The Gallerist

2015

Experience the thrilling world of art and capitalism with The Gallerist! Nurture artists, sell exquisite art, and attract worldwide visitors to build your reputation and fortune.

150
minutes

1 - 4
player(s)

13+

Heavy

About the game

The world of art comes alive in the fascinating board game – The Gallerist. This game presents an exhilarating journey into the glitzy, glamorous world of art galleries where you step into the shoes of a powerful gallerist, scouting talent, buying and selling works of art, and attracting visitors to your gallery.

The Gallerist is set in the contemporary art scene, where you traverse through bustling art studios, auctions, and galleries. The game immerses you in the intricate, competitive world of art dealing, where your strategic prowess, negotiation skills, and business acumen are put to the test.

Game components Unboxing the fun!

The Gallerist is a complex board game with a myriad of components. These components are integral to the game’s mechanics and the strategies players develop. Here are the components included in ‘The Gallerist’ and their respective functions within the game:

1. Game Board

This is the central piece around which the game is played. The game board is divided into four sections: the International Market, the Sales Office, the Buy Artwork section, and the Promote Artwork section. Each section has special actions that players can perform during their turn.

2. Player Boards

There are four player boards, each representing a player’s gallery. Players use these boards to keep track of their acquired artworks, artists they’re promoting, visitors in their gallery, and their fame and money.

3. Player Tokens

Each player has a set of tokens in their chosen color. These tokens represent the player’s gallerist, assistants, and collectors. Gallerists and assistants are used to perform actions on the game board, while collectors are used to score points.

4. Artist Tiles

These 16 tiles represent the artists available in the game. Each tile depicts an artist’s signature and artwork. Players can ‘discover’ these artists to acquire their artwork and promote them.

5. Artwork Cards

These 40 cards represent artworks that players can acquire. Each card depicts an artwork and provides information about its artist, type, and value. Players purchase these cards to add to their gallery.

6. Visitor Meeples

These 66 meeples represent visitors to the galleries. There are three types of visitors: white (VIPs), pink (collectors), and brown (investors). Players invite these visitors to their gallery to increase their fame and score points.

7. Kick Out Tokens

These tokens are used to ‘kick out’ other players’ gallerists or assistants from a location on the game board. This forces the affected player to perform a ‘kicked out’ action, which can disrupt their strategy.

8. Contract Cards

These 16 cards represent contracts that players can fulfill to score points. Each card depicts the type of artwork needed and the benefit received when the contract is fulfilled.

9. Money Tokens

These tokens represent the currency in the game. Players use money to buy artworks, promote artists, and fulfill contracts.

10. Fame Points Track

This track is used to keep track of players’ fame points. The player with the most fame points at the end of the game is the winner.

Each component in ‘The Gallerist’ has a role to play in the overall gameplay and strategy. Understanding how these components interact is key to mastering this complex and engaging board game.

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

The Gallerist is a complex strategy game where players take on the roles of art gallery owners. Here is a detailed step-by-step guide on how to set up the game:

Step 1: Identify Player Roles

Each player will represent an art gallery owner. This role doesn’t have any special abilities or attributes, but players must manage their gallery to attract visitors, buy and sell artwork, and achieve the highest reputation.

Step 2: Board Placement

Place the main game board in the center of the playing area. All players should be able to reach it easily as they will need to move their gallerist pawn and visitors around the board.

Step 3: Placement of Player Boards

Each player receives a player board which represents their gallery. This should be placed in front of them, together with a gallerist pawn, 4 assistants, and 10 visitors (divided into 5 white and 5 pink).

Step 4: Setup of Influence Track

Each player places one assistant on the zero space of the influence track on the main board. Influence points are used throughout the game to perform certain actions.

Step 5: Art Tiles and Artists

Art Tiles: Shuffle the art tiles and place them in a facedown stack. Draw and place one tile on each of the empty spaces on the artist tiles.

Artists: Shuffle the artist tiles and place them in a face-down stack. Draw and place one tile on each of the empty artist spaces on the board.

Step 6: Setup of Contracts, Tickets, and Visitors

Contracts: Shuffle the contract cards and deal two to each player. Place the rest as a draw pile next to the board.

Tickets: Place the tickets in a pile next to the board. Each player should draw a number of tickets equal to the number of players minus one.

Visitors: Place the remaining visitors in the bag, draw a number of visitors depending on the number of players, and place them in the plaza area of the board.

Step 7: Initial Reputation

Each player places their scoring marker on the 10 space of the reputation track. This will be used to keep track of each player’s reputation throughout the game.

