Orléans

2014

In Orléans, build your medieval empire with farmers, merchants, knights, and monks. Strategize to maximize actions and pave your own path to victory.

90
minutes

2 - 5
player(s)

12+

Medium Heavy

About the game

Orléans is a riveting and engaging board game that takes you on a thrilling journey through the medieval era in the French city of Orléans. As the leader of a guild, you are tasked with gathering followers and resources to accumulate wealth, build structures, and expand your influence across the city and surrounding towns.

The beauty of Orléans lies in its rich thematic setting and depth of strategy. The game board is a well-crafted representation of the city, filled with various buildings, resources, and detailed artwork that truly brings the medieval period to life. Each player’s board represents their own guild, where they manage their bag of followers and plan their strategy.

Game components Unboxing the fun!

Orléans is a medieval-themed strategy board game that involves resource management, worker placement, and deck building. The game comes with various components that each serve a specific purpose in the gameplay experience. Here is a description of each component:

1. Game Board: The game board depicts a map of Orléans and the surrounding countryside. Players move their merchant tokens on this board to acquire goods and build trading stations. The game board also includes a track for goods, citizens, and development.

2. Four Player Boards: Each player receives a player board that represents their bag. This is where players place their followers in different occupations. The player boards are used to organize and manage the player’s pieces and resources throughout the game.

3. Four Merchant Tokens: Each player has a merchant token that moves on the game board. The merchant tokens are used to acquire goods and build trading stations.

4. 104 Follower Tiles: These are the workers used in the game. There are five different types: farmers, boatmen, craftsmen, scholars, and monks. They are used in combinations to perform various actions, like moving the merchant, increasing the goods track, developing technology, etc.

5. 90 Goods Tiles: There are six types of goods: cheese, grain, wine, cloth, spices, and tools. Players acquire these goods by moving their merchant tokens on the game board and can use them for trading and scoring points.

6. 16 Technology Tiles: These tiles allow players to advance in technology, making certain actions more efficient. They are acquired through specific actions on the player boards.

7. 14 Citizen Tiles: Citizen tiles are special tiles that players can earn as a reward for building trading stations or advancing on the development track. They provide additional points at the end of the game.

8. 47 Building Tiles: Building tiles provide players with new actions they can perform. Players can acquire these tiles by using the “construction” action on their player boards.

9. 20 Trading Station Tiles: Players can build trading stations on the game board to earn citizen tiles and other benefits. They are built by performing a specific action on the player board and moving the merchant token to the corresponding location on the game board.

10. 1 Scoring Pad: The scoring pad is used to keep track of players’ points during and at the end of the game. It helps determine the winner of the game.

11. 2 Overview Sheets: These sheets provide a summary of the gameplay and scoring rules. They’re a handy reference during the game.

12. 1 Cloth Bag: The cloth bag is used to randomly draw follower tiles during the game. This adds an element of luck and unpredictability to the game.

13. 1 Starting Player Marker: This marker is used to indicate which player will start the game. It can be passed around as the game progresses.

14. 40 Coins: Coins are used as currency in the game. Players can earn coins by performing certain actions and can spend them to execute various strategies.

15. 4 Overview Cards: Each player receives an overview card that summarizes the possible actions and their costs. It helps players plan their strategies and make decisions during the game.

Game setup Lay it out, line it up, let’s go

Orléans is an engaging and strategic board game that combines elements of bag-building and worker placement. The following is a step-by-step guide on how to set up the game.

1. Board Preparation:

Place the main game board in the center of the table where it is accessible to all players.

2. Player Roles:

Each player chooses a color and takes all followers (wooden pieces) of that color. The followers consist of different roles such as farmers, traders, knights, scholars, craftsmen, monks, and boatmen. Each player places one follower of each type into their bag. The remaining followers are kept within reach.

3. Player Boards:

Each player receives a player board of their selected color, which is placed in front of them. The player board has spots for different followers.

4. Initial Resources:

Each player receives a starting set of resources, which includes 5 coins and 1 trading station. Additionally, each player takes one follower of each type (farmer, trader, knight, and boatman) from the general supply and places them in their bag.

5. Goods:

Sort the goods tiles by type and place them in stacks next to the game board. Each player receives one goods tile of each type (wool, cheese, wine, and brocade) to start the game.

6. Beneficial Deeds:

Shuffle the beneficial deeds tiles and randomly place one on each of the designated spaces on the beneficial deeds board.

7. Technology Tiles:

Place the technology tiles next to the game board. There is no limit to the number of each type of technology tile that can be in play.

