Noblemen

About this board game

Noblemen is a board game for 3–5 players, played in about 120 minutes, set in mid-sixteenth-century England. With Queen Elizabeth I ruling without an heir, British aristocratic families compete to gain influence, wealth, prestige, and a lasting place in history.

Each player develops a family estate while pursuing several races at once. You must judge when to expand, when to accumulate wealth, and when to seek prestige, while the approach of each scoring round remains uncertain. Rival players may race to claim cheaper buildings, build a folly first, or earn enough prestige to secure a higher noble title.

On your turn, you may play one scandal card if you wish, then take one action. Your choices include:

• Grow Estate: Play lands from behind your screen.
• Build Structure: Buy and place a building on a meadow.
• Bribe Royalty: Purchase bribe tickets for later redemption.
• Collect Taxes: Gain money.
• Acquire Lands: Draw additional land from the bag of random lands.
• Donate to the Church: Redeem lands for victory points.
• Leisure Time: Gain one victory point.

Most turns focus on shaping your estate with land tiles and structures, but the path to victory is not limited to construction. You can earn the Queen’s favor, witness scandalous behavior, gain influence with the church, bribe royalty, and use your political weight during masquerade balls.

After three decades, the player with the most victory points wins. Noblemen challenges you to balance lands, wealth, and prestige as you maneuver your family toward prominence.