Step 8: Random Elements

To introduce some randomness into the game, you may shuffle the kick out tiles and place one randomly on each of the four gallery spaces on the main board.

After these steps, players can start the game, beginning with the player who most recently visited an art gallery and proceeding clockwise.

Game flow Round and round we go

The game of The Gallerist is a complex, strategy-based board game where players assume the roles of fine art gallery owners. The game is played over several rounds with no fixed number, and continues until one of the end game conditions is met.

The Gallerist is divided into specific stages where players can perform various actions. These actions are performed in a cyclic order and each player gets a chance to perform one action per turn. The stages of the game are divided as follows:

Location Action: The player’s pawn is moved to a new location around the game board, and the action associated with that location is performed. There are four locations in total: the International Market, the Auction House, the Artist’s Colony, and the Gallery. Each location has a corresponding action that the player can perform.
Kicked-out Action: If another player’s pawn is already present at the location selected, that pawn is “kicked out”. The kicked-out player may then perform a bonus action, either immediately or later in their turn.
Executive Action: After performing a location action, or a kicked-out action, the active player may choose to perform an additional executive action. These actions typically involve using influence or money to perform beneficial tasks such as promoting an artist or buying a piece of art.

Each player’s turn consists of performing these actions in sequence. The game does not have a fixed number of rounds or phases. Instead, the game ends when either all the spaces for visitors in the plaza are occupied, or when the final piece of art is bought or commissioned. At this point, players calculate their final score based on their achievements in the game – such as the art they’ve collected, the fame of the artists they represent, and their remaining resources.

Understanding the structure and flow of ‘The Gallerist’ can take some time due to its complexity and the variety of strategies available. However, with practice and experience, players can learn to navigate the game’s structure efficiently and develop winning strategies.

Players'turn One turn to rule them all

In ‘The Gallerist’, players take on the role of an art gallery owner and attempt to build the most prestigious gallery through various actions. During a player’s turn, they can take one of two main actions: move their gallerist to an empty location and perform the action there or kick out another player’s gallerist from a location and perform that action. Each location provides different actions that affect gameplay in various ways.

Moving to an empty location: If a player moves their gallerist to an empty location, they can perform the action associated with that location. The locations and their actions are as follows:

Artists’ Colony: Here, players can discover a new artist, improving their fame and adding their signature tile to a player’s gallery. This can increase the value of artwork and provide bonus actions.
Sales Office: At this location, players can sell artworks they’ve acquired, generating money and increasing the artist’s fame.
International Market: In the International Market, players can acquire contracts, hire assistants, and gain influence.
Auction House: At the Auction House, players can bid on artwork, potentially acquiring high-value pieces at a lower cost.

Kicking out another player’s gallerist: If a player moves their gallerist to a location occupied by another player’s gallerist, the latter is ‘kicked out’. The kicked out player may then perform one ‘executive action’. These are less powerful actions that can be performed outside of a player’s turn and include:

Bonus action: This allows the player to perform the bonus action associated with the location they were kicked out from.
Contract action: This lets the player complete a contract they’ve acquired. Contracts can provide various benefits, such as money, influence, or additional actions.

Strategic choices come into play in deciding where to move your gallerist, when to kick out another player, which art to buy or sell, and how to use contracts and influence. The player who best navigates these choices and builds the most prestigious gallery by the end of the game wins.

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

The Gallerist, a complex and strategic board game, ends when one of the following two conditions is met:

When the end of the game is triggered by a player buying the last available painting in the market.
When a player moves onto or past the ’16’ space of the fame or money track, signifying a successful career in art dealing.

After the game ends, players have to take a few more steps before final scoring:

Reputation Scoring: First, players turn their remaining reputation into money at a rate of 2:1, meaning every two reputation points are converted into one money.
Artwork Scoring: Next, players score points for each artwork they have in their gallery. The value of each artwork is equal to the artist’s current fame level.
Art Dealer Bonus: Then, players receive bonus points for every art dealer they have in their gallery. The bonus points are equal to the number of artworks in the gallery.
Masterpiece Scoring: After that, players score points for each masterpiece they own. A masterpiece is an artwork that has reached the maximum fame level of 20. The player receives 20 points for each masterpiece.
Collector’s Bonus: Finally, players receive a collector’s bonus for each set of different artist’s paintings they own. The bonus is equal to the number of paintings in the set squared.

The player with the most points after all scoring is completed is the winner. In case of a tie, the player with the most money left is the winner.

