Contents
Villages of Valeria Game Rules
Welcome to the Villages of Valeria! Here, I’ll guide you through the game rules to ensure you’re ready to embark on your exciting journey.
Objective
The objective of the game is to construct buildings and attract adventurers to your village, ultimately earning the most victory points. As a player, you’ll take on the role of a Duke or Duchess, working to make your village thrive.
Setup
To start, each player receives a reference card and a player marker. The central board is placed in the middle of the playing area, and the six different types of cards (Citizens, Buildings, Adventurers, and more) are shuffled separately and placed face down into six separate decks.
Turn Order
The game consists of several rounds, and each round can be divided into three phases: Income, Action, and Cleanup. During the Income phase, players receive resources based on their producing buildings. The Action phase is when players take turns performing actions such as drawing cards, constructing buildings, hiring adventurers, or taxing to earn gold. In the Cleanup phase, players discard down to the hand limit and pass the first player marker to the next player clockwise.
Card Types
There are three main types of cards in the game: Citizens, Buildings, and Adventurers. Citizens are the backbone of your village since they help activate abilities, produce resources, or attract adventurers. Buildings are vital to attract adventurers and generate more resources. Adventurers, on the other hand, earn you victory points based on specific conditions.
End of Game
The game ends when one of the following conditions is met: all landmarks are constructed, all adventurers are hired, or all of one card type is depleted. Players tally their victory points based on their buildings, adventurers, and landmark cards. The player with the most victory points emerges victorious!
Conclusion
Now that you’re familiar with the Villages of Valeria game rules, it’s time to dive in and start building your own prosperous village. Enjoy the strategic gameplay and may the best Duke or Duchess prevail!
Hey there! In Villages of Valeria, you get to be a fancy Duke or Duchess. Your job is to create a cool village around your castle by playing cards from your hand onto the table in front of you. It’s like building with cards!
To make your village awesome, you need to develop Resources. These Resources help you build Buildings. Why do you want Buildings, you ask? Well, they give you Victory Points and special powers! And who doesn’t love special powers?
But wait, there’s more! Buildings also help you recruit Adventurers. These Adventurers are super cool and give you even more Victory Points and special powers. But be careful, because your fellow players are trying to build their own amazing villages too. They might snatch up the Adventurer you wanted to recruit. Bummer!
Remember, the player with the most Victory Points at the end is the big winner. Their village becomes the super important Capital City of Valeria! How cool is that?
Let’s Get Started!
- You’ll get 84 Building Cards
- There are also 16 Adventurer Cards
- 5 Castle Cards are included as well
- You will receive 1 Action Selection Card and 1 Active Player Token
- Don’t forget the 5 Player Aid Cards and 1 Solo Play Card
- Lastly, you’ll receive 30 Gold Coins
Setting Everything Up
First, I’ll give you a Castle card and a Player Aid card. You won’t need the extra ones, so just put them back in the box. Place your Castle card face-up on the table in front of you – that’s going to be the first card in your Village.
Next, we need to decide who goes first. It can be anyone, really. Maybe the person who last built something. Give them the Active Player Token and the Action Selection Card.
The amount of Gold coins we’ll use in the game depends on how many players there are. Take a look at the table below to see how many Gold coins we need. Any extra coins can go back in the box. Each player gets 3 Gold coins from the bank.
| Number of Players | Gold in Game |
| 2 | 14 |
| 3 | 20 |
| 4 | 25 |
| 5 | 30 |
First, I’ll separate the remaining cards into two decks: Adventurers and Buildings. Then, I’ll shuffle each deck separately.
Next, I’ll deal 6 cards from the Buildings deck to each player. These cards will be their opening hands, and they must keep them secret.
After that, I’ll create a row of 5 face-up Building cards in the center of the table. These cards will form the Building piles. The rest of the Building cards will be placed face-down next to the Building piles, forming the Buildings draw deck.
Finally, I’ll deal a row of 5 face-up Adventurer cards in the center of the table, above the Building piles. This will be the Adventurer pool. The remaining Adventurer cards will be placed face-down next to the Adventurer pool, forming the Adventurers draw deck.
8 In this game, my turn is determined by the order in which players take their actions. First, it’s me, then the player to my right, and so on. During the start of the game, each of us gets to choose a Building card from our starting hand to develop as a Resource, without having to pay anything. This special round of developing only happens once, right at the beginning.
Keep in mind: Take the card you choose and put it face-up and upside-down under your Castle card.