8. Place Event Tiles:

Shuffle the event tiles and place them in a stack next to the game board. Draw the top tile and place it on the first (leftmost) event space on the game board.

9. Place Followers on the Game Board:

Each player places one of their knights on the knight track, one of their merchants on the merchant track, and one of their farmers on the farmer track.

10. Random Elements:

Orléans incorporates randomness in its gameplay through the drawing of followers from the bag, the random placement of beneficial deeds tiles, and the drawing and placement of event tiles.

Game flow Round and round we go

The game of Orléans is a bag-building and worker-placement game where players compete to garner the most victory points. The game proceeds in rounds, each of which is divided into several phases. The phases are performed in a specific order and are essential to game progression.

Phase One: The Hour Glass

During the Hour Glass Phase, the starting player turns over the hourglass tile from the stack and carries out the event shown on the tile. It is important to note that during the first round of the game, this phase is skipped.

Phase Two: Follow-Up

In the Follow-up Phase, each player draws followers from their bag. The number of followers drawn corresponds to the player’s current status on the Knight’s track. The drawn followers are placed in the Market.

Phase Three: Planning

The Planning Phase involves each player assigning their drawn followers to locations on their personal player board. Players can assign followers to the Castle, the Village, the Scriptorium, the Monastery, the Farm, the University, the Ship, the Guildhall, and the Trading Station.

Phase Four: Actions

The Action phase is where players execute the actions of their assigned followers. Each player, in turn order, executes one action at a time, until all players have executed all their possible actions. Actions include moving up on a track, acquiring goods, building trading stations, and more.

Phase Five: Event

The Event Phase involves processing the event shown on the hourglass tile revealed during the Hour Glass Phase. There are both positive and negative events that can affect the players.

Beneficial Deeds: These are positive events that grant players perks or bonuses.
Taxes: Players must pay one coin or lose one follower of their choice.

Once all phases are completed, the round ends. A new round begins with the next player taking the starting player token. The game ends when the stack of hourglass tiles is depleted, and victory points are then calculated to determine the winner.

Players'turn One turn to rule them all

In the board game ‘Orléans’, a player’s turn is structured in a series of phases. Each phase offers a variety of actions and strategic choices that can greatly influence the outcome of the game. Here is a detailed breakdown:

Phase 1: Hourglass

This is the first phase of a player’s turn. In this phase, an hourglass tile is drawn which affects all players. The effect can be positive or negative, and influences the strategies players will use in the following phases.

Phase 2: Census

In the Census phase, the player with the most farmers on their market place earns a coin, while the player with the fewest must pay a coin. It can be a strategic choice to gain more farmers to benefit from this phase.

Phase 3: Followers

Players draw their followers from a bag and place them onto their player boards. The type and quantity of followers drawn will determine the actions available to the player during the ‘Actions’ phase.

Phase 4: Planning

In the Planning phase, players assign their followers to various actions on their player board. The strategy here lies in selecting actions that will advance the player’s position on the game board or improve their resources.

Phase 5: Actions

The Actions phase is where the main gameplay happens. Here is a list of possible actions and their effects:

Travel: The player moves their merchant on the game board, gaining goods and trading stations.
Development: The player can advance on the development track, which can result in gaining more coins, goods, or followers.
Construction: The player can construct buildings that provide new actions or improve existing ones.
Education: The player can gain scholars, which are worth victory points at the end of the game.
Shipping: The player can gain coins and move their ship forward on the shipping track.
Trading: The player can exchange goods for coins or vice versa.

Phase 6: Event

An event takes place that affects all players. Players may have to pay coins, lose followers, or deal with other negative effects. Strategic foresight can help players prepare for these events and minimize their impact.

After the Event phase, the next player clockwise takes their turn, beginning with the Hourglass phase. The game continues this way until the end game conditions are met.

End of the game All good games must come to an end

The game of ‘Orléans’ ends when one of the following two conditions is met:

When there are no more events in the stack of event tiles. This signifies the end of the 18th round.
When all the citizen tiles (‘hourglass’ tokens) from the general supply have been taken.

Once one of these conditions is met, players complete the current round and then proceed to final scoring.

Final Scoring:

At the end of the game, players add up their points from the following sources:

Development Track: Players earn points corresponding to their position on the development track. The further along the track, the more points a player earns.
Goods: Players earn points for the goods they have collected. Each type of good (cheese, wine, wool, and brocade) is worth a different amount of points.
Buildings: Players earn points for the buildings they have built. The value of each building is indicated on the building tile.
Citizens: Players earn points for the citizens they have recruited. Each citizen is worth 1 point.
Coins: Every 5 coins a player has is worth 1 point.

