Orléans

Game Description

Immerse yourself in the captivating atmosphere of medieval France with "Orléans", a masterpiece among strategic board games that will challenge you to build your ascent to power. Amidst the turmoil of Orléans, your objective will be to gather a loyal following of characters, from humble peasants to valiant knights, astute merchants, and pious monks, to establish your supremacy through trade, construction, and scientific advancement.

In "Orléans", every decision counts. You will recruit a diverse array of followers and strategically assign them to specific tasks to best utilize their unique abilities. Farmers and boatmen will provide you with money and essential goods for economic development; knights will expand your reach and ensure the safety of your mercantile expeditions; craftsmen will build trading posts and tools to facilitate work; scholars will advance science, unlocking new opportunities; merchants will open new routes and places to explore. Don't forget the monks: their presence in monasteries will protect you from the adversities of fate, offering you multiple strategies for victory.

The heart of the game lies in its profound strategic depth: you will always have more actions to take than are possible, and you will be called upon to best combine all available elements according to your strategy. The paths to victory are numerous, and the challenge is to master resource management and your followers to emerge triumphant.

Players: 2-5
Duration: 90 minutes
Year: 2014
Publisher: dlp games

Rules

Orléans is a strategic board game for 2-5 players, set in medieval France, where the objective is to achieve supremacy through trade, construction, and science. Players must assemble a following of various characters, such as farmers, merchants, knights, and monks, each with unique abilities. The central mechanic of the game is bag-building: players recruit followers and randomly draw them from a bag at the start of each round to use them.

During their turn, the drawn followers are assigned to different action areas on the player board to perform specific tasks. For example:

Farmers and Boatmen generate money and goods.
Knights expand the range of action or protect expeditions.
Craftsmen build trading posts or useful tools.
Scholars advance science.
Merchants open new locations on the map.

Each action is crucial for accumulating resources and progressing in the game.

The game cycle involves drawing followers, assigning them to activate actions, and then preparing for the next round. The challenge lies in optimally combining the abilities of your followers and the available actions to implement your strategy. There are multiple paths to victory, which is achieved by accumulating points through the development of your trade network, scientific progress, and influence over the territory.