As a result, when we start our normal turns, each of us will have one Wild Resource provided by our Castle, as well as one regular Resource of our choosing.
Now, it’s time to start taking our normal turns. I’ll go first and then the next player in line, moving clockwise.
Let’s Talk about the Game Elements
The Different Types of Cards
In this game, we have two types of cards: Building cards and Adventurer cards.
When you look at each Building card, you will notice that it is divided into two parts: the Resource section located at the bottom and the Building section taking up the rest of the card. The Building section is easily identifiable by the Building Type icon in the upper-left corner, which indicates the type of building it is – Worker, Soldier, Shadow, or Holy.
Now, let’s talk about the Adventurer cards. These cards are quite similar to Buildings, but they don’t have a Resource section. Instead, they feature the Adventurer icon in the upper-left corner, so you can easily distinguish them from the Buildings.
What are Resources?
Resources are the building blocks of our world. They are the essential elements that fuel our progress and shape our future. Without resources, our civilization would be stagnant, unable to grow, innovate, or thrive.
There are four main types of resources: Food, Wood, Stone, and Magic. Each resource plays a vital role in our lives, from sustaining our bodies to constructing our homes and fueling our magical endeavors.
Food is the fuel that keeps us going. It nourishes our bodies, giving us the energy we need to perform our daily tasks and tackle life’s challenges. From the simplest meal to the grandest feast, food sustains us and brings us together.
Wood is the backbone of our structures. It provides the foundation for our homes, the framework for our buildings, and the fuel for our fires. Without wood, our world would lack shelter, warmth, and the raw materials needed for countless creations.
Stone gives us strength and stability. It is the bedrock of our foundations, the walls that protect us, and the monuments that stand the test of time. From humble pebbles to magnificent palaces, stone is the enduring symbol of our civilization.
Magic is the intangible essence that fuels our dreams and unlocks the extraordinary within us. It is the realm of wizards and witches, enchanters and sorcerers. Magic can transform the mundane into the extraordinary, elevate our possibilities, and regenerate our sense of wonder.
Each resource is unique and valuable in its own way, but they are also interconnected, forming a delicate balance that sustains our world. It is essential to understand the value and significance of each resource and how they contribute to our growth and well-being.
So, the next time you enjoy a meal or marvel at a majestic structure, take a moment to appreciate the resources that made it possible. Whether it’s the nourishment of food, the strength of wood and stone, or the awe-inspiring power of magic, resources are the foundation of our world.
When playing the game Wild Resource, I get to choose from four different types of Resources. These Resources are crucial for my progress in the game.
Whenever I build a Building card as a Resource, I need to place it in my Village. I have to make sure it’s face-up but upside-down, with the Resource section at the top. Then, I slide the card under the top of my Castle card.
As I continue to develop more Resources, I need to place them under my Castle in a stack. I stack them in an upward position, with only the Resource section visible. It’s important to note that once a card has been developed as a Resource, I no longer need to worry about the other parts of the card.
If I want to develop a Resource, I have two options. I can either take the lead and choose the Develop action on my turn, or I can follow that action when another player takes it on their turn.
About Buildings
So, when you make a card as a Building, you’ll put it face-up in your Village, to the right of your Castle. And at the top of the card, you’ll see the name of the Building, how many Victory Points it’s worth, and any special power it might have. It’s a good idea to group your Buildings by type so you can easily count and score them.
Just a heads up: Once a Building is built, you don’t need to worry about its Building Cost or Resource Type anymore. You can ignore those and even cover them up if you’d like.
Buildings are important because they give you Victory Points, which you score at the end of the game.
When you play the game of Buildings, you gain some pretty cool abilities. These abilities can help you right away or save them for later. It’s like having superpowers!
If you want to add a Building to your Village, there are two ways to do it. You can be the one who takes the lead and chooses the Build action on your turn. Or, you can follow another player who chooses the Build action on their turn.
Just remember, you can’t have two Buildings with the same name in your Village. Each Building is unique, just like you!
A Look at Your Village
Calling All Adventurers
Hey there, fellow adventurers! I’ve got some exciting news for you. You know those adventurer cards we have? Well, guess what? We can’t develop them as resources because they’re a little different from the rest. They don’t have a resource section at the bottom.
But hold on a second, because this is where things get interesting. Adventurers have some seriously cool special powers. Yeah, you heard me right! These cards can give us special abilities that can really shake things up. And here’s the best part – they’re worth more victory points than your ordinary building cards.
