Welcome to Caylus

Hey there! Join me on an exciting journey as we become master builders and construct the amazing King’s castle and the bustling city of Caylus. As we work our magic, we’ll earn prestige points and earn the favor of the King. Ready to get started?

Let’s Set Up!

First things first, let’s set up the game. We need to place the board right in the middle of our playing area. Now, let’s sort all the building tiles by color and put them on the board, face up. The pink tiles are a bit special, so let’s mix them up and place them on the first spots of the road. Lastly, we’ll separate the coins and resources and create stockpiles right beside the board. And voila, we’re all set!

When we start the game, each of us gets to choose a color that represents us. I love picking out my favorite color! We have wooden pieces in our chosen color that we collect as we play. Oh, and don’t forget about the markers! There’s one marker for each of us to put on the turn order scale.

We also need to place markers on the bridge, the four fleur-de-lises, and the first space of the score track. Just making sure our markers are in all the right places! Now, let’s talk about determining our order. We’ll take the markers from the turn order scale and randomly put them on the numbered spaces. No strategy allowed! This will decide who goes first, second, and so on.

Now, pay attention! Depending on which space your marker is on, you get a different number of deniers. If you’re on the first space, you’ll grab five deniers. Second and third space get six deniers each, and if you’re on the fourth or fifth space, you collect seven deniers. Oh, and we all get a wooden cube and two food cubes from the stockpile. Gotta make sure we’re ready to play!

Hey, let’s get this game started! But before we begin, remember that it’s important for everyone to keep their deniers and cubes visible throughout the game.

Ready, Set, Game!

Alright, let’s dive into the gameplay. The game is played through turns, and each turn has seven phases. First up is phase one, where each player collects two deniers from the stock. On top of that, you get an extra denier for each residential building you own, and if you’ve got a Library or a Hotel built, you’ll score even more – a denier for the Library and two deniers for the Hotel. The best part? There’s no limit to how much money you can earn.

Next comes phase two, where the real action happens. In this phase, you get to choose one action from a range of options:

• Pass: Take a breather and skip your action for this turn. No judgment!
• Workin’ the Castle: Place one of your workers in the castle. That’s where the action is, after all!
• Building Biz: Put a worker on one of your own buildings. Time to show off those construction skills!
• Mutual Benefits: Place a worker on another player’s building. Who said cooperation couldn’t be profitable?
• Mandatory Assignment: Assign a worker to a fixed building. Some things in life you just gotta do!

Now that you know the basics, you’re all set to conquer the game. So, gather your deniers, strategize your moves, and let the excitement begin!

Now that we’ve placed our workers, let’s move on to phase three. In this phase, we’ll activate some special buildings like the gate, trading post, guild, joust field, stables, and inn. Once all the buildings have been activated, we’ll move on to phase four. Here, we have the option to move the provost. The order in which we move the provost is determined by the order in which players passed during phase two. The first player to pass will be the first to move the provost. We can move the provost up to three spaces forward or backward, but remember, we have to pay one denier for each space moved.

When we reach phase five, it’s time for everyone to have their say or pass. In this phase, we activate all the important buildings – production buildings, construction buildings, lawyers, marketplaces, peddlers, churches, tailors, banks, and alchemists – in order along the road. We start from the first space after the bridge and go all the way to where the provost is located. Once these buildings are activated and their effects take place, we can start building the castle. If you have workers in the castle, this is your chance to earn some prestige points by helping in its construction.

Once all the work is done and the workers are brought back to me from the castle, it’s time to wrap up the turn. I start by moving the bailiff along the road, depending on where the provost is. If the provost is right in front of me, I move two spaces. But if the provost is behind me, I only move one space. Then, I place the provost on the same spot as the bailiff. And just like that, a new turn begins.

Before we start the new turn, we need to check how many castle pieces we’ve built so far. We count them all up. Once that’s done, we have to focus on the next part of the castle. We can’t go back now, we can only move forward. And the game only comes to an end when we finish counting the towers.

END OF GAME

Hey there! I’m excited to explain how the game works. So, when the count of Towers section is finished, that’s when the game comes to an end. Pretty straightforward, right? Now, here’s the exciting part: when the game is over, we tally up the points to determine the winner. Cool, huh?

Let me break it down for you. Each player gets three points for every gold cube they have. Easy peasy! But wait, there’s more. For every three cubes they have, they get an extra point. And for every four deniers, another point! So, it’s important to collect as many cubes and deniers as you can during the game.

Now, let’s talk about the winner. The player with the highest score is the big winner! They get to claim victory and bask in the glory. But what happens if there’s a tie? Well, in that case, everyone who’s tied for first place wins the game! How exciting is that?

Oh, by the way, my name is Ellie. I live in Northeast Tennessee, and I’m pretty awesome. I’m a huge fan of animals, especially the cute and cuddly ones. Fantasy fiction novels are my jam, and I can’t get enough of outdoor adventures. Oh, and did I mention I have a loving husband and two adorable fur babies? Life is good, my friend. Life is good.