Contents
Valletta Game Rules
Let’s talk about the game of Valletta. It’s a strategy game that puts you in the shoes of a master builder in Malta during the 16th century. As a builder, your goal is to construct impressive buildings and earn points.
First, let’s talk about the game setup. The game board is set up with various cards representing buildings, actions, and resources. These cards are shuffled and placed face-down in the middle of the board. Each player is then dealt a starting hand of cards.
On your turn, you have a few options. You can play a building card from your hand onto the board, which requires paying a cost in resources. Buildings have different abilities and can earn you points. You can also play an action card from your hand, which allows you to perform a special action. Some actions let you manipulate the cards on the board or gain additional resources.
You can also gain resources by placing your worker on a resource spot on the board. Workers are limited, so you’ll need to decide where to place them strategically. Additionally, you can buy cards from the central deck by spending coins.
Now, let’s talk about scoring. There are a few ways to earn points in Valletta. First, you can earn points by constructing buildings. Each building has a point value printed on it, and you’ll gain those points when you build it. You can also earn points by fulfilling goal cards, which require certain conditions to be met. Lastly, there are end game scoring cards that give you points based on specific criteria.
The game ends when a certain number of buildings have been constructed or when the central deck of cards runs out. At the end of the game, players tally up their points to determine the winner.
Valletta is a game of strategic thinking and careful planning. You’ll need to make decisions about which cards to play, where to place your workers, and how to optimize your actions. With each turn, you’ll need to consider how your choices will impact your overall strategy and point total.
So, if you enjoy immersive strategy games set in historical settings, Valletta is a game you’ll love. Its blend of resource management, card play, and point scoring makes for a challenging and engaging experience. Give it a try and see if you can become the master builder of Valletta!
The year is 1566, and the Order of Malta is beginning to build a magnificent city in the Mediterranean. This city, called Valletta, will soon become a powerful and influential capital.
In the game Valletta, two to four players will compete to construct buildings and enlist the help of historical figures, earning points along the way. The goal is to contribute to the development of Valletta and make it the thriving city it is destined to become.
During your turn, you will play three cards, one after the other, and utilize the unique ability of each card. After resolving the effects of these three cards, you will draw new cards until you have a hand of five, and then play will pass to the player on your left. This cycle continues until the final phase of the game is triggered.
Now let’s talk about the components of Valletta.
- 1 Street Board, in 2 pieces
- 25 Barrel Tokens
- 4 x 25/50 and 4 x 75/100 Tokens
- 37 Building Cards
- 73 Character Cards
- 4 Player Boards
- 32 Houses
- 4 Player Figures
- 42 Coins
- 30 Wood
- 30 Stones
- 30 Bricks
- 1 Jean Parisot de Valette Figure
- 1 Card Reference
Winning the Game
After the final phase, the game advances to the end phase. The player with the most points at the end of the game is declared the winner.
Preparing for the Game
- First, put together the street board and position it in the middle of the play area.
- Next, take the 25 barrel tokens, shuffle them, and place one token face down on each street space, like the example shown.
| 2 players | 6 | 8 | 6 |
| 3 players | 8 | 10 | 7 |
| 4 players | 10 | 12 | 8 |
Let’s mix these cards up and get ready to set up the display. When we set up the display, we want to make sure the building cards are facing up, with the parchment showing in the top-left corner. First, we’ll start by placing a row of five cards above the street, just like the picture shows. Then, we’ll place another row of five cards below the street. We’ll keep going, alternating between placing rows of five cards above and below the street, until all the building cards are in place. Depending on how many players we have, we’ll end up with four, five, or six rows. Any extra building cards can just go back in the box.
Okay, let’s take a crack at this:
Each building in the game is matched with a character card that has the same letter in its bottom-right corner. So, for example, the “A” building is paired with the “A” character. To set up the game, simply find the character card that matches each building and place it faceup on the top-right corner of the building. Make sure that the icons on the left and bottom of the building are still visible. Note that even though some characters may appear multiple times, you should only place one character on each building. Any remaining character cards can be returned to the box.
Please keep in mind that the setup shown here is just an example with the Banker character. The complete setup will include one character on each building. Take a moment to familiarize yourself with the different characters and their effects before starting the game.
Once the setup is complete, you can begin playing the game.
When it’s my turn, I have to play three cards from my hand. I do this one card at a time. To play a card, I put it faceup in the empty space with the lowest number on my player board. Then, I can use that card’s effect if I want to. But, I also have the choice not to use it.
- Example: You get to be the Lumberjack! When you play the Lumberjack card, do this: place the card on space number 1 of your player board and take 1 piece of wood from the supply.
- Exception: If you happen to play the Jean Parisot de Valette card, you have to move his figure.