So, when you’re on the hunt for cards that will help you level up your game, don’t forget about the adventurers. They may not look like much at first, but trust me, they pack a powerful punch. Incorporating them into our strategy can be a total game-changer.
And if you’re someone who loves surprises and shaking things up, then you’re going to absolutely adore the adventurers. These cards will keep you on your toes and make every game a thrilling adventure.
So, my fellow adventurers, keep an eye out for these special cards. They may just be the secret weapon we’ve been looking for.
To become an Adventurer, all you need to do is recruit. You can either recruit on your turn or follow someone else’s lead. It’s a good idea to keep your Adventurers together to make counting and scoring easier.
Getting Rid of and Getting New Cards
When you want to get rid of a card, just put it face-up on any of the Building piles. If you want to get rid of more than one card, you can choose to put them in the same pile or different piles.
When you want to get new cards, you have a couple of options. You can draw the top card from any of the Building piles or you can draw from the Building deck. Just remember, you can’t actually add Adventurer cards to your hand. You can only recruit them. If you want to draw multiple cards, you have to do it one at a time. You can choose to draw all of the cards from the same pile or different piles.
If you take the last card from any of the Building piles, just replace it by drawing the top card from the Building draw deck. Put the new card face-up in that pile. Remember, each Building pile should always have at least one card.
Hand Limit
You can only have a maximum of 8 cards in your hand after you lead or follow an action. Don’t worry about your hand limit when you draw cards. After you finish your action, if needed, discard some cards until you have 8 cards in your hand. You can choose any cards from your hand to discard.
For example: Let’s say Helen has 7 cards in her hand and the Guard Tower in her Village. She follows Rick’s Harvest action and draws 1 card. Then, she draws 1 more card using the Guard Tower’s power, which gives her a total of 9 cards. At the end of her action, she discards 1 card.
If you have a special power that lets you take cards from an opponent, it works just like drawing. You can take as many cards as you’re allowed to steal and then you have to discard down to the limit at the end of your turn.
How to Play
When it’s your turn, you need to follow these steps in order:
- Replenish
- Take one action
1. Replenish
Before your turn, you might have put Gold coins on your Castle and Resource cards, or other players might have. At the start of your turn, you need to take off all the Gold coins from your cards and keep them for yourself.
2. Take One Action
Now you get to choose one action. Put the Active Player Token on the Action Selection Card to show that you’re leading the action. Then you can take the action.
Once you take your turn, the other players have the choice to follow your lead, starting with the player to your left and moving clockwise.
When all the other players have either followed your action or decided not to, it is my turn. I will pass the Active Player Token and Action Selection Card to the left.
Actions
There are five actions available in the game: Harvest, Develop, Build, Recruit, and Tax.
Remember: If an action has a cost, such as discarding one or two cards for the Develop action, you must pay the cost at the beginning of the action. If you can’t afford the cost, you cannot lead or follow the action.
Harvest
- Lead: Draw 3 Building cards into your hand, one at a time.
- Follow: Draw 1 Building card into your hand.
Develop
- Lead: If you pay 1 Gold coin to the bank, you can add an Adventurer to your Village. It’s a cost-effective way to strengthen your team by hiring new members.
- Follow: Want to bring in more help? For a slightly higher price of 2 Gold coins, you can add an additional Adventurer to your Village. It’s a bit more expensive, but it’s worth it if you need that extra manpower.
- Lead: First, I take 1 Gold coin from the bank and draw 1 Building card into my hand.
- Follow: I simply draw 1 Building card into my hand.
Lead: If you have a card in your hand that you don’t need, you can discard it to gain another card for your Village.
Follow: If you have two cards in your hand that you don’t need, you can discard them to gain another card for your Village.
Build
Lead: If you have enough resources, you can pay the cost of a Building card from your hand to add it to your Village. Afterward, you can draw another card into your hand.
Follow: If you have enough resources, you can pay the cost of a Building card from your hand to add it to your Village. However, you won’t be able to draw another card.
Remember: You cannot have duplicate Buildings in your Village.
Building Cost: To add a Building to your Village, you need to be able to pay for it. Each Building has a cost, which is usually paid in Resources. You can pay the cost by using your Gold coins. Here’s how it works:
First, find a Resource card that matches the cost of the Building you want to buy. Then, place one of your Gold coins on that Resource card.
Alternatively, you can use any special powers or abilities related to Resources to help pay for the Building. Just make sure that at the end, you have placed enough Gold coins to cover the cost.
