How to Play

Caylus 1303

2-5 players 60-90 min 7.4 Board Game Geek Rating

Players compete as master builders constructing a medieval city in this streamlined worker placement classic. Deploy workers to buildings, gather resources, and recruit characters with special abilities and shifting loyalties. Victory comes from earning the most prestige points through strategic construction and pleasing the King in this modernized version.

Published 2019

Get Ready

Setup the game with these step-by-step instructions before diving into your turn.

Place the game board

Put the board in the center of the table

Shuffle initial buildings

Mix the 9 initial buildings and place them randomly:

Shuffle wooden buildings

Mix the 9 wooden buildings and place:

Shuffle stone buildings

Mix the 9 stone buildings and place:

Place monuments

Set the 7 monuments beside the board

Position the Provost

Place the Provost just before the designated road space

Set round marker

Place the round marker on position 1

Create supply

Place resources and prestige points (visible) near the board

Choose player colors

Each player takes their matching houses and places 1 house below the Guilds Bridge

Distribute starting workers

Give each player workers based on player count:

Select first player

Choose randomly and give them the First Player tile

Draft characters

Draw character tiles equal to players plus 3, then starting with last player going counterclockwise, each player selects 1 character (place remaining 3 on board)

Give starting resources

Each player receives 2 food, 1 wood, and 1 stone

On Your Turn

What you can do during your turn.

Place a worker on a building

Put 1 worker on an unoccupied road building

Place a worker on the construction site

Put 1 worker in the first available position (left to right)

Pass your turn

Place your house on the first available Guilds Bridge position

Activate buildings in order

Starting from City Gate, activate buildings along the road up to the Provost

Use the Toll building

Move the Provost 0, 1, or 2 steps forward or backward

Use the Guilds Bridge

In order of houses on the bridge, each player may move the Provost 1-3 steps (forward or backward) by returning 1 worker to Camp per step

Buildings past the Provost

These do not activate; workers return to Camp without effect

Deliver batches

Players with workers on the construction site deliver in placement order

Award favor

Player who delivered most batches gains 1 Favor (ties go to first-placed worker)

Steal a character

Take a character from another player, OR

Use construction site building

Apply the effect of one of the 3 construction site buildings (rounds 1-3: first only; rounds 4-6: first or second; rounds 7-9: any of the three)

Gain a character

If at least 1 character remains on the board, take one and place it face-up in front of you

Convert to residences

Flip all initial buildings (yellow flag) with a house on top to their residence side (green flag)

Build monuments

Starting from Guilds Bridge along the road, each residence may be replaced by a monument

Recruit workers

Each player takes 3 workers from Camp (2 in 5-player game) plus:

Reposition Provost

Place the Provost just before the last constructed building (ignoring the stone building placed at game start if empty spaces remain ahead)

Advance round marker

Move the round marker 1 position forward and begin a new round

Build wooden buildings

At the Carpenter, select a wooden building from supply, pay resources shown on upper left, place on first empty road space, put your house on it, and gain prestige points shown

Build stone buildings

At the Stonemason, select a stone building from supply, pay resources shown on upper left, place on first empty road space, put your house on it, and gain prestige points shown

Wild resource symbol

When shown in construction cost, spend 1 food, 1 wood, 1 stone, or 1 cloth