FAQ
21 answered questions18 official
Rules questions from the BoardGameGeek forum. Answers marked Official were confirmed by Placentia Games / Post Scriptum or the designers.
Common mistakes
- Only losing a Prestige Point to use a rival's Workshop — the owner gains it too, a two-point swing. Ruling · Rule
- Taking the Bishop's expelled Kinsmen from rivals' income areas — they come from each rival's pool. Ruling · Rule
- Resolving all Workshops before the Market, Family Business and Captains of Fortune — those work at any moment of Phase 5. Ruling · Rule
- Spending Resources on an Artwork you then cannot finish — a failure costs only Prestige. Ruling · Rule
- Counting an empty Palazzo or Chiesa as −4 — it is −1 per Artwork plus −4: 8 in all. Ruling · Rule
- Keeping the old order among players tied on the Prestige Track — tied players reverse their order. Ruling · Rule
- [Solo] Waiting for the next round to free a Ghost's lying-down Kinsmen — free them as soon as its Action Table is full. Ruling · Rule
Showing 21 of 21
Can I build two Workshops of the same type, for example two Casa? Official
Yes. Nothing stops you building a second copy of a Workshop you already own, as long as one is left in the supply.
Source: BGG thread
When I place a Kinsman on another player's Workshop, do I lose a Prestige Point and do they gain one? Official
Both. You move your Captain marker back 1 space and the owner moves theirs forward 1, a two-point swing between you. The publisher added that building Workshops others want to use is a strategy in itself. The ruling was given for the original game; the X Anniversary rulebook keeps the same payment.
Source: BGG thread
Does the Bishop expel a Kinsman from my pool or from the income area of my District board? Official
From your pool. Only if your pool is empty do you give one from your income area. This edition gives one Kinsman less in income than the old ones and applies the Bishop's power to every opponent, so taking it from the income area would be too strong. It still matters: a player who would get all 8 Kinsmen loses one, and the others have fewer left to recruit with Charity.
Source: BGG thread
If I cannot use all my Kinsmen, do I lose my income next round? Official
No. Put the Kinsmen you do not use back in your pool; there is no penalty and you always collect your income. The ruling was given for the original game, whose income rule has the same wording.
Source: BGG thread
What if my income would give me more than 8 Kinsmen? Official
The extra ones are lost: a family has only 8 Kinsmen. The ruling was given for the original game; the X Anniversary box still has 8 Kinsmen per family.
Source: BGG thread
In Phase 5, must all Workshops be resolved before the Market, the Family Business and the Captains of Fortune? Official
No. You may use those other activities whenever you like during Phase 5 — for example take the Family Business money or trade at the Market to pay for a Workshop you are about to build. This is one of the main changes from the older editions. The Workshops themselves still resolve space by space in turn order.
Source: BGG thread
In Phase 6, do I have to complete my Artworks in a set order, and can I choose not to complete one? Official
You choose the order, and you may decline to complete one. The old rule (District first, then Civic Buildings, then Cathedral) was removed in this edition. An Artwork you decline counts as a failure and costs its Prestige penalty.
Source: BGG thread
If I cannot pay for an Artwork, do I still spend the Resources I have? Official
No. You pay nothing, do not complete the Artwork and only lose the failure Prestige Points. The ruling was given for the original game, whose failure rule is the same.
Source: BGG thread
An Artwork shows two skills, for example Painter and Sculptor. Do I need two Artists?
No. One Artist with either skill is enough; you pay that Artist's cost for the skill you use. This community answer matches the rulebook, which says an Artist qualifies if one of his skills matches one shown on the Artwork.
Source: BGG thread
Several players without an office are tied on the Prestige Track. How do they swap places? Official
Their order is reversed. Tied players 1, 2, 3 become 3, 2, 1; if they are still tied a round later they go back to 1, 2, 3. A player not in the tie keeps their place (1, 2, 3 tied with 4 behind become 3, 2, 1, 4).
Source: BGG thread · second thread
If one player is both Captain of the People and Bishop, do they place two Kinsmen before anyone else?
No. They simply play first, holding both cards and using both powers in Phases 2 and 3; everyone else follows by their Captain markers. This community answer points to Special Cases on page 13 of the rulebook, which replaced the original game's double turn.
Source: BGG thread
What happens when my marker goes past the end of the Prestige or Church Influence Track? Official
Turn the marker to its +50 (Captain) or +5 (Bishop) side and carry on from the start of the track. There is no limit to your points: if it ever happens a second time, keep a 50 or 5 Prestige Point token under the marker as a reminder.
Source: BGG thread
I completed no Artwork in my Chiesa. Do I lose 4 Victory Points, or 8? Official
- You lose 1 for each of the four uncompleted Artworks and another 4 for not completing at least one there. The same applies to the Palazzo.
Source: BGG thread · original game
[Solo] The Ghost rolls more than the number of empty spaces on its Action Table. How do I count? Official
Keep counting from the first empty space again. Count the spaces left to right, row by row from the top: with only the first four spaces empty, a roll of 6 lands on the second of them.
Source: BGG thread
[Solo] The Ghost runs out of Kinsmen in its pool before it has used all its actions for the round. What now? Official
It places what it has. As soon as all 8 spaces of its Action Table are full, remove every lying-down Kinsman at once, then put in its income area as many Kinsmen as it still needs this round (round number, +1 if it is Bishop) and carry on. Example: in round 4 with 7 lying down and 1 left, it uses that one, frees the 7 and places 3 more.
Source: BGG thread · second thread
[Solo] I am the Bishop. Does the Ghost lose an action? Official
No. The Bishop takes Kinsmen from the pool, not from the ones a Ghost is about to use, and a Ghost always has at least one in its pool, so it never loses an action. If you want to put one of its Kinsmen on the Bishop card, take it when its lying-down Kinsmen are freed; nothing else changes.
Source: BGG thread · second thread
[Solo] The Ghost's Artist has the wrong skill for the last Artwork left in that area. Does it pick another Artist or area? Official
No, the Ghost skips the action. It only looks at Artworks that suit the one skill it chose its Artist for, even if the Artist has another skill that would fit.
Source: BGG thread · second thread
[Solo] If no Artist is available, does the Ghost hire an unnamed one? Official
No: it takes no action. Named Artists keep coming because new character tiles are drawn whenever characters leave at the end of a round — make sure you do that step.
Source: BGG thread
[Solo] Does the Ghost collect income from special crests or Artworks on the main board? Official
No. The Ghost ignores the whole income phase and anything to do with money or Resources.
Source: BGG thread
[Solo] The Ghost rolls a main-board location where no space is free. Does it try something else? Official
No, it loses the action.
Source: BGG thread
[NoDie] Can each player choose between the die and the No Die Variant every time they complete an Artwork?
Players who answered agree that the whole table picks one method before the game and keeps it for every Artwork. The rulebook presents the variant as a replacement for the die roll, not an option per Artwork.
Source: BGG thread