Village

2011

Experience 'Village', a strategic board game of life, death, and time management. Guide a family towards fame and glory through various paths, and make tough tactical decisions along the way.

90
minutes

2 - 4
player(s)

12+

Medium Heavy

About the game

Welcome to the fascinating world of Village, a board game that beautifully combines strategy, resource management, and storytelling into an engaging and immersive gameplay experience. In this game, you’ll be transported back in time, becoming part of a traditional rural village where each player is at the helm of a family striving to rise in fame and fortune.

The theme of Village is deeply rooted in the challenges and triumphs of a bygone era. As the head of a family, you’ll need to make tough decisions on matters ranging from farming, crafting, trading, to church service, traveling, and even the inevitable reality of death. The setting is a traditional European village during the Middle Ages, providing a rich and charming backdrop to the strategic dilemmas and narratives that the game unfolds.

Game components Unboxing the fun!

Village is an engaging board game that involves strategy and planning. The game features a variety of components, each playing a unique role in the gameplay. Here is a detailed list of the components included in the game:

1 Game Board: The game board is the main component which illustrates the village and its surroundings. All of the gameplay takes place on this board. It is divided into various sections, including the crafting buildings, the church, the council chamber, the market, and the traveling areas. The game board is also where players will place their family members to perform various actions.
4 Farmyard Boards: Each player receives a farmyard board at the beginning of the game. This board represents the player’s home base and is where they store their family members and resources. The farmyard board also tracks the generations of a player’s family.
48 Family Members: These pieces represent the players in the game. Each player has a set of family members in their color. Family members are used to perform actions on the game board. Family members can be trained for various professions, sent to the council chamber, or even sent on journeys.
1 Sticker Sheet: The sticker sheet is used at the start of the game to customize the family members. Each profession in the game has a corresponding sticker.
1 Start Player Marker: This component indicates which player starts the game. The start player marker is passed to the next player at the end of each round.
1 Next Starting Player Marker: Similar to the start player marker, this component indicates who will be the next starting player in the upcoming round.
40 Goods Tiles: Goods tiles represent the various resources that players can gather during the game. These resources can be used to train family members, build buildings, and more. The types of goods include grain, plow, horse, scroll, wagon, and ox.
24 Customer Tiles: Customer tiles represent potential buyers for the goods players produce. These tiles are used in the market section of the game board. Selling goods to customers can earn players victory points.
20 Coins: Coins are the currency in the game. They are used to perform various actions, such as training family members and buying goods.
1 Bag: The bag is used to hold the grain tokens. During the harvest phase of the game, players draw grain tokens from this bag.

Each of these components interacts with the game in different ways, allowing for a rich and complex gameplay experience. The components help to create a detailed village life atmosphere, making ‘Village’ a game of strategy, planning, and resource management.

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

‘Village’ is a popular board game that allows players to take on the roles of family leaders in a medieval village. The game revolves around managing resources, planning strategically, and making important family decisions. Here’s a detailed guide on how to set up ‘Village’.

Step 1: Board Placement

Place the main game board in the center of the table. Ensure that all players have easy access to it. Nearby, set up the four field boards – the Craftsmen’s board, the Travel board, the Council Chamber board, and the Church board.

Step 2: Prepare the Resource Bag

Mix all the cubes (green, pink, brown, and orange) together in the provided cloth bag. These cubes represent various resources like faith, knowledge, craft, and influence.

Step 3: Filling the Black Bag

Fill the black bag with the black cubes (plague cubes) and the white cubes (time cubes). The amount of each depends on the number of players. For a two-player game, use 9 time cubes and 2 plague cubes. For three players, use 12 time cubes and 3 plague cubes, and for four players, use 15 time cubes and 4 plague cubes.

Step 4: Setting up the Market

Lay out the six customer tiles on the Market. The tiles should be placed face up and in increasing order of value (from 2 to 12), as indicated on the Market spaces.

Step 5: Prepare the Players

Each player chooses a color and takes the corresponding components: 10 family members, one scoring marker, and one horse cart. The family members should be placed on the Farmyard board in their designated spaces. The scoring marker is placed on the ‘0’ space of the scoring track on the main game board. The horse cart should be placed in front of the player.

Step 6: Initial Resources

Each player starts the game with two coins. These are placed in their Farmyard.

Step 7: Random Elements

Randomly draw four cubes from the resource bag and place them in the four spaces of the ‘Craftsman’s Workshop’ on the Craftsmen’s board. Repeat this process for the other boards. The cubes drawn will determine the initial resources available for each player.

Step 8: Starting Player

The youngest player goes first. The game begins with this player drawing cubes from the black bag and placing them in the ‘Plague’ area of the main game board.

And now you’re all set to start playing ‘Village’! Enjoy the challenge of strategizing and making crucial decisions to ensure your family’s success.

