Goal of the Game

In Orléans, you seek dominance in various areas of medieval France. The goal is to accumulate the highest number of victory points (VP) through goods production, trade, development, and by committing to the common good through beneficial deeds.

Setup

To prepare the base game, follow these steps:

• Place the main board in the center of the table.
• Place the Beneficial Deeds board (with the "Base Game" side up) next to the main board.
• Each player chooses a color and receives: 1 Merchant, 10 Trading Stations, and 7 Markers.
• Each player receives 5 coins of value 1 as starting capital and 4 personal Followers: 1 Farmer, 1 Trader, 1 Boatman, and 1 Craftsman.
• Place the neutral Markers and the Start Player Token within reach of everyone.
• Distribute the citizens on the marked spaces on the tracks, the Beneficial Deeds board, and the map. The remainder goes back in the box.
• Prepare the base game Hour Glass tiles.
• Place the Goods and the Gear wheels next to the board. Shuffle the Goods and place them face up randomly on the Road and Waterway spaces of the board.
• Shuffle the Place tiles I and place 13 face down next to the board. Repeat the process for the Place tiles II.
• Each player receives a player board in their color and places their Merchant in Orléans.
• Place the neutral Followers in a box next to the board.

Game Flow

The game is played over 18 rounds. Each round consists of 7 phases:

1. Phase 1 - Hour Glass: The Start Player draws the Hour Glass tile from the top of the stack and turns it face up. The tiles determine the game's duration and introduce an event.
2. Phase 2 - Census: Determine who has the highest and lowest number of Farmers. The player with the most Farmers on the track receives 1 coin; the player with the fewest must pay 1 coin to the supply.
3. Phase 3 - Followers: Players draw Followers from their Followers Bag and place them in their Market. The number of followers that can be drawn is determined by the marker on the Knights track.
4. Phase 4 - Planning: Simultaneously, players plan their actions by placing their Followers from the Market onto the Action Spaces of their Places. Once a player indicates they have finished planning, they can no longer change their mind.
5. Phase 5 - Actions: Players execute their actions in clockwise order, starting with the Start Player. Each player may perform one action or pass. If a player passes, they cannot participate in this action phase.
6. Phase 6 - Event: Resolve the event shown on the round's Hour Glass tile.
7. Phase 7 - Start Player: The Start Player Token passes to the player on the left.

Actions and How to Play

To perform an action, the Place must be activated (all of its Action Spaces must be occupied by the necessary Followers or Gear wheels). Actions include:

• Farm House: Take a Farmer from the reserve into your bag, advance on the Farmers track, and receive the indicated good.
• Village: Allows you to obtain a Boatman, Craftsman, or Trader. The Boatman advances on the track and gives coins; the Craftsman advances and gives a Gear wheel; the Trader advances and allows you to expand the city with a Place tile.
• Trader: Take a Trader, advance on the track, and choose a Place tile (I or II) to expand your city.
• University: Take a Scholar, advance on the Scholars track, and receive Development Points.
• Castle: Take a Knight and advance on the Knights track (increasing the limit of followers you can draw).
• Monastery: Take a Monk. Monks can be used in place of any other follower.
• Ship / Wagon: Move the Merchant through a Waterway (blue) or Road (brown) to collect a Good along the way.
• Guildhall: Build a Trading Station in the city where the Merchant is located.
• Scriptorium: Receive 1 Development Point and advance on the Development track.
• Town Hall: Allows you to place 1 or 2 Followers on Beneficial Deeds spaces to gain rewards or a Citizen.

Note on Gear wheels: They can substitute for certain followers in specific actions, but they cannot substitute for Monks.

End of Game and Scoring

The game ends after the 18th round (when the 18th Hour Glass tile is drawn).

Scoring:
First, the player with the most Trading Stations built receives the remaining Citizen.
Next, sum the VP for:

• Coins: 1 VP for each coin.
• Goods: Points vary by type (e.g., Brocade = 5 VP, Wool = 4 VP, Wine = 3 VP, Cheese = 2 VP, Grain = 1 VP).
• Trading Stations and Citizens: Each is worth points equal to its Development Status.

Tips for Winning

Consult the manual for details regarding this section.