(Note: It’s a good idea to place your Gold coin on the Gold icon on the Resource card rather than on the Resource icon itself. This way, you can easily see which Resources you have developed and plan your future actions accordingly).
Remember, you can place Gold coins on your own Resources or on other players’ Resources. But be careful! If you place Gold on another player’s Resources, they will get to keep it when it’s their turn to take an action.
Example: So, I want to build the Armory. It’s a bit pricey, costing some gold coins. I need to place them strategically on my Castle and other resources to meet the requirements. Let’s see… I have one gold coin on my Castle, which gives me a special bonus – a wild resource of my choice. I think I’ll go with a stone resource. Now, I only need one more stone to complete the Armory. Unfortunately, I don’t have an extra stone resource. But wait! Rick has one! I’ll place a gold coin on his stone resource and voila! I have all the required resources to build the Armory.
Oh, and remember, I can’t use a gold coin that’s already on a resource card. And I can’t place a gold coin on a resource that already has one. Gotta be strategic!
Castles and Wild Resources: When it comes to Castles, there is an interesting feature called Wild Resources. Basically, each Castle provides you with one Wild Resource. Now, what can you do with this Wild Resource? Well, you can actually use it as if it were any other kind of Resource, like Food, Wood, Stone, or Magic. It’s like having a versatile extra Resource at your disposal!
Important Note: But wait, there’s a catch. Although you are able to spend your Gold to use other players’ developed Resources, you cannot do the same for the Wild Resources found on other players’ Castles. You are only allowed to use the Wild Resource that your own Castle provides. So remember, this extra Resource is exclusively for your own Castle’s benefit.
Recruitment Options:
Before we get started: It’s really important that Adventurers feel at home in your Village. Each Adventurer has certain requirements for the types of buildings they need. So, in order to recruit an Adventurer, you must have the right Buildings in your Village.
Here’s how you add an Adventurer to your Village: First, choose any Adventurer card that’s face-up in the Adventurer pool and place it face-up in your Village. Then, take the top card from the Adventurer deck, turn it face-up, and put it in the pool to replace the one you took. (If there are no more cards left in the deck, you don’t need to replace it).
Example: Let’s say I want to recruit the Paladin. I need to have a 
and a 
Building in my Village. Luckily, I already have one of each. So, I decide to take the lead and pay one Gold coin to the bank. With that, I get to add the Paladin to my Village.
Tax
You need to keep in mind that the number of Gold coins in the game is limited. So, if there are no more Gold coins in the bank, you won’t be able to take one. However, you can still choose to lead or follow the Tax action, even if there is no Gold left in the bank. In this case, you’ll just get to draw 1 Building card into your hand.
Special Powers
Have you ever wondered what special powers are and why they’re important? Well, I’m here to tell you all about it!
Special powers are abilities that buildings and adventurers give you once you build or recruit them. These powers can be really useful and make a big difference in the game.
When you have a building or adventurer with a special power, it can help you in many ways. For example, it might give you extra resources, increase your attack or defense, or even grant you special abilities like flying or teleportation.
Special powers can be a real game-changer. They can give you an edge over your opponents, help you complete quests faster, or protect you from enemy attacks.
But it’s not just about winning the game. Special powers can also make the game more exciting and fun. They add an element of surprise and strategy, making each playthrough unique.
So, when you’re deciding which building or adventurer to choose, be sure to consider their special powers. They can be a powerful tool in your arsenal and help you achieve victory.
Remember, special powers are what set buildings and adventurers apart. They make the game more interesting and give you an advantage. So, next time you’re playing, pay attention to those special powers and use them to your advantage!
There are different types of powers in the game, and it’s important to understand how they work. Some powers are instant, represented by an icon. These powers can only be used in the same action when the Building or Adventurer that grants the power is created or recruited. You can only use these powers once.
On the other hand, some powers are not instant and are tied to specific actions like Harvest or Build. These powers apply when you lead or follow a specific action throughout the game. However, they don’t apply in the action when the Building or Adventurer that grants the power is created or recruited. Instead, they can be used in later actions. You can use these powers once per action.
For instance: I take charge of the Build action and construct the Enchantress’ Palace, which grants me the Build: + ability. On this particular move, I don’t acquire any Gold, but I can employ this power in a subsequent Build action, whether I’m leading or following.
Example: I have the Cathedral, which has the Tax: + power, and the Oracle, which has the Tax: + 
power.
