Game Objective

Welcome to the court of Louis XV! In Rococo, you are the owner of a clothing manufacturing business, but the true objective is to shine at the most prestigious ball of the era! Your mission is to accumulate as many prestige points as possible, outshining your rivals in the art of dressing the nobility and decorating the event.

Over 7 rounds, you will use your workers to perform crucial tasks: hiring new talents, creating stunning outfits, or funding luxurious decorations. Each worker has a unique bonus, and knowing how to use them wisely is the key to success.

The game culminates after the 7th round with the grand ball and the final scoring. At this point, you will earn prestige for the bonuses of some workers, for the outfits rented to guests, and for the funded decorations. Whoever has the most prestige points at the end will be the grand winner and the master of Rococo fashion!

Setup

Let's set the table for the ball to begin! Follow these steps to prepare your game of Rococo:

1. Main Board: Place the Board in the center of the table, with the side corresponding to the number of players (2-3 or 4-5) facing up.
2. Favor Card: Position the Favor Card near its space on the board.
3. General Worker Deck:
   • Separate the 28 Worker Cards by level (1 to 6).
   • Shuffle the 6 "level 6" cards face down and place them near the board.
   • Shuffle the 4 "level 5" cards and place them face down on top of the level 6 pile.
   • Repeat the process with levels 4, 3, 2, and finally, place the shuffled "level 1" cards on top. This is the General Worker Deck.
4. Resource Tiles: Shuffle all Resource Tiles and place them face down in several piles near the Warehouse section of the board.
5. Cloth Bag and Outfits: Place all Outfit Tiles into the cloth bag and mix them. Leave the bag next to the board.
6. Bank and Markers:
   • Place the Coins (Livre) next to the board, forming the bank.
   • Place the Prestige Point Markers near the bank. Remember that prestige points are kept secret until the end of the game, face down in front of you.
   • Arrange the general supply of Thread Markers and Lace Markers near the board.
7. Per Player Items: Each player chooses a color and receives:
   • 1 Player Board.
   • 5 Basic Worker Cards (Master, Journeyman, Apprentice), which each player places face down on the left side of their Player Board (their Worker Reserve).
   • 16 Ownership Markers of their color.
8. Starting Resources: Give each player their starting resources, which they place near their Player Board:
   • 15 Livre.
   • 1 Lace Marker.
   • 1 Thread Marker.
9. Starting Player: Finally, choose a starting player, who receives the Starting Player Marker.

The Game Turn

Rococo is played over 7 rounds, and each round has 4 phases. Let's understand how it works:

Phase 1: Preparation for a New Round

This phase is skipped in the first round and proceeds as follows in subsequent rounds:

1. Favor Card: If any player acquired the Favor Card in the previous round, they receive the Starting Player Marker and the card returns to its place. Otherwise, the starting player remains the same.
2. 4 New Worker Cards:
   1. Remove any remaining worker cards from the Hiring Spaces on the board.
   2. Reveal 4 new Worker Cards from the General Worker Deck and place them face up in the hiring spaces.
3. New Resources: Fill the empty spaces of the 3 Warehouse segments with random Resource Tiles from the piles. Remaining tiles from the previous round stay where they are.
4. New Outfits: Fill the window spaces of the Atelier with Outfit Tiles (model side up):
   1. If there are outfits in the 2 rightmost spaces (dark, marked with 4-5), discard them.
   2. Move the remaining outfits to the right to fill the windows.
   3. Fill the empty windows with random outfits from the cloth bag.

Phase 2: Select 3 Cards for Your Hand

Each player, secretly and simultaneously, selects 3 Worker Cards from their Worker Reserve (face-down pile on the left side of their player board) for their hand. Unchosen cards return to the reserve.

Starting from the second round: If you have fewer than 3 cards in your Worker Reserve, take all of them. Then, take your Discard Pile (face-up cards on the right side of your board), flip them face down, and make them your new Worker Reserve. Then, select the remaining cards to complete your hand of 3. If you have exactly 3 cards in your reserve, take all of them, but only create a new reserve in the next round.

Phase 3: Perform Actions

Starting with the starting player and proceeding clockwise, each player plays 1 card from their hand to perform a main action. The played card may also offer a worker bonus, which can be used after the main action (or not, it's optional). The phase ends when no player has cards left in their hand.

The type of Worker on the card determines which actions you can perform:

• Master (golden thimble): Can perform any of the 6 actions.
• Journeyman (silver thimble): Can never "Hire a new worker".
• Apprentice (brass thimble): Can never "Ask for the Queen's Favor", "Make an outfit", or "Hire a new worker".

After your turn, place the worker card face up in your Discard Pile.

