Objective of the Game

Welcome, fellow architects! In Architects of the West Kingdom, you're not just building structures; you're vying for the King's favor and noble status in the Carolingian Empire. Your ultimate goal is to be the player with the most Victory Points (VP) at the end of the game. You'll earn these points by constructing magnificent Buildings and diligently advancing work on the grand Cathedral. But beware, this isn't just about brick and mortar; your moral compass will be tested. Will you remain virtuous, or dabble in the shady dealings of the Black Market? Your choices will impact your Virtue, which can grant or cost you precious VPs. The game concludes once a certain number of constructions are completed, so get ready to build your legacy!

Preparation (Setup)

Let's get your kingdom ready for construction! Follow these steps to set up Architects of the West Kingdom:

1. Place the Main Board in the center of your playing area.
2. Shuffle all Black Market Cards and place them in a pile on the left Black Market space, with the "Small Market" side faceup.
3. Shuffle all Reward Cards. Create a facedown pile to the right of the Cathedral with a number of cards equal to 2 per player, plus 1 (e.g., 9 cards for a 4-player game). Return any unused cards to the box.
4. Place all Debt Cards in a pile near the Guardhouse, "unpaid" side faceup.
5. Place all Multiplier Cards in a pile near the board.
6. Shuffle all Apprentice Cards and place them in a facedown pile to the right of the board. Reveal and place 1 Apprentice Card faceup in each of the 8 spaces to the right of the Workshop.
7. Shuffle all Building Cards and place them in a facedown pile to the left of the Workshop.
8. Place all Clay, Wood, Stone, Gold, Marble, and Silver into a Supply near the board. Remember, these resources (and Debts) are considered unlimited; use Multiplier Cards if you run out of physical components.
9. From the Supply, place 4 Silver in the space above the Tax Stand.
10. Each player takes 1 Player Board (side 1 faceup for standard play) and 20 Workers in their chosen color.
11. Each player places 1 of their colored Player Markers underneath the Cathedral and the other on number 7 of the Virtue Track.
12. From the Building Card Pile, deal 4 cards to each player. Each player chooses 1 card to keep, placing it facedown. Pass the remaining cards to the player on their left. Repeat this process until each player has chosen 3 cards for their starting hand. The last 2 cards received, players choose 1 to keep and place the remaining card facedown under the Building Card Pile. Keep your Building Cards secret from opponents!
13. Randomly choose a starting player. They receive 3 Silver from the Supply. The 2nd player receives 4 Silver, the 3rd player 5 Silver, and so on.

The Turn of Play

Alright, it's time to get to work! Players take turns clockwise from the starting player. On your turn, you must place 1 of your Workers from your Player Board to a chosen location on the Main Board. The game continues until a set number of constructions are completed.

Key Concepts for First-Time Players:

• Worker Investment: You have 20 Workers. You place just 1 per turn. The more you visit a location, the more you benefit! For example, your first Worker in the Forest gets 1 Wood, your second gets 2 Wood, and so on.
• Capturing Workers: At the Town Centre, you can capture groups of opponents' Workers. Captured Workers go to your Player Board. Later, you can send them to Prison for 1 Silver each. Opponents can release their Workers from Prison at the Guardhouse for free. This is the main way Workers return to play.
• Virtue: Many choices affect your position on the Virtue Track. High Virtue at game end means VPs, low Virtue means losing them. But being a little devious has its perks: low Virtue lets you skimp on Taxes!

Location Types for Placing Workers:

• Large Open Circles: Most locations have these. No restrictions on how many players or Workers can be here. You can capture Workers from these locations using the Town Centre action.
• Small Open Circles (Black Market): Only 1 Worker per space. These Workers are only removed during a Black Market Reset. You cannot capture Workers from the Black Market.
• Worker Outlines (Guildhall): Place Workers here from left to right, top to bottom, laying them on their side. Once placed, they stay for the rest of the game. You cannot capture Workers from the Guildhall.
• Prison: You cannot freely place Workers here. They only go to Prison via the Guardhouse action, Black Market Reset, or card effects. You cannot capture Workers from the Prison.

Board Locations and Actions:

