Grasse Roll & Write — How to Play

Game Objective

In Grasse Roll & Write, you take on the role of a master perfumer in the city of Grasse in 17th-century France. Your goal is to become the region's best producer, seller, or specialist. To achieve this, you must collect bases (diluent, water, and alcohol) and essences (fruity, herbal, floral, and spicy), specialize, produce classic or avant-garde perfumes, and sell them. Your skills will be rewarded through scores in various criteria at the end of the game.

Setup

1. Place the game board in the center of the table.
2. Draw 4 Avant-Garde cards and place them on the Stations I, II, III, and IV on the board.
3. Draw 4 Avant-Garde bonus tiles and place each one on the bottom part of each Avant-Garde card.
4. Place the round marker on the first space of the board.
5. Draw 3 Objective cards and place them near the board.
6. Shuffle the technique cards and place the deck next to the board, revealing 3 cards.
7. Set aside a number of custom dice equal to the number of players plus 1 (e.g., 3 dice for 2 players, 4 dice for 3 players, and 5 dice for 4 players).
8. Give the first player marker to the most fragrant player.
9. Each player chooses a different essence from the current Avant-Garde essence (card from Station I) and marks it on their sheet.
10. Each player starts with 2 coins and 3 bases already marked on their sheets.

Game Flow

The game is played over 16 rounds (or 15 rounds in games with 3 players). Each round is divided into three phases:

1. Dice Selection Phase: The player with the first player marker rolls the custom dice. Starting with them and proceeding clockwise, each player must choose one available die. One die will always remain and be DISCARDED (placed near the board).
2. Action Phase: Starting with the first player and proceeding clockwise, each player performs their Main Action (based on the chosen die) and their Free Actions. Actions can be performed simultaneously, except when choosing technique cards, where the first player marker takes priority.
3. End of Round: The first player marker passes to the player on the left. The new first player advances the round marker and checks for a change in station or the end of the game.

New Station: In rounds 5, 9, and 13, new stations (II, III, and IV) begin. When a new station starts, the Avant-Garde rules change to the current station, the previous cards and bonuses are ignored, and all players gain the new station's bonus (Station II: 1 base; Station III: 2 coins; Station IV: 1 essence).

Actions and How to Play

Main Action (Chosen Die)

• Collect Resources: Gain (circle) one base of your choice and one essence of your choice on your sheet. Check marking bonuses.
• Gain Coins: Gain (circle) three coins on your sheet, following the track sequence.
• Technique Card: Choose one visible technique card or a face-down one. If you choose one of the 3 face-up cards, replace it immediately. If the card has an immediate effect, execute it and gain 1 coin.
• Produce:
  1. Gain (circle) one base of your choice.
  2. Spend (mark with "x") 3 different bases already circled and one circled essence to produce 1 perfume.
  3. Gain (circle) the produced perfume (from bottom to top) on your sheet.
  4. If this is your third perfume of the same type, choose a bonus (2 points or 1 technique card).
  5. Check if the perfume is in the Avant-Garde to gain the bonus.
• Sell: Spend (mark with "x") any circled perfume. Gain the value indicated on the line + 1 extra coin from the die.
• Fields of Grasse: Count exactly 2 spaces from your last marking (or from the start if it's the first). Mark the destination space with an "x" and gain the corresponding bonus/effect.

Free Actions (Optional)

Can be performed before or after the Main Action. There is no limit to free actions, but they depend on the player's coins.

• Sell Chosen Die: If you don't want the effect of the chosen die, you can sell it for 2 coins. The die is not used in the round.
• Choose Discarded Die: Spend (mark with "x") 3 coins to perform the action of the discarded die. You still perform the Main Action normally. (Limit: once per round).
• Assign Worker: Spend (mark with "x") 5 coins to perform the corresponding Worker Assignment action. Gain bonuses for completing rows/columns.
• Mark a Worker Without Performing Action: Make a marking ("x") in the Worker Assignment area without performing the action (no additional cost). Gain row/column bonuses.

Note on Worker Assignment: Worker Assignment actions are similar to the main ones but with modifications: Produce does not grant base bonuses; Sell does not grant extra coin; Fields of Grasse moves only 1 space; Technique Card does not grant bonus coin; Collect Resources grants only 2 bases or 1 essence.

End of Game and Scoring

The game ends after round 16 (or round 15 for 3 players). Scoring follows these criteria:

1. Worker Assignment: Sum of all fully completed rows and/or columns in the Worker Assignment area.
2. Sales: Sum of the value of all sold perfumes (marked with "x") multiplied by the points on the respective line.
3. Production: Sum of the value of all marked perfumes (circled) multiplied by the points on the line. Includes the production bonus (if chosen when producing the third perfume of the same type).
4. Fields of Grasse: Sum of the value of all "x" markings on the track (in the scoring areas).
5. Technique Cards: Each technique card grants 1 point at the end of the game (in addition to specific scores from some cards).
6. Objective Cards: Comparison of performance in the game's objectives. In case of a tie, the sum of the placement scores is divided (rounded down).
7. Remaining Resources: Sum of all unused coins, bases, and essences (only circled ones). For every 3 elements, gain 1 point.

Tiebreaker: Worker Assignment > Sales > Production > Fields of Grasse > Technique Cards > Objective Cards > Remaining Resources. If the tie persists, players share the victory.

Tips to Win

• Consult the manual for details about this section.
• Consult the manual for details about this section.