The 6 main actions are:

1. Ask for the Queen's Favor: (Master or Journeyman)
   • If the Favor Card is on the board, take it and gain 5 Livre.
   • You will be the starting player for the next round.
   • At the end of the game, the Favor Card is worth 3 prestige points.
2. Acquire Resources: (Master, Journeyman, or Apprentice)
   • Take a Resource Tile from any of the 3 Warehouse segments.
   • Cost: 2 Livre (3 or 4 tiles in the segment), 1 Livre (2 tiles), or free (last tile).
   • Decide immediately:
     • a) Place the tile face down in front of you (to use as silk later).
     • b) Discard the tile to gain the indicated Thread Markers and/or Lace Markers.
3. Make an Outfit: (Master or Journeyman)
   • Choose an Outfit in the Atelier. Pay the cost in Livre and resources (silk rolls, Thread/Lace). Outfits with a golden thimble can only be made by a Master.
   • Face-down resource tiles in front of you can only be used as silk. Thread and Lace must be wooden markers.
   • After paying, take the outfit tile and decide:
     • a) Rent the Outfit: Flip the tile to the rental side and place it in a free space in one of the 5 halls (never on the terrace). Special guest spaces require an outfit made by a Master. Place one of your Ownership Markers on the outfit. If the space has a reward symbol, gain it immediately.
     • b) Sell the Outfit: Gain the Livre indicated on the left side of the tile. Discard the tile.
4. Hire a New Worker: (Master only)
   • Acquire one of the Worker Cards displayed in the Hiring Spaces.
   • Cost: 5 Livre (4 cards), 3 Livre (3 cards), 1 Livre (2 cards), or free (last card).
   • Place the hired card in your hand, being able to play it this round.
5. Dismiss Your Worker: (Master, Journeyman, or Apprentice)
   • Remove the played worker card entirely from the game (return it to the box).
   • Gain Livre from the bank: 10 for a Master, 7 for a Journeyman, 4 for an Apprentice.
   • You can use the Worker Bonus of the card before removing it.
   • Important: You cannot dismiss a worker if you only have 1 card in your worker deck.
6. Fund a Decoration: (Master, Journeyman, or Apprentice)
   • Place one of your Ownership Markers in a free decoration space (Fireworks, Musicians, Statues, Fountain).
   • Pay the amount in Livre indicated in the space.
   • At the Fountain, you cannot occupy more than one space in the same row (upper or lower).

Phase 4: Collect Income

When all players no longer have cards in hand, this phase begins:

• Each player receives a basic income of 5 Livre.
• Players with Ownership Markers in the Fountain decoration spaces receive additional income:
  • Upper row: Livre equal to the number of decoration spaces occupied by their markers.
  • Lower row: Livre equal to the number of outfits you have on the board.

After income collection, a new round begins with Phase 1.

End of Game and Scoring

The game ends after the "Collect Income" Phase of the 7th round, when the General Worker Deck runs out. It's time for the ball and the final scoring!

Use the "Final Scoring" Aid Card to follow the correct order:

1. Money: Gain 1 prestige point for every 10 Livre you return to the bank.
2. Worker Bonuses: Score the bonuses of the Worker Cards in your deck that have a crown and red background (end-game bonus).
3. Favor Card: If you possess the Favor Card, gain 3 prestige points.
4. Board Sections: Score the sections in the following order:
   1. Majority in each of the 5 Halls: In the 5 halls, the player with the majority of outfits and the second-place player receive points (indicated in the colored box of the hall). Ties are resolved by the number of outfits in special guest spaces, then by the marker in the musicians' space. (In 2-player games, only first place scores).
   2. Majority in Fireworks: The player with the majority of Ownership Markers in fireworks decoration spaces receives 7 or 6 points, second place 3 or 2 points (depending on the number of players). Ties are resolved by the space with the highest monetary value. (In 2-player games, only first place scores).
   3. Watch the Fireworks from the Terrace: For each of your Ownership Markers in fireworks, you can move one of your outfits from the King's Hall to a dashed space on the terrace. Outfits on the terrace multiply their point value by x2 or x3.
   4. Statues: For each of your Ownership Markers on a statue, you gain 2 prestige points for each different color of outfit (yellow, green, red, blue) you have on the board, forming a set. If you have multiple markers on statues, you must use different sets of outfits.
   5. Score Ownership Markers: Starting with the starting player, remove your Ownership Markers one by one. Most markers show a prestige point value in the bottom right corner. Sum these points. For outfits on the terrace, multiply the value by the number on the right (x2 or x3).

The player with the most prestige points after final scoring is the winner! In case of a tie, the tied player with the most money wins.

Tips for Winning

To stand out in the Rococo world and secure victory, consider these tips:

• Worker Management is Key: Your workers are your engine. Plan carefully which cards to play and when, especially to take advantage of bonuses. Remember that the Master is the most versatile, and dismissing them can be too great a sacrifice, as they are the only one who can hire new workers and make the most valuable outfits. Keep an eye on your discard pile to know when your cards will return to your hand.
• Rent Outfits vs. Sell Outfits: While selling outfits provides immediate money, renting outfits is generally more advantageous in the long run. Rented outfits not only give prestige points at the end of the game but can also activate immediate rewards in the halls and are crucial for majorities in the halls and for statue bonuses. Prioritize