Scoring Did you outsmart your rivals?

In the board game ‘The Gallerist’, the scoring system is multifaceted and focuses on various aspects of the gameplay. This includes the value of your artists, the value of your collection, your investment in the International Market, your tickets, your money, and your leftover reputation.

1. Artist Value:

For each artist you have discovered during the game, you will get points equal to the fame of that artist at the end of the game.

2. Collection Value:

You will score points for each artwork in your collection. The value of each artwork is equal to the value of the artist who created it.

3. International Market:

Each spot you occupy on the international market will earn you points. The points will be equal to the number on the spot you occupy.

4. Tickets:

At the end of the game, you will score points for your leftover tickets. Each visitor in your lobby is worth 1 point, and each visitor on your player board is worth 2 points.

5. Money:

Every 10 money you have at the end of the game is worth 1 point.

6. Reputation:

Every leftover reputation is worth 1 point.

In the event of a tie, the tie-breaking rules are as follows:

The player with the most leftover money wins.
If there is still a tie, the player with the most leftover reputation wins.
If there is still a tie, the player with the most visitors in their lobby wins.
If there is still a tie, the player with the lowest player number wins.

Particular Cases and Exceptions Wait… is that legal?

The Gallerist is a complex board game with a variety of special rules and exceptions. Here are some important ones to keep in mind:

1. Executive Actions: Remember that you can only perform an Executive Action either before or after your Location action, not during. And you can perform the same Executive Action twice in a row if your previous turn was interrupted by an opponent displacing your pawn.

2. Influencing Visitors: You can only influence a visitor if you have an empty space on your player board. If all spaces are filled, you cannot perform this action.

3. Artist Promotion: When promoting an artist, remember to increase the fame of all other works by that artist in the market. Exceptionally, if there are no more works by that artist in the market, you do not need to increase the fame.

4. Buying Artwork: When buying artwork, you pay the price indicated on the artist’s fame track, not the price on the artwork tile. If the artist is not famous (fame 0), the cost of their work is $1.

5. International Market: If a player does not have enough reputation to pay for a reward, they cannot choose it. Remember that reputation points cannot be split between different rewards.

6. End of the Game: The game ends immediately when the last ticket is taken from the ticket pile, not after the current round. Therefore, some players may have more turns than others.

7. Bonus Scoring: At the end of the game, bonus scoring happens. If there’s a tie for the majority of visitors, all tied players score full points.

These are just a few of the many rules in The Gallerist. It’s a complex game with a lot of strategic depth and numerous interactions between different game elements.

Tips and tricks Play smarter, not harder!

The Gallerist is a complex and strategic board game that involves managing an art gallery. Here are some advanced strategies, beginner tips, common mistakes to avoid, and ways to optimize gameplay.

Advanced Strategies:

Focus on Signatures: Concentrate on getting as many artist signatures as possible. This will not only increase the value of your artworks but also provide you with more options during the game.
Plan Your Moves: Try to anticipate the actions of your opponents. This will help you make strategic decisions that can block them or force them to change their plans.
Optimize Your Tickets: Make efficient use of your tickets. They can provide a significant advantage if used correctly. Remember, the more visitors you have in your gallery, the more influence you can exert.

Beginner Tips:

Understand the Basics: Make sure you understand the basic mechanics of the game before you start playing. This includes the concepts of buying and selling art, promoting artists, and attracting visitors.
Be Flexible: Don’t stick to just one strategy. It’s essential to adapt your strategy based on the current state of the game.
Learn from Others: Watch how other players play the game. This can provide valuable insights and strategies that you can use in your own gameplay.

Common Mistakes to Avoid:

Ignoring the Market: One of the common mistakes players make is ignoring the art market. The value of art increases when it’s bought and sold, so keep an eye on the market and adjust your strategy accordingly.
Overvaluing Art: Don’t overvalue your art. Remember, it’s not just about owning the most expensive art, but also about selling it at the right time to maximize your profits.
Overlooking Visitors: Another common mistake is overlooking the importance of visitors. They are crucial for gaining influence, so make sure you attract as many visitors as possible to your gallery.

Optimizing Gameplay:

Use Your Assistants Wisely: Assistants can perform actions even when you are not in your gallery. Use them wisely to take actions that can benefit your strategy.
Balance Your Actions: Don’t focus too much on one aspect of the game. Try to balance buying art, promoting artists, selling art, and attracting visitors to your gallery.
Plan Ahead: The Gallerist is a game that requires careful planning. Try to anticipate future market trends and plan your actions accordingly.