The Rue (Board Game)
Contents
The Rue Game Summary
A board game featuring resources that must be acquired and spent to advance through the levels on the board game, with the goal to acquire at least 3 gate cards, which include the non-optional starting gate and finishing gate. Victory points added at the end of the game determine the winner.
Setup
Each player selects a piece to advance across the game board, a personal treasury, and one of the preset decks of cards. From the General Treasury, they are issued one hourglass tile for each bread tile space on their earthly treasury. If the tile space costs one hour, they receive a 1-hr hourglass tile. If the tile space costs two hours, they receive a 2-hr hourglass tile. Each player also receives 10 copper crosses, one bread tile, and one lamp tile to begin. All players set their pieces on the space before Seeker's Gate marked START.
The Game Board
There are three levels on the board after entering the city.
- Outside the city, you can spend 1 hourglass tile per turn and receive one cross at the start of each turn.
- On the first level, you can spend up to 3 hourglass tiles per turn and receive ten crosses at the start of each turn.
- On the second level, you can spend up to 4 hourglass tiles per turn and receive twenty crosses at the start of each turn.
- On the third level, you can spend up to 6 hourglass tiles per turn and receive thirty crosses at the start of each turn.
Outside the City
To begin the game, the first player spends one hourglass tile and selects whether to play down a bread tile in their earthly treasury or a lamp tile in their heavenly treasury. They then draw a card. If the card is a map card, they may receive a map tile from the General Treasury and place the map card in their spent pile. If the card is not a map card, the card remains in play until the next turn and their turn is ended.
- The bread tile remains on their earthly treasury until the player moves their piece the first time. The lamp tile remains on their heavenly treasury until the player successfully receives their Seeker's Gate card.
- If a player does not draw a map card within 4 turns, instead of discarding the cards in play, they return all of them to the reserve deck and shuffle again, then draw a new card.
- The requirements for each gate is written on the gate card. The requirements for Seeker's Gate is one bread tile, one lamp tile, and one map tile in play, then the player may receive their gate card and enter the city.
Level One
- Chapel
- While in the chapel, you may acquire a lamp tile from the general treasury or place a lamp in play from your reserve.
- Market
- Library
- While in the library, you may spend any card in play in your treasury, even if you don't have the corresponding active tile.
- Trader's Resting Place (Bench)
- Inn
Level Two
- Chapel
- While in the chapel, you may acquire a lamp tile from the general treasury or place a lamp in play from your reserve.
- Shop
- Library
- While in the library, you may spend any card in play in your treasury, even if you don't have the corresponding active tile.
- Trader's Resting Place (Bench)
- Homeless Man
- Street Cart
- Inn
Level Three
- Chapel
- While in the chapel, you may acquire a lamp tile from the general treasury or place a lamp in play from your reserve.
- Shop
- Fountain
- Inn
Waypoints
Waypoints are spaces through which players can pass between board levels. The cost to cross a waypoint is exact. You cannot spend more or less nor use a different currency than specified.
Game Cards
Guidance Cards
- You may draw one card per turn, whichever card is next in the deck. This places it into play.
- You may spend any card in play by following the instructions on the card. You must have the corresponding tile active in your treasury to spend the card, e.g. the map tile to spend a map card.
- You must spend any materials required to spend the card. If it calls for one lamp tile, the lamp tile is moved to spent when the card is spent.
- You may only have up to 4 cards in play per turn.
- If you have 4 cards in play and cannot spend any of them, you may discard all cards for which you do not have corresponding tiles active.
Gate Cards
Gate cards are acquired by fulfilling the cost listed on each card. Twelve gates surround the city. You must enter the city through Seeker's Gate and acquire the card and finish at the King's Gate and pick up at least one other gate card along the way to complete the game.
- Seeker's Gate / The Prince's Gate: "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out." John 6:37 (draw a map card to acquire your map tile and place it in play and have one lamp tile in play to acquire Seeker's Gate and enter the city)
- Camel Gate: "Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” Matthew 19:21 (give away your entire earthly treasury to other players, distributed however you see fit)
- Virgins' Gate: Pray without ceasing. (all day and night must have lamps in play)
- The King's Gate
The Treasury and Treasure Chest
Giving
- You may give another player any tile or currency from your treasury at any time. It does not have to be your turn.
- You may not give away cards.
Reserve
Active / In Play
Spending
- Spent currency is returned to the General Treasury.
- Spent cards and tiles are placed in the spent piles of a player's personal treasure chest.
Game Tiles
- You may only spend hourglass tiles which are in your reserve.
- You may only spend hourglass tiles as long as there are tile spaces on which to play the bread or lamp tiles.
- A 1-hr hourglass tile puts one lamp or bread tile into play. Alternatively, a player may spend one 1-hr hourglass tile to receive one lamp tile from the General Treasury.
- A 2-hr hourglass tiles puts two lamp or bread tiles into play, but may not be used for more than one kind of tile. Alternatively, a player may spend one 2-hr hourglass tile to receive two lamp tiles from the General Treasury.
- You may only play on the day or night side and must continue in sequence from where you left off.
- Tiles played must be removed to the spent pile on use.
- If at the end of a turn, a player has unspent tiles in play, they must be added to the spent pile unless the player has an active clock tile on the same side of the treasury as the unspent tiles. If a clock is in play, then those tiles may be retained until the next turn.
Points
Once a player completes the game and acquires the King's Gate card, play ends.
- Completing the game is 200 points.
- Each gate card in your treasury is worth 200 points.
- Each active tile in play on your heavenly treasury is worth 10 points.
- Each empty lamp tile space on your heavenly treasury is -1 point.
- An empty guidebook or map tile space on your heavenly treasury or an empty compass tile space is -20 points.
- Each active tile in play on your earthly treasury is -10 points.