have built a house. To build a house, you must pay 1 worker of the same color as the house you wish to build. Return the paid worker to the supply.

Each house scores its owner 1 point at the game end and can accommodate one person (see next action).

VI. Recruit 1 person

Play 1 card onto one of your empty houses; place the card in such a way that the color of the house remains visible. You must pay the price of the card, shown in the top left corner. Paid guilders are returned to the bank.

Each house can accommodate exactly 1 person. The person may be of a different color than the house.

Activating your people

You may activate your people to make use of various advantages. Before explaining how a Person card is activated, let’s take a closer look at the person section of a card.

Person section of a card

• Price: The top-left section of a card shows the price, in guilders, that must be paid to recruit this person.
• Points: The small number located below the price indicates the number of points that that person is worth at game end if in a player’s play area. (The score value is always one third of the price.)
• Activation icon: This icon, located to the left of the person’s portrait, indicates when and how that person is activated.
• Name and benefit: Under the activation icon, you will find that person’s name, and the benefit you get when activating that person.
• Group: Each person belongs to one of the 11 different groups of people: Artist, Bureaucrat, Castle, Craftsman, Church, Entertainer, Merchant, Noble, Protector, Scholar, Underworld. Some cards refer to the group. When that is the case, only those cards belonging to that group are considered.

Activating a person

On your turn, you may activate one or more of your people:

• People with the “arrow” icon are activated immediately after being played.
• People with any of the five “worker” icons or the “infinity loop” icon may each be activated during your turn.
• Finally, people with the “laurel” icon are only activated during the final scoring.

Activating a person allows you to benefit from the text written on that card.

The 4 symbols described in detail:

1. Arrow icon: People with the “arrow” icon have a one-use effect that is activated immediately after being played. These people may not be activated again during the game, unless they are returned to a player’s hand and played again.

2. Worker icon: People with the “worker” icon can be activated once per round (i.e. once per phase 3). You must pay a worker of the depicted color (which is not necessarily the color of the person). That worker is returned to the supply. You then benefit from the text shown on the card.

To show that a person has been activated during a round, rotate that person by 90°.

3. Infinity loop icon: There are 3 types of people with the “infinity loop” icon:

• First type (once per round): Can be activated once per round, much like cards with a “worker” icon. The text on these cards will usually say “once per round” in the description of the effect. Activating these people does not cost anything. To show that such a person has been activated, rotate that person by 90° on its side.
• Second type (action improvement): Improves an action for that player. People of this type are used automatically every time (even more than once in a single round) when the corresponding action is taken. They do not cost anything extra to use. Since their use is not limited, do not rotate them.
• Third type (situational advantage): Very similar to the second type: gives players an advantage when different situations occur (i.e. when “drawing cards” or “advancing”). People of this type are activated automatically whenever the corresponding situation occurs during the game. (As such, if the situation occurs more than once during a single round, that person will be activated the same number of times.) Do not rotate them.

4. Laurel icon: People with the “laurel” icon are used during the final scoring. It is at that moment, and only then, that they are automatically activated. The player receives the number of points indicated on the card.

General information about activating people:

• Cards that need to be activated (with the “worker” icon or the “infinity loop” icon) can be used before or after playing a card. The player can activate some cards before and some after.
• It is also possible to activate a person that was just recruited (with the “worker” icon or the “infinity loop” icon) immediately after placing that card into play.
• Activating a person can alter the normal rules.

Example for activating a person that alters the normal rules: The player activates the Coachman by returning a yellow worker to the supply. The Coachman allows the player to immediately play another card from his hand, letting him perform another action during the same turn (which is against the normal rules). This means that the player has one fewer card in hand. He will end the round without any cards in hand (whereas players usually end their turn with 1 card in hand). At the beginning of the next round, he will refill his hand to 5 cards as usual.

Note: Most cards are self-explanatory. However, there are some cards and combinations that may warrant further explanations. These are detailed in the rules supplement.

Threat Events – What happens when a circle is complete…

Whenever a player receives a 3rd Threat marker of a single color in his play area, this completes a circle and that player must suffer the damage effect (penalty). Each color has its own penalty:

• Flood (Blue): You must return all of your workers to the supply.
• Plague (Brown): You must discard one person of your choice from your play area (not your hand).
• Raid (Yellow): You must return all of your guilders to the bank.
• Fire (Red): Either: Discard one of your built houses, or discard one of your built Canal tokens. If you have neither, you do not lose anything.
  • Note: If you discard a house that has a person in it, take that person back into your hand.
  • Note: If you return the last Canal token of a completed section, you do not return the statue. However, you will not get another statue if you complete that canal section again.
  • Note: There cannot be any gaps in a canal section.
• Intrigue (Purple): You lose 3 points. A player’s score cannot be lowered below 0.

After resolving the damage, return all 3 Threat markers of that color to the supply. This means that the next marker you receive of that color will be your “first”.

Important: Players do not score any points when returning Threat markers after suffering the damage.

Note: It is possible for a player to suffer multiple penalties in the same turn. In such an unlucky turn of events, the player decides in which order the penalties are applied.

Note: If there are not enough Threat markers in the supply, distribute the markers in player order and immediately apply any triggered penalties, thus refreshing the supply and allowing every player to get a marker.

Example of threat penalties

After rolling the dice, there is a red 5 and a yellow 6. The player already has two Threat markers of those colors in front of himself. This means that the third marker causes some damage.

• The fire (red) means that the player must discard one of his built houses or Canal tokens. Since he has not built any Canal tokens, he discards 1 house.
• The raid (yellow) means that the player must lose all his guilders. He returns the guilders he has to the bank.
• Finally, he returns all of his yellow and red Threat markers to the supply. He should be safe from these threats for a while…

End of the Game

The game ends at the end of the round in which one of the piles ran out of cards. (Exception: see page 4.)

Final Scoring

Each player then scores points for:

• People: The player gets points for each person in his play area.

• Houses: For each house that a player has built, he gets 1 point. Whether or not the house is occupied has no impact on the scoring.
• Benefits (from people): For each person with a “laurel” icon, its owner gets the number of points indicated on that card.
• Majority markers: Each Majority marker that a player was able to flip colored-side up is worth 4 points.
• Canal: Each 3rd canal (space 3 of a section) a player built in his sections gives him 3 points. Each collected statue also gives its owner the number of points illustrated on the statue.
• Reputation: Finally, players score the number of points indicated on the step they have reached on the reputation track.

The players move their pawn around the scoring track to note their score.

When a player has over 50 points, he takes a 50/100 points token and continues moving his pawn around the track. If a player ever has more than 100 points, he flips his token to indicate his score.

The player with the most points is the winner. In case of a tie, the tied player with the most guilders is the winner. If this does not resolve the tie, the tied players share the victory.

Example of a final scoring

The player has the following cards and tokens in her play area:

• For her people she scores: 3 + 1 + 2 + 0 + 2 = 8 points.
• She scores 1 point for each of the 6 houses that she built = 6 points.
• The Mayor shows a “laurel” icon, allowing the player to score 2 points per Bureaucrat in her play area. She has the following people belonging to the Bureaucrat group: the Mayor and the Councilman, giving her 2 x 2 points = 4 points.
• She scores 4 points per Majority marker on its colored side. She was able to get the majority in people and reputation during the game (2 x 4 points) = 8 points.
• She built one Canal token on a 3rd space = 3 points.
• Her pawn is on the 6th step of the reputation track = 7 points.

The player’s final score is 36 points.

Designer: Stefan Feld
Illustration: Michael Menzel
© 2013 Hans im Glück Verlags-GmbH
English version by: © 2013 Z-Man Games, Inc.