Objective of the Game

Welcome, future master builders of Caylus! In this classic worker placement game, you're not just building a castle; you're vying for the King's favor, prestige, and ultimately, the most **Prestige Points (VP)**. The game is a race against time and your fellow players to construct the magnificent **Castle** sections – the **Dungeon**, **Walls**, and **Towers** – before the **Bailiff** triggers the final scoring. Will you be the one to earn the most royal favors and secure your legacy in Caylus?

Preparation (Setup)

Alright, let's get this medieval town ready for some action!

1. First, sort all the **Wood**, **Stone**, **Prestige**, and **Residential tiles** by color. Stack them neatly face-up next to the game board.
2. Next, take those **pink tiles** – these are your neutral buildings. Randomly place 6 of them face-up on the first 6 spaces of the road.
3. Sort the **coins**: the small ones are worth $1 (**denier**), and the large ones are $5. Keep them in a general supply.
4. Place the **Bailiff** and the **Provost** on the very last neutral tile (a pink one) on the road.
5. Now for each player:
   • Grab all your wooden pieces in your chosen color.
   • Place one of your markers next to the **turn order scale** (it's to the right of the castle).
   • Place another marker on the **bridge**.
   • Put one marker on each **fleur-de-lis** symbol.
   • Finally, place your last marker on the 0 space of the **score track** (that's by the castle).
6. Mix up all the player markers and randomly place them on the **turn order scale** to determine the initial player order.
7. Each player gets some starting cash and resources:
   • Player 1 gets $5.
   • Players 2 and 3 each get $6.
   • Players 4 and 5 each get $7.
   • Everyone also takes 1 **wood cube** and 2 **food cubes** from the supply. Keep your money and cubes visible!

And just like that, you're ready to start building your empire!

The Game Turn

A game of Caylus unfolds over a series of turns, each divided into 7 distinct phases. Let's break down what happens in each one:

Phase 1 – Collect Income

Time to get paid! Each player receives $2. You also get an additional $1 for every **Residential building** you own, another $1 if you built the **Library**, and a sweet $2 if you constructed the **Hotel**. Cha-ching!

Phase 2 – Place Workers

This is where the magic happens! In turn order, players decide to either **pass** or **place a worker**.

• You can't place workers on blue or green buildings during this phase.
• Workers must go into an empty space, with a few exceptions: the **Stables**, **Inn**, and **Castle**.
• To **pass**, you move your marker from the bridge to the lowest available number on the **passing scale**. The first player to pass gets an immediate $1 bonus!
• When placing a worker:
  • Special/Neutral/Basic Buildings: Pay the lowest number on the passing scale (starting at $1). For the **Stables**, place your worker on the lowest available spot (each player can only place one here). For the **Inn**, place your worker in the left circle first (one player can occupy both spots).
  • Another Player's Building: Pay the lowest number on the passing scale. The owner of the building immediately receives 1 VP – nice!
  • Your Own Building: Pay just $1 (no VP for you, though).
  • Castle: Pay the lowest number on the passing scale and place your worker on the lowest available number. Each player can only place one worker here.

Phase 3 – Activate Special Buildings

Once everyone has passed, it's time for the special buildings to shine, activated in a specific order:

• The Gate: You can move your worker to any unoccupied space for free ($0 cost). If you don't move it, the worker returns to your hand.
• The Trading Post: Take $3 and get your worker back.
• The Merchant's Guild: You can move the **Provost** 1-3 spaces forward or backward (for free!), then get your worker back.
• The Jousting Field: Pay $1 and 1 **fabric cube** to gain 1 **royal favor** (only once per turn).
• The Stables: Adjust the turn order based on where workers were placed here, then get your workers back.
• The Inn: The worker on the left slides to the right, and the worker on the right is returned to the player (if present). If a worker was there last turn and wasn't returned, it can be removed now. Having a worker in the right spot here allows a player to pay only $1 to place workers, regardless of the passing number.

Phase 4 – Provost Movement

In the order players passed in Phase 2, each player can move the **Provost** 1-3 spaces forward or backward. You'll pay $1 per space moved. The **Provost** cannot go before the bridge (to the special buildings) or beyond the last space.

Phase 5 – Activate Buildings

Now for the main event! Buildings are activated in order, starting from the first space after the bridge up to the **Provost's** current space. Any workers on buildings *after* the **Provost** are returned to their owners – tough luck! Using building effects is optional, except for **Production Buildings**.

