/pic6228507.jpg)
How to play
Grounded in Orléans's rulebook — cite-checked answers, not guesses.
Get a straight answer with the exact rulebook passage to back it up.
The easy-to-forget bits, straight from the rulebook.
Game end trigger
The game ends at the end of the round in which the 18th and last Hour Glass Tile is drawn.
Start player
The youngest player receives the Start Player Token.
Starting coins
Each player takes 5 coins during setup.
End game tie-breaker
If players are tied on Victory Points, the player further ahead on the Development Track wins; if still tied, there are multiple winners.
Goods VP
Brocade: 5 VP, Wool: 4 VP, Wine: 3 VP, Cheese: 2 VP, Grain: 1 VP.
Citizen Tile tie-breaker
Before final scoring, the player who has built the most Trading Stations receives the remaining Citizen Tile; if there is a tie, no player receives the tile.
Census tie-breaker
If tied for most Farmers, no player receives a coin; if tied for fewest Farmers, no player has to pay a coin (except in 2-player games, where the player behind does not pay).
Torture replacement
Missing coins can be replaced by Trading Stations, Followers, Development Points, Goods Tiles, Place Tiles, or Technology Tiles.
To set up the game of Orléans, follow these steps: 1. **Player Components** * Each player takes 1 Followers Bag, 5 coins, 7 wooden cubes (markers), 1 Player Board, 1 Merchant Token, and 10 Trading Stations. * Each player also takes 1 set of Followers (a Farmer, a Boatman, a Craftsman, and a Trader) of their color. Place your Trading Stations and coins in front of you, and place these 4 starting Followers on the Market Spaces of your Player Board. 2. **Game Boards** * Place the large game board (places and terrain) and the "Beneficial Deeds" board on the table. 3. **Tiles and Tokens on Boards** * Place the Technology Tiles in a stack on their designated space on the game board. If playing with less than 5 players, remove 4 Technology Tiles from the game. * Set aside the "Pilgrimage" Start Tile (the lighter-hued Hour Glass Tile with the monks) from the 18 Hour Glass Tiles. Separate the remaining 17 Hour Glass Tiles by their backs (A, B, and C) into three stacks, then shuffle each stack individually. Place the stack with the “C” Tiles face down on the Hour Glass Space on the Large Game Board, then the “B” Tiles, the “A” Tiles, and finally, the lighter Start Tile face down on top. * Place 1 marker from each player on the first space of each of the Character Tracks and the Development Track. * Sort the neutral Character Tiles (without player color markings) by profession. Use the table on the back of the rulebook to place the correct number of these tiles on their appropriate buildings on the game board, based on the number of players. Remove any remaining neutral Character Tiles from the game. * Place 13 Citizen Tiles on the marked spaces on the game board and the "Beneficial Deeds" board. Put the remaining Citizen Tile on the table. * Shuffle the Goods Tiles face down and place them face up, one tile per Road and Waterway Space. In 4-player and 5-player games, all such spaces receive a tile; in 2- and 3-player games, some spaces will remain empty. Sort any remaining Goods Tiles and place them face up on the appropriate spaces of the Goods Market (on the left side of the game board). 4. **General Supply** * Put the general supply of coins on the table close at hand. * Sort the Place Tiles by the Roman numerals on their reverse side and place them in separate stacks on the table. 5. **Merchant Token** * Place your Merchant Token in Orléans. 6. **Player Count Adjustments** * **3-player game:** Remove the Followers of unused player colors from the game. Remove 6 Goods Tiles from the game at random. Do not place any Goods Tiles on spaces marked with “4”. * **2-player game:** Remove the Followers of unused player colors from the game. Remove 12 Goods Tiles from the game at random. Do not place any Goods Tiles on spaces marked with “3” or “4”. 7. **Start Player** * The youngest player receives the Start Player Token.
Rules summaries are AI-generated from the official rulebook and may contain mistakes — check the manual for anything critical.
During your turn in Orléans, you perform actions within two main phases: **During the Planning Phase (Phase 4):** * All players simultaneously plan their actions. * You place Character Tiles from your Market onto the Action Spaces of the Places you want to activate. * A Place is activated once all of its required Action Spaces have a tile. * You are not required to place all necessary tiles during the same Planning Phase; you can place some now and others in subsequent rounds. * You can leave Character Tiles on your Market to use in later rounds. * Once you finish planning, you indicate the end of your planning phase. * An activated action can be carried out during the current or a future Action Phase. **During the Action Phase (Phase 5):** * Starting with the Start Player and going clockwise, each player may carry out one action or pass. * You may carry out the actions of the Places you activated (where you placed a Follower or Technology Tile on every required space). * You can choose to carry out your actions in any order. * You are not required to use an activated action; you may pass even if you could carry out more actions. * If you pass, you cannot carry out any more actions during that round. * After playing an action, you remove the Character Tiles used for that action and return them to your bag. Technology Tiles, however, remain on the Action Spaces until the end of the game. * Activated actions that you did not use in the current round remain activated and can be used in a subsequent round.
The player with the most Victory Points (VP) wins the game. You earn Victory Points for: * **Coins:** 1 VP per coin. * **Goods:** Brocade is 5 VP, Wool is 4 VP, Wine is 3 VP, Cheese is 2 VP, and Grain is 1 VP. * **Trading Stations and Citizen Tiles:** Each Trading Station you have built and every Citizen Tile you have collected is worth a number of VP equal to your Development Status. If there is a tie in VP, the player further ahead on the Development Track wins. If it's still tied, there are multiple winners. The overall goal is to achieve dominance in various areas by gaining goods, coins, and victory points through production, trade, development, and committing to the common good. The game ends after 18 rounds.
The game ends after 18 rounds. Before final scoring, the player with the most Trading Stations receives the remaining Citizen Tile (if tied, no player gets it). You score Victory Points (VP) for the following: * **Coins:** 1 VP per coin. * **Goods:** * Brocade: 5 VP. * Wool: 4 VP. * Wine: 3 VP. * Cheese: 2 VP. * Grain: 1 VP. * **Trading Stations and Citizen Tiles:** Each Trading Station you have built and every Citizen Tile you have collected is worth a number of VP equal to your Development Status. Your Development Status is indicated by your marker on the Development Track. The player with the most VP wins. In case of a tie, the player further ahead on the Development Track wins. If still tied, there are multiple winners.
The game ends after 18 rounds. This occurs at the end of the round in which the 18th and last Hour Glass Tile is drawn. Once the game ends, the following steps occur before final scoring: * The player who has built the most Trading Stations receives the remaining Citizen Tile. If there is a tie, no one receives the tile. * Then, players determine their final scores. You score victory points for: * Coins: 1 victory point per coin. * Goods: Brocade (5 victory points), Wool (4 victory points), Wine (3 victory points), Cheese (2 victory points), Grain (1 victory point). * Trading Stations and Citizen Tiles: Each Trading Station you built and every Citizen Tile you collected is worth a number of victory points equal to your Development Status. The player with the most victory points wins. In case of a tie, the player further ahead on the Development Track wins, and if still tied, there are multiple winners.