Learn Guildenza in five minutes.

The goal

You run a trade in the Paris of the knights. Your score is called influence (★). You earn it by delivering orders and building stalls.

• As soon as a player reaches 40 ★, the current round is finished. The player with the most influence wins.
• If nobody reaches 40 ★, the game stops after round 20.
• A game lasts about 30 minutes.

What you own

• Deniers: the game’s money. You start with 8 deniers.
• Shards: six coloured goods. Your stock holds at most 10.
• Bonus cards: one at the start, up to 3 in hand.
• Your quays: 6 spots for your stalls, 3 on each bank of the Seine.

SpiramberWaveglassBranchiteCarmineVesperiteNightstone

Each shard has its own colour, shape and name: you never have to tell them apart by colour alone.

A round, step by step

1. Everyone secretly chooses a role, then the roles are revealed together.
2. Everyone plays a turn, one after another, and again: 3 turns each per round.
3. On each turn you do one action only: Buy, Sell, Build or Raise funds. You may add a bonus card to it.
4. End of round: your pairs produce, the market moves on (the leftmost order and stall leave) and everyone draws a bonus card.

Buying shards

• Take 1 to 3 shards from the bank. They go into your stock.
• The arrival shard costs 1 denier. All the others cost 2 deniers.
• Prices change at random every round, but “Next round” shows them in advance.

Example

Branchite+Branchite+Spiramber=4 deniers

Branchite is arriving: 1 + 1 + 2 = 4 deniers.

Scarce shards

• The bank holds few shards: 5 of each colour with 2 players, 7 with 3 players, 9 with 4 players.
• When fewer than 5 of a colour are left, you may buy at most 2 at once. Fewer than 3: only one at a time.
• Delivered or sold shards go back to the bank.

Fulfilling an order

It is the main way to earn influence: the bigger the order, the more it pays. Tap “Sell”, then “Order”, and hand over exactly the shards shown.

Example

SpiramberSpiramberWaveglassWaveglassBranchite→10 deniers and 5 ★

A concord seal replaces any shard in an order, but only one per delivery.

Selling shards

• Free sale: sell 1 to 3 shards from your stock for deniers. No influence.
• The demand shard sells for 2 deniers. The others, 1 denier.

Building a stall

• Pay its price in deniers: the more it costs, the more it gives.
• Place it on any free spot of your quays, in any order.
• Link: +1 ★ if it touches a stall of another family, left, right or facing it.
• Bridge: two different families facing each other across the Seine build a bridge. You receive a seal.

A1

A2

A3

BridgeThe Seine

B1

B2

B3

Families and pairs

Every stall belongs to a family, written on the banner of its picture. Each family gives a small advantage, once per round:

• Workshop: After your first purchase of at least two different colours, gain 1 denier.
• Trading post: Your first open sale or delivery this round earns 1 extra denier.
• Market hall: Your first funding action this round earns 1 extra denier.
• Lodging: Your first stall of each round costs 1 denier less, minimum 1.
• Chancery: Your first delivery of at least three shards earns 1 extra influence.
• Scriptorium: After your first bonus use, draw a card if you have room.

Stall pairs

• Two stalls of the same family, side by side on the same bank, form a pair.
• When you form it, choose a colour: the pair gives you 1 shard of that colour at the end of every round, for free, as long as the bank has some.
• A pair does not give the +1 ★ link: choose between influence and production!

Funding, bonuses and roles

• Raise funds: you receive 3 deniers. Always possible, ideal when you are short of money.
• Bonus cards: add one to your action. For example, a Guild purse gives 2 deniers and an Escort makes a purchase 1 denier cheaper. They stay secret until you play them.
• Roles: each gives an advantage during the round. You cannot keep the same role two rounds in a row, but two players may share one.

The six characters and the six bonus cards

End of the game and ties

• The game stops at the end of the round in which a player reaches 40 ★, or after round 20. Everyone has therefore played the same number of turns.
• If influence is tied, the player who delivered the most orders wins, then the one with the most deniers.
• A perfect tie is a shared victory. Nothing is left to chance.

How to play well?

• Deliver big orders: they are the best source of influence.
• Form pairs early: their free shards add up every round.
• Buy arrival shards before they become scarce.
• Watch the other players: they want the same orders and the same shards!