Game flow Round and round we go

Village is a strategic board game where players manage their family tree over several generations. Players strive to establish their lineages in various fields such as religion, trade, politics, and travel, while coping with inevitable death. The game proceeds in a series of rounds, each with its own set of phases.

The course of play:

Mass: At the beginning of each round, a mass takes place in the village church, and cubes representing ‘time’ are placed on the action spaces of the game board. The number of cubes on each space depends on the number of players.
Action Phase: During the Action Phase, players take turns picking up cubes and performing corresponding actions. There are a variety of actions available, including crafting goods, increasing your family’s influence in the council, entering the church, and more. Each action consumes a certain amount of time.
Time Phase: Once all of the cubes have been taken and actions have been performed, the Time Phase begins. In this phase, each player must advance their ‘time marker’ on their family farm, representing the passage of time. If a player’s marker crosses a bridge on the farm, a family member of their choosing dies and is placed in the village chronicle or an anonymous grave.
Market Day: After the Time Phase, market day occurs. Each player can choose to sell goods they’ve produced or purchase prestige points with their goods.

The game ends when either the village chronicle or the anonymous graves are filled. Players then add up their prestige points, and the player with the most points wins.

Players'turn One turn to rule them all

‘Village’ is a complex strategy board game that involves managing resources and family members to build your own successful village. Each player’s turn consists of a sequence of actions, which can have a significant impact on the gameplay. Here’s a detailed breakdown:

1. Take a Cube:

The player’s turn begins by taking a cube from one of the action spaces on the game board. The color of the cube determines the type of action that can be performed.

Green cubes represent the market, allowing the player to trade resources.
Orange cubes represent the craft, enabling the player to produce goods or plough fields.
Blue cubes represent the council chamber, where the player can gain political influence.
Pink cubes represent the church, where the player can gain religious influence.
Black cubes are wild and can be used for any action.

2. Perform an Action:

After taking a cube, the player can perform an action related to the cube’s color. Some actions require spending time units, represented by sand timers. When a player’s sand timer runs out, a family member dies and is placed in the village chronicle or an anonymous grave.

Market (Green Cube): The player can trade resources for victory points or special abilities.
Craft (Orange Cube): The player can produce goods, plough fields, or expand their farm. This can provide resources and victory points.
Council Chamber (Blue Cube): The player can gain political influence, which can lead to various benefits such as additional actions or victory points.
Church (Pink Cube): The player can contribute to the church, which can provide victory points and other benefits.

3. Strategic Choices:

Players must make strategic choices about which actions to take and when to take them. For example, gaining influence in the council chamber can provide powerful benefits, but it requires a significant investment of time. Similarly, expanding the farm can provide a steady income of resources, but it also requires time and leaves less time for other actions.

4. End of Turn:

The player’s turn ends after they have performed their action. If a family member died during the turn, the player may have to make additional decisions about where to place the family member in the village chronicle or an anonymous grave. The turn then passes to the next player.

Through these choices and actions, players build their village, manage their resources, and strive to gain the most victory points. The game ends when the village chronicle or the anonymous graves are filled, and the player with the most victory points wins.

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

In the board game ‘Village’, the game ends when the village chronicle (the book on the game board) or the anonymous graves are filled with player’s family members. Once either of these conditions is met, the end of the game is triggered and the current round is played to its conclusion.

End of Game Conditions:

Village Chronicle is full: Each time a family member dies from old age, they are placed in the next available space in the Village Chronicle. When the last space is filled, this triggers the end of the game.
Anonymous Graves are full: If a family member dies from a plague or other non-natural causes, they are placed in an anonymous grave. Once all these graves are filled, the game ends.

When the game ends, players need to follow certain steps for final scoring.

Final Scoring:

Market Scoring: Players earn points equal to the value of their goods in the market.
Travel Scoring: Players earn points for each of their meeples that traveled. These points are according to the travel area scoring chart.
Church Scoring: Players earn points for each of their meeples in the church. The first player gets the highest points, and so on.
Council Chamber Scoring: Players earn points for each of their meeples in the council chamber. The points are awarded in descending order.
Chronicle Scoring: Players score points for each of their family members in the Village Chronicle. The more members a player has in the Chronicle, the more points they earn.
Remaining Life Points: Players lose one point for each unused life point.

Victory Conditions:

The player with the highest total points from all scoring categories is declared the winner. In case of a tie, the player with the most remaining goods wins. If there is still a tie, the player with the most family members in the Village Chronicle wins.

Scoring Did you outsmart your rivals?

In ‘Village’, points are awarded in several different ways throughout the game. This game, which is all about life in a medieval village, involves a variety of actions that can earn you points. Here is a detailed explanation:

1. Market:

Players can earn points by selling goods at the market. The amount of points depends on the number of goods sold. For instance:

1 good = 1 point
2 goods = 3 points
3 goods = 6 points
4 goods = 10 points

2. Church:

Points are awarded based on the number of family members in the church at the end of the game:

1 member = 1 point
2 members = 3 points
3 members = 6 points
4 members = 10 points

3. Travel:

Points are awarded for each city you’ve traveled to. The exact number of points depends on the city.