I lead the Tax action on my turn, which lets me use my powers to draw a total of 3 Building cards and to take 2 Gold coins from the bank. You have the same 2 Buildings in your Village. You follow my Tax action, draw 3 Building cards, and take 1 Gold.
Costs of Special Powers
Most special powers don’t have a cost. If they do have a cost (like discarding one or more cards), you have to pay the cost when you use the power. If you can’t pay the cost, you can’t use the power.
When to Use Special Powers
When you have a power that can be used to help you build something, it’s called a Resource power. These powers can be used during the Build action to pay for some or all of the cost. You don’t have to put a Gold coin on the card to use the power. And you can only use each Resource power once during an action.
For example, let’s say you have a Farm card in your Village. The Farm has a Resource power called Build: + . You want to build the Tannery, which costs .
During a Build action, you can use your Farm card to provide the Food resource you need to build the Tannery. Then, you can add the Tannery to your Village.
Did you know that all special powers, even the ones you can activate immediately, are off-limits until you finish the basic action? It’s like a rule, and you have to follow it. No shortcuts allowed!
Original Text: Rick has the Barracks, which has the power [develop]+. Unfortunately, Rick does not have enough cards in his hand to pay for the [develop] action; he may not use the Barracks to gain a card until he has paid for and completed the [develop] action using cards already in his hand.
If you have multiple powers that apply to your action, you may resolve them in any order.
Rewritten Text: I have the Barracks card, which has a special power called [develop]+. But here’s the problem: I don’t have enough cards in my hand to pay for the [develop] action. That means I can’t use the Barracks card to gain a new card until I first pay for and complete the [develop] action using the cards I already have.
If you have multiple powers that apply to your action, you can choose the order in which you resolve them.
Example: I’m going to tell you a story about Helen and her magical Witch’s Hut. Helen loves playing the game Villages of Valeria, and in this game, she can build different buildings in her village to gain special powers.
One of the buildings Helen builds is the Witch’s Hut. This building has a special power – when Helen builds it, she can immediately discard one card from her hand to gain one Gold coin. The Witch’s Hut was the only card she had in her hand, but that was okay because her village already had the Armory.
The Armory is another building with its own special power. Its power is to allow Helen to build an extra building in her village. So, after Helen paid the cost of building the Witch’s Hut and added it to her village, she used the Armory’s power to add a card to her hand. Then, she used the Witch’s Hut’s power to discard that same card and gain a Gold coin.
Now, let’s talk about the end of the game. The game ends when any player’s village has a certain number of Buildings and/or Adventurers. The specific number of buildings and adventurers needed to end the game is shown in the table below. Once the game reaches this point, the adventure comes to a close, and the players can see who has the most prosperous village.
So, there you have it! A tale of Helen and her magical buildings in the game Villages of Valeria. Now it’s your turn to start building your own village and see what powers and adventures await you! Enjoy the game!
I’m going to let you in on a little secret – something interesting can happen during a game. It can happen when someone builds a Building or recruits an Adventurer, or even when another player decides to follow their lead. It’s a moment of opportunity.
During the turn, everything unfolds. Even if the active player triggers the end of the game, everyone else still has a chance to join in and enhance their own Villages.
| 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| Total Buildings and Adventurers | 12 | 12 | 10 | 10 |
A quick heads up: The Developed Resources and the Castle don’t count towards the total number.
How Scoring Works
Let’s tally up your Victory Points! Take a look at the number shown in the upper-right corner of each Building and Adventurer in your Village. Don’t count any Resources or cards you have in hand, just focus on those on the table. Now, let’s add in any extra Victory Points that your Buildings or Adventurers might give you due to their special powers.
In a game like Castle Panic, every move matters. It’s not just about slaying monsters and defending your castle; it’s about strategic decision-making that can tip the scales in your favor. For instance, take into account the Knight, who grants you an extra Victory Point for each Building you have in your Village. That’s a big advantage!
But that’s not all. Your Gold coins also play a crucial role in determining the victor. Each Gold coin adds one Victory Point to your total, including the ones on your Resource cards and Castle. So, the more Gold coins you have, the better your chances are of winning.
Now, let’s talk about how the winner is decided. The player with the most Victory Points comes out on top, simple as that! However, there’s a twist. If there’s a tie, things get interesting. The tied player with the most Buildings and Adventurers takes the lead. If that still doesn’t break the tie, the player with the most Gold coins secures the victory. And if there’s still a tie after that, well, everyone who’s tied will be declared the winner. Talk about a thrilling finish!