Players must also subtract points for any remaining plague tokens they have. Each plague token is worth -1 point.

Once all points have been calculated, the player with the highest total is the winner. In the event of a tie, the player with the most remaining coins wins. If there is still a tie, the player who is earliest in the player order wins.

Scoring Did you outsmart your rivals?

Orléans is a fascinating board game where players accumulate points in a variety of ways. The final score is calculated at the end of the game, taking into account the following aspects:

Goods: Players receive points for their collected goods. Each good is assigned a specific point value which is indicated on the player’s game board.
Money: For every 5 coins a player has, they receive 1 point. Coins are rounded down for scoring purposes, meaning that if a player has 4 coins, they do not receive any points for them.
Trading Stations: Each trading station a player has built on the map is worth 2 points.
Citizens: Each citizen a player has earned is worth 1 point. Citizens can be earned by reaching certain milestones on the development track or through certain events.
Development Track: For every step a player has advanced on the development track, they receive 1 point.
Bonus Point Tiles: Players who have collected bonus point tiles throughout the game receive the number of points indicated on each tile.

After all points have been calculated, the player with the highest total is the winner of the game. However, in the event of a tie, the tie-breaking rules come into play:

The player with the most citizens wins.
If there is still a tie, the player who advanced furthest on the development track wins.
If there is still a tie, the player with the most goods wins.
If there is still a tie, the player with the most coins wins.
If there is still a tie after all these tiebreakers, the victory is shared.

Particular Cases and Exceptions Wait… is that legal?

Orléans is a tactical and strategic board game with a unique blend of bag-building and worker placement mechanics. While the basic rules are straightforward, there are some special rules, exceptions, and clarifications that players should be aware of:

1. The Council Hall: Players who place a character token in the Council Hall do not immediately carry out an action. Instead, the character is placed in the player’s beneficial deeds board. If the player’s board is full, they can replace an existing character with the new one. They earn points at the end of the game based on the number of characters in the Council Hall.

2. The Trading Station: Players can only build a Trading Station if they have at least one trading station left in their personal supply and if the town they want to build in doesn’t already have a Trading Station. Building a trading station gives the player an immediate one-time bonus.

3. The Monastery: Monks are wildcard characters. They can be used in place of any other character when carrying out an action. However, when a plague event occurs, players lose one of their monks, if they have any.

4. The Boat: When a player moves their Merchant using the Boat action, the Merchant can move along a continuous waterway. The Merchant can move through towns with Trading Stations without stopping, but cannot move through a town without a Trading Station.

5. The University: The University action allows a player to gain a scholar. Scholars are placed in the Town Hall and earn points at the end of the game. They can’t be used to replace another character.

Rule Clarification:
- When a player takes the last citizen from a guildhall on the beneficial deeds board, they receive the citizen but do not place a character from their market onto that space.
- Goods tiles are limited. If they run out, players cannot gain more of that good.
- Players can carry out actions in any order they choose during their turn.
- A player cannot carry out an action if they cannot fully pay the cost.

Understanding these rare or special rules and exceptions can greatly enhance your strategic play in Orléans.

Tips and tricks Play smarter, not harder!

Orléans is a highly strategic board game that requires careful planning and resource management. Here are some advanced strategies, beginner tips, common mistakes to avoid, and ways to optimize gameplay.

Advanced Strategies:

Focus on developing a strong engine early in the game. This means acquiring as many knights and craftsmen as possible to increase your ability to draw more followers.
Keep an eye on the beneficial deeds board. Securing early spots can yield significant long-term benefits.
Try to diversify your followers. Having a variety of followers allows you to be more flexible and respond better to the changing game landscape.

Beginner Tips:

Start by focusing on the guildhall. It’s a simple strategy that can yield great results. Acquire as many craftsmen and knights as you can.
Don’t ignore the farmer. While they may seem less useful initially, they are invaluable for generating the necessary food for your trips.
Remember to draw new followers. It’s easy to forget, but drawing new followers is crucial to expanding your options and capabilities.

Common Mistakes:

Ignoring the event tiles. These can have a significant impact on your game, and neglecting them can be a serious mistake.
Putting all your resources in one basket. It’s important to diversify your strategies and not rely too heavily on one type of follower or strategy.
Forgetting to draw new followers. This can significantly limit your options and hinder your progress.

Optimizing Gameplay:

Always plan a few turns ahead. This will allow you to better manage your resources and anticipate potential challenges.
Balance your focus between the different aspects of the game. It’s important to not get too focused on one aspect to the detriment of others.
Take advantage of opportunities to block your opponents. If you see an opportunity to prevent an opponent from completing a beneficial deed, take it.