Rococo: Deluxe Edition — How to Play

Goal of the Game

Welcome to the Rococo era! In Rococo: Deluxe Edition, you own a prestigious tailoring business competing to gain the most Prestige Points by dressing guests for Louis XV’s Grand Ball. Over 7 rounds, you’ll hire employees, craft elegant Garments (gowns and frock coats), fund lavish Decorations, and rent your creations to nobles. At the game’s end, points are awarded for rented Garments, Employee Bonuses, and funded Decorations. The player with the highest Prestige wins!

Setup

Base Game Setup (4 players):

1. Place the game board (correct side for player count) and the Queen’s Favor token.
2. Sort the 28 Employee cards by level (I–VI), shuffle each level, and stack them to form the New Employees draw deck.
3. Place all Resource tiles and Garment tiles in their respective bags.
4. Each player takes:
   • 1 Player Board, 1 Resource tile rack, 5 Start Employee cards (facedown in their Employee supply).
   • 20 Trademark Tokens, 1 Prestige Counter (set to 0).
   • 15 Livre, 1 Lace, and 1 Thread token.
5. Set up the bank with Livre coins and place the General Supply of Thread/Lace tokens nearby.
6. The last player to use needle/thread becomes the Start Player (receives the Gold Thimble token).

Game Flow

The game lasts 7 rounds, each with 4 phases:

1. Prepare for a New Round: Refresh Employee cards, Resource tiles, and Garment tiles. Resolve Queen’s Favor if claimed.
2. Select 3 Employee Cards: Players secretly choose 3 cards from their Employee supply (replenishing from discards if needed).
3. Perform Actions: Players take turns playing 1 card to perform a Main action (and optionally a Bonus action).
4. Receive Income: All players gain 5 Livre plus bonuses from Catering Kitchen Decorations.

Actions and How to Play

When playing an Employee card, choose 1 of 6 Main actions (restrictions apply by Employee type):

1. Claim the Queen’s Favor (Master/Journeyman only): Take the Queen’s Favor token (+5 Livre), becoming Start Player next round.
2. Acquire Resources: Buy a Resource tile from the display (cost: 0–2 Livre). Keep it for silk or discard for Thread/Lace.
3. Tailor a Garment (Master/Journeyman only): Pay Livre and discard Resources to craft a Garment. Choose to:
   • Rent it to a guest (place in a Hall, claim rewards, and score Prestige later).
   • Sell it for Livre.
4. Hire a New Employee (Master only): Pay 0–5 Livre to take an Employee from the display (adds an extra action this round).
5. Depute this Employee: Remove the played Employee from the game for Livre (minimum 4 Employees must remain).
6. Fund a Decoration: Pay Livre to place a Trademark token on a Decoration (e.g., Fireworks, Statues) for end-game Prestige.

After the Main action, resolve the Employee Bonus (if any).

End of Game and Scoring

The game ends after Round 7. Final scoring order:

1. Convert leftover Livre to Prestige (1 per 10 Livre).
2. Score Employee Bonuses (crown icons) and Queen’s Favor (+3 Prestige).
3. Majorities in each Hall (most Garments earns points).
4. Fireworks Display: Move Garments from the Royal Hall to funded Fireworks (multiply their Prestige by ×2 or ×3).
5. Statues: 2 Prestige per unique Garment color (max 8 per Statue).
6. Score all Trademark tokens on Garments, Decorations, and the All Halls Bonus.

Most Prestige wins! Tiebreaker: most remaining Livre.

Tips to Win

• Balance your staff: Keep at least 1 Master for key actions like tailoring high-value Garments.
• Prioritize the Catering Kitchen: Fund both sides early to boost income from Decorations and Garment rentals.
• Diversify Garments: Rent orange frock coats (rare) and green gowns (uncommon) for higher Prestige and Statue scoring.