• Quarry, Forest, Mines, Silversmith: These are your main resource gathering spots. Place a Worker and gain resources based on the total number of your own Workers there (after placing the current one).
  • At the Mines, you choose between Clay (1 + 1 per Worker) or Gold (1 for every 2 Workers). Your first Worker can only get Clay.
  • The Silversmith rewards 1 Silver + 1 additional Silver per Worker there.
• King's Storehouse: Take up to 1 action per Worker you have here. Actions include:
  • Trade 2 Clay, Wood, or Stone for 1 Virtue.
  • Trade 3 Wood or Stone for 1 Marble.
  • Some Apprentices grant additional actions here.
• Workshop: Here you can either Hire an Apprentice or Work on New Building Plans.
  • Hiring an Apprentice: Pay 4 Silver (2 of which are Tax, placed on the Tax Stand). The number of Workers you have here determines which columns of Apprentices you can hire from. You can skip Apprentices by placing 1 Silver on them (collected by the player who hires them later). You can only hire up to 5 Apprentices, but can discard them to make space. Some Apprentices have immediate Virtue effects.
  • Working on New Building Plans: Draw 1 Building Card, plus 1 additional card for every 2 Workers you have at the Workshop. Your hand limit for Building Cards is 6.
• Town Centre: Recruit locals to capture Workers from "large open circle" locations. For each Worker you have here, you can spend 1 Silver to capture 1 group of Workers (of a single color) from 1 location (up to 2 locations in 2-3 player games). The first Silver spent is always Tax. Captured opposing Workers go to your Player Board; your own captured Workers return to your supply.
• Tax Stand: Take all Silver from above the Tax Stand into your supply, but lose 2 Virtue. You can only take this action if there's Tax to steal!
• Black Market: Offers 3 unique spaces, each with a different action. Only 1 Worker per space. Actions typically involve paying Silver and losing 1 Virtue to gain resources, hire Apprentices, or draw Building Cards. You cannot visit the Black Market if you have 10 or more Virtue.
• Guardhouse: Take 1 action for each Worker you have here:
  1. Send all captured Workers from your Player Board to the Prison, gaining 1 Silver per Worker.
  2. Release all your own Workers from Prison, placing them back onto your Player Board.
  3. Pay 5 Silver (2 Tax) or take 1 Debt and lose 1 Virtue to release all your own Workers from other players' Boards.
  4. Pay 6 Silver (3 Tax) to pay off 1 Debt. Paying off a Debt gains you 1 Virtue.
• Guildhall: Place Workers here to either Construct a Building from your hand or Advance Work on the Cathedral.
  • Constructing a Building: Display the card faceup above your Player Board. Pay the resource cost, meet any Apprentice skill requirements (Carpentry, Tiling, Masonry), and resolve immediate Virtue changes or effects.
  • Advancing Work on the Cathedral: Pay the indicated resources (1 level above your current marker), discard any 1 Building Card, move your Player Marker up 1 level, and reveal the top Reward Card to gain its benefits. You can only advance if there's an available space.

Virtue Track:

Your Virtue changes immediately. High Virtue (above 14) lets you destroy unpaid Debts. Low Virtue (below 10) allows you to visit the Black Market. Below 4 Virtue, you cannot work on the Cathedral. Below 0 Virtue, you take a Debt Card. At 3 or less Virtue, you start ignoring Tax based on your current level.

Black Market Reset:

A Black Market Reset is triggered when all 3 spaces at the Black Market are filled, or when a Worker is placed in one of the left-most spaces on the bottom 2 rows of the Guildhall. After the triggering action is resolved:

1. All Workers in the Black Market move to the Prison.
2. The top "Small Market" card is turned over and placed on top of the "Large Market."
3. Players with Black Market Reset-based Apprentices take their actions.
4. All players with 3 or more Workers in Prison lose 1 Virtue.
5. The player(s) with the most Workers in Prison each take 1 Debt Card.

End of Game and Scoring

The game ends once the last Worker is placed in the Guildhall (the number of spaces used depends on player count). The current player finishes their turn, and then each player (including the current player) takes 1 final turn before scoring begins. During this final round, Workers placed in the Guildhall are placed to the side.

Once the game has ended, immediately resolve any end-game effects from constructed Buildings. Then, calculate your final score:

• Gain VP for all constructed Buildings, including end-game bonuses.
• Lose 2 VP for each unpaid Debt.
• Gain VP for your level of work done on the Cathedral.
• Gain 1 VP for each Gold and 1 VP for each Marble on your Player Board.
• Gain or lose VP for your final position on the Virtue Track.
• Gain 1 VP for each set of 10 Silver on your Player Board.
• Lose 1 VP for every 2 Workers in Prison (a single Worker has no effect).

The player with the highest total score wins! In case of a tie, the player with the highest Virtue wins. If still tied, the player with the most remaining Silver wins. If there's still a tie, all tied players share the victory!

Tips for Winning

To truly shine as an architect, keep these tactical nuggets in mind:

1. Specialize Your Worker Placement: Remember, the more Workers you have at a location, the more resources you gain from it. Don't spread your Workers too thin early on. Focus on a few key resource locations to maximize your income before branching out.
2. Master the Virtue Track: Your Virtue isn't just a number; it's a strategic tool! Decide if you want to play "good" for those end-game VPs and Debt destruction, or "bad" to access the Black Market and avoid Taxes. Don't get stuck in the middle; commit to a path and leverage its benefits.
3. Apprentices are Your Allies: Apprentices offer powerful ongoing abilities and immediate boosts. Look for Apprentices that complement your strategy, whether it's boosting resource collection, making actions cheaper, or even helping you manage your Workers in Prison. Hiring the right Apprentice at the right time can be a game-changer!