4. Crafts:

Points are awarded for each crafted item. The number of points depends on the item and the number of items crafted.

5. Book of Remembrance:

When a family member dies, they are placed in the Book of Remembrance. The first family member in each chapter earns 2 points, the second earns 3, the third earns 4 and so on.

6. End of the game:

At the end of the game, players also earn points for unused time tokens and coins. Each time token is worth 1 point, and each set of 3 coins is worth 1 point.

Regarding tie-breaking, if two or more players have the same number of points at the end of the game, the player with the most coins wins. If there is still a tie, the player with the most time tokens wins. If there is still a tie after that, the victory is shared.

Particular Cases and Exceptions Wait… is that legal?

The board game ‘Village’ involves a fair amount of strategy and planning, but there are also a few rare and special rules, exceptions, and important rule clarifications that players should be aware of. These can greatly affect the gameplay and potentially the outcome of the game.

1. The Time Mechanic:

In ‘Village’, players spend time to perform actions. If a player’s time marker reaches or passes the bridge on the time track, a family member must die. It’s important to note that the time marker does not reset to the start of the track after a death, but continues from where it stopped.

2. The Market:

Only one of each type of customer can be at the market at any given time. If a player wishes to add a customer to the market and all the spaces of that type are filled, they can replace a customer of the same type. However, the replaced customer must be of a lower or equal value than the one being placed.

3. The Church:

Placement of family members in the church follows a specific order. If there are family members waiting in the church, they must be placed in the church spaces before any new family members can be sent to the church. If the church is full, new family members would wait in the churchyard until space becomes available.

4. The Council Chamber:

When placing family members in the council chamber, they must be placed from left to right. If a player wishes to move a family member to the right, they must pay one time unit for each space moved.

5. The Travel Area:

Only one family member can be on each of the travel locations at any given time. If a player wishes to place a family member on a location that is already occupied, they must pay two grain and two gold to the player who is there.

6. The Well:

The well token is only moved when a player performs an action that uses a green influence cube. The player can choose whether or not to move the well token, but if they do, it must be moved clockwise.

7. Grain and Plague Tokens:

At the end of each round, players can gain grain tokens according to the number of fields they have. However, for each grain token taken, a plague token must also be taken. These plague tokens can result in the death of family members, so players must balance their needs carefully.

8. The Chronicle:

When a family member dies, if there is space in the Chronicle for their profession, they can be recorded there. However, if the Chronicle is full, family members of higher generations take priority. If there is a tie, the player who is furthest behind on the score track gets to choose who is recorded.

Remember, understanding these rules and exceptions can greatly enhance the gameplay and potentially the outcome of the game.

Tips and tricks Play smarter, not harder!

Advanced Strategies for ‘Village’

‘Village’, a board game designed around the concept of generational growth and development, requires strategic planning and a deep understanding of the game’s mechanics. Here are some advanced strategies to consider:

Efficient Use of Time: Each action in the game costs time. Players can strategize by planning their actions in a way that maximizes their return while minimizing the time spent.
Market Strategy: The market is a great way to earn points. Try to anticipate what goods will be in demand in the future and plan accordingly.
Travel Strategy: Traveling can earn you a lot of points, but it’s also very time-consuming. Balance your travels with other activities to maintain an efficient gameplay.

Beginner Tips for ‘Village’

If you’re new to ‘Village’, here are some helpful tips to get you started:

Understand the importance of each action. Every action you take in the game has a consequence. Make sure you understand what each action does before you take it.
Start with a balanced strategy. Try not to focus too heavily on one aspect of the game. A balanced approach is usually the best for beginners.
Don’t be afraid to lose family members. It’s part of the game and can lead to points in the long run.

Common Mistakes to Avoid in ‘Village’

As with any game, there are common mistakes that players often make in ‘Village’. Here are a few to watch out for:

Ignoring the Church: The church is a crucial aspect of the game. Ignoring it can cost you valuable points.
Not Planning Ahead: ‘Village’ is a game of strategy. Failing to plan your actions ahead of time can lead to wasted time and resources.
Forgetting the Death Mechanic: Remember, when your family members die, they can earn you points. Don’t forget to factor this into your strategy.

Optimizing Gameplay in ‘Village’

To optimize your gameplay in ‘Village’, consider the following tactics:

Adapt to the Game State: The state of the game can change rapidly. Be ready to adapt your strategy as necessary.
Manage Your Resources: Be mindful of your resources. Use them wisely and try not to waste them.
Learn From Others: Pay attention to the strategies of successful players. You can learn a lot from their gameplay.