Back

How to Play

Orléans

2-5 players 90-90 min 8.0 Board Game Geek Rating

Set in medieval France, players recruit various followers—farmers, merchants, knights, monks, and others—using bag-building mechanics. Deploy these followers to pursue trade, construction, and scientific advancement. Victory comes from strategically combining multiple paths and elements to accumulate the most points through diverse medieval activities.

Published 2014

Orléans

Get Ready

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

1
Choose a storyline
Select one of two scenarios: "The Death of the King" (power struggle after mysterious royal death) or "The Weather Machine Mystery" (climate chaos from malfunctioning device)
2
Distribute character materials
Each player receives a character role card with a hidden goal
3
Deal special ability cards
Each player takes three ability cards:
4
Draw starting symbol
Each player randomly draws one symbol card to keep throughout the game
5
Prepare quest decks
Shuffle quest decks for seven regions plus Orléans and place them in separate piles near the board
6
Set up the board
Either print the new game map or use map overlays to modify the existing Orléans board
7
Note resource changes
No resource tokens are placed on the board; resources come from quest cards instead

On Your Turn

What you can do during your turn.

1
Enter a city
Move your piece to a city location on the board
2
Draw a quest card
Take the top card from the corresponding region's deck
3
Gain the resource
Collect the resource shown on the drawn quest card
4
Resolve the quest type
Follow one of three quest formats:
5
Spend symbols when required
Discard a card containing the needed symbol to pay quest costs
6
Use green symbols for defense
Block negative effects from events or other players by discarding a matching green symbol
7
Save gold symbols
Reserve these rare permanent symbols only for legendary quests
8
Handle completed quests
Keep completed quest cards to retain their symbols
9
Return failed quests
Place skipped or failed quests at the bottom of their deck
10
Manage ability cards
Discard useful cards for effects, or find quests to remove negative cards without penalty
11
Interact with other players
Engage in trade, steal resources (opponents may block with green symbols), or complete secret missions

Winning

How to claim victory.

1
Reveal character roles
Each player shows their character role card at game end
2
Announce goal completion
Declare whether your secret goal was achieved
3
Calculate Victory Points
Tally VP from quests, objectives, and resources collected
4
Apply negative card penalties
Subtract VP for any negative cards still in your hand
5
Experience the final story event
Randomly draw one of three endings and read it aloud to reveal the empire's fate based on player actions
6
Determine the winner
The player with the highest total Victory Points wins the game

watch & Learn

Let the pros teach you with these top videos.

Orléans - Start Playing in 13 Minutes. Including Expansions Invasion and Trade & Intrigue

Orléans - Start Playing in 13 Minutes. Including Expansions Invasion and Trade & Intrigue

Instructional

Orleans Full Playthrough

Orleans Full Playthrough

Instructional

MORE VIDEOS

FULL rules

Looking for the full details? Grab the complete rulebook as a downloadable PDF.

PDF RULEBOOK

Play Board Games Online

Explore breakout hits and fan favourites with no downloads, setup or paywalls. Just click and play.

Play Now

more GAMES LIKE THIS

The Voyages of Marco Polo

The Voyages of Marco Polo

Architects of the West Kingdom

Architects of the West Kingdom

Troyes

Troyes

Clank! Legacy: Acquisitions Incorporated

Clank! Legacy: Acquisitions Incorporated