• Production Buildings: Take the indicated cubes from the supply. If another player activates your stone production building, you also get to choose 1 cube! If you activate your own, you only get the cubes produced.
• Construction Buildings: Build a building of the type matching the worker (carpenter for brown, mason for gray, architect for blue). Pay the shown cubes, place the new building on the first unbuilt space, and add one of your **houses** to it. Score the VP shown on the tile. **Prestige buildings** replace **Residential buildings** you already own. You also gain any **royal favors** granted.
• The Lawyer: You can change a pink or owned craft building into a green one. Pay 1 **fabric** and $1, and gain +2 VP. Craft buildings go back to the supply, neutral (pink) buildings are discarded. The Lawyer building itself cannot be transformed. If a worker is on the building, the player pays, but the action is delayed until the building has been activated.
• Market: Sell 1 cube back to the supply for the market price shown on the building.
• Peddlers: Buy 1 or more cubes (not gold) from the supply as allowed by the building.
• Church: Pay $2 for 3 VP or $4 for 5 VP. Building the Church gives +4 VP and a **royal favor**.
• Tailor: Pay 1 cube for 2 VP or 3 cubes for 6 VP.
• Bank: Pay $2 for 1 **gold cube** or $5 for 2 **gold cubes**.
• Alchemist: Pay 2 cubes for 1 **gold** or 4 cubes for 2 **gold**.

Phase 6 – Build the Castle

Players with workers on the **Castle** spaces now decide, in **castle scale** order, how many **loads** they want to pay. A **load** is 3 cubes, one of which must be **food**. You build the **Dungeon** (+5 VP), then the **Walls** (+4 VP), then the **Tower** (+3 VP), based on the **Bailiff's** position. If the current section is full, you can start building the next one. Place one of your **houses** in the section being built for each load you pay. If you can't pay a load and there's space to build, you lose -2 VP (unless the **Tower** section is already full). The player who paid the most loads receives 1 **Royal Favor** (ties go to the first player).

Phase 7 – End of Turn

Finally, move the **Bailiff** forward (away from the castle). If the **Provost** is further along the road, the **Bailiff** moves 2 spaces; otherwise, it moves 1 space. Place the **Provost** on the same space as the **Bailiff**. If the **Bailiff** hits a **scoring space** or a **castle section** is completed, you immediately proceed to a **Count Phase**. Then, a new turn begins!

Count Phase – Scoring Castle Section

This special phase happens when the **Bailiff** reaches a scoring space or a castle section is completed. In player order, count the number of your **houses** in the section being scored:

• Dungeon: No house = -2 VP; 2+ houses = 1 **royal favor**.
• Walls: No house = -3 VP; 2 houses = 1 **royal favor**; 3/4 houses = 2 **royal favors**; 5+ houses = 3 **royal favors**.
• Towers: No house = -4 VP; 2/3 houses = 1 **royal favor**; 4/5 houses = 2 **royal favors**; 6+ houses = 3 **royal favors**.

After the count, you can only build in the *next* castle section, even if there are empty spaces remaining in the just-counted section.

Royal Favors

When you earn **royal favors**, you use the **King's favor table**. The columns become available after the count of the prior section shown at the top (the first 2 columns are available from the start, the next section after the count of the **Dungeon**).

• When getting a favor, choose a line, move right if possible, and use the effect you landed on or any to its left.
• If you earn multiple favors in the same phase, you must move to different lines (maximum 4 favors).
• Take the immediate benefit shown on the favor space:
  • Increase VP shown.
  • Gain $ shown.
  • Gain resource cubes shown (column 4: pay 1 cube for 2 cubes of your choice, not gold).
  • Use a **Building** directly, even if it's not on the board. This provides a cube discount when building buildings. (Column 5 allows immediate building of a **Prestige building** on an owned **Residential building**).

End Game & Scoring

The game concludes after the **Count Phase** of the **Towers section**. This is triggered either by the **Bailiff** reaching that space or by all spaces in the **Towers** being filled.

• You get +3 VP for each **gold cube** you possess.
• You get +1 VP for every 3 other **cubes** (not gold) you have.
• You get +1 VP for every $4 (**deniers**) remaining in your personal stash.
• The player with the most **Prestige Points (VP)** wins!
• In case of a tie, there is no tiebreaker – share the glory!

Tips for Winning

Alright, aspiring architects, here are a few pointers to get you started on the path to victory:

1. Master the Provost: The **Provost's** position is key! It dictates which buildings activate in Phase 5. Learning to manipulate its movement (or at least anticipate it) can be crucial for denying opponents actions or ensuring your own workers get to do their thing. Don't be afraid to spend a few deniers to shift it!
2. Royal Favors are Golden: Don't underestimate the power of **Royal Favors**. They offer immediate benefits like VP, money, resources, or even the ability to build. Strategically earning and using these favors can give you a significant edge, especially when you can chain them together or use them to get resources you desperately need.
3. Balance Castle Building with Personal Buildings: While contributing to the **Castle** is vital for VP and favors, don't neglect your own **Residential** and **Prestige buildings**. Your own buildings can provide income, resources, or powerful actions that only you benefit from, creating a solid economic engine throughout the game.

Now go forth and build your legacy in Caylus!