- Remember, each turn you have to play exactly three cards – no skipping your turn!
Note: If it’s your last turn, you might have less than three cards remaining in your hand. If this happens, just play the cards you have left.
Once you’ve played your three cards and used their abilities, put them in your discard pile.
Okay, here’s the deal: I’m going to explain how to get a fresh hand of cards for a game. Basically, all you have to do is follow these steps:
- First, take a look at your deck, which is a collection of cards you can use during the game.
- Next, draw cards one by one from the deck.
- Keep drawing cards until you have five cards in your hand.
That’s it! Now you have a full hand to start playing. It’s a simple process, but it can make a big difference in your game strategy. So, keep these steps in mind whenever you need a fresh hand of cards. Good luck!
Note: If you need to draw a card but have no more cards left in your deck, simply shuffle your discard pile and use it as your new deck.
Once you finish your turn, the player sitting to your right will take their turn.
It’s the Final Phase!
We’ve reached the last stage, and it’s an exciting one! This is where everything comes together and gets really interesting. How do we get here? Well, there are a few ways that can lead to this point:
I push Jean Parisot de Valette onto the final barrel.
When you’re playing the game, move your figure to space number 25.
When I’m playing this game, I have to think about my strategy and consider the importance of my eighth house. It’s a crucial part of the game that I can’t overlook.
Once I’ve finished my turn and drawn up to five cards, the next phase begins. It’s an exciting moment where I get to see how everything plays out.
During this final phase, I gather all the cards from my deck and discard pile. I mix them together and place them facedown on my board, creating a brand new deck.
Just a heads up: When playing the game, keep in mind that the cards in your hand aren’t mixed with your deck and discard pile.
The last part of the game happens over a few turns, during which each player gets to use all of the cards in their deck once. In this final phase, the player’s turns work the same way as before, except for two changes:
- If you can’t draw five cards, just draw the remaining cards from your deck. You won’t make a new deck from your discard pile.
- Once you play your last card, your turn is skipped for the rest of the game.
Earning Points
Some special moves let you earn points during the game. Whenever you earn points, move your player figure ahead that number of spaces on the street board.
In the last stage, I’ll guide you on how to move your character beyond space “25”. Don’t worry, I’ll show you exactly what to do. To start, keep moving your piece forward from space “1”. But here’s the exciting part – you get to use the 25/50 or 75/100 token to keep track of your score over 25!
Game Over
I’m sure you’ve been there before. It’s that moment when you realize you’ve made a mistake. You’ve taken a wrong turn. You’ve made a bad decision. And now, it’s come back to haunt you. The consequences of your actions are staring you right in the face, and you have no choice but to face the music. You’ve reached the end of the road, my friend. Game over.
But why does it always have to end this way? Why do we make these mistakes in the first place? Is it because we’re careless? Is it because we don’t think things through? Or is it just part of being human?
I wish I had the answers. I wish I could tell you how to avoid making these mistakes. But the truth is, I can’t. We’re all human, and we’re all prone to making mistakes. It’s part of who we are. It’s how we learn and grow.
So the next time you find yourself at the end of the game, don’t beat yourself up about it. Don’t punish yourself for making a mistake. Instead, take it as a lesson. Learn from it. Grow from it. And most importantly, move on from it.
Life is full of ups and downs. It’s full of victories and defeats. And sometimes, it’s full of game overs. But that’s okay. It’s all part of the journey. It’s all part of being human. So embrace your mistakes. Embrace your failures. And remember, it’s not the end of the world. It’s just the end of the game.
End of the Game
Hey there! Let me walk you through how this game works. It’s pretty simple, but super fun!
First things first, the game ends when all players have played all of their cards. So make sure to keep an eye on those cards!
Now, here’s how you score points. Take a look at the bottom-right corner of each of your buildings. See those points? Yeah, those are the ones you want to keep track of!
Remember, the goal is to score as many points as possible. The more points you have, the better you’re doing. So, go on, play those cards and score big!
Let’s look at the buildings Red has at the end of the game: The picture shows a total of seven buildings. Now, let’s calculate the points. Red’s buildings have the following values: 2, 3, 4, 4, 3, 1, and 8. If I add up all of those values, I get 25 points for Red.
Now, let’s move on to scoring goods. Each player scores 1 point for every three goods they have, rounding down. It doesn’t matter what type of goods they are. In Red’s case, she has 4 gold, 1 wood, and 2 stones, which adds up to a total of seven goods. Since 7 is not divisible by 3, she can only score points for two goods. Therefore, Red earns 2 points for her goods.
Now, let’s talk about the objective of the game. The player with the most points wins. It’s as simple as that. If there’s a tie, the player who built the most houses breaks the tie and wins. But if the tie still persists, the tied players will share the victory.