How to Play

Paris: La Cité de la Lumière

2-2 players 30-30 min 7.2 Board Game Geek Rating

In this two-player game set during 1889 Paris's World Fair, players compete to illuminate their buildings with streetlights. The first phase involves placing cobblestone tiles containing colored spaces and streetlights, or collecting building reserves. During the second phase, players construct buildings on their designated spaces, strategically positioning them near streetlights to maximize illumination and earn points. Victory goes to whoever creates the most brilliantly lit structures.

Published 2019

Paris: La Cité de la Lumière

Get Ready

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

1
Understand the objective
Win mainly by creating buildings illuminated by streetlamps
2
Prepare cobbled squares
Each player has street-squares containing streetlamps, player-colored cobbles, and purple wildcard cobbles
3
Organize building pieces
Separate building tiles into player reserves and a common supply
4
Set out postcards
Review all postcards before beginning to understand available actions
5
Gather chimneys
Have chimneys ready to mark building ownership during play
6
Prepare action tokens
Each player receives action tokens for use in the second phase

On Your Turn

What you can do during your turn.

1
Choose one action per turn
Either place a street-square on any space on the board OR take a building piece for later use
2
Continue until squares depleted
Phase ends when all cobbled squares have been laid
3
Handle uneven placement
If one player finishes placing squares first, the other may pass their turn or collect a building
4
Determine starting player
The first player to place all their tiles in Phase 1 begins Phase 2
5
Choose one action per turn
Either place a building with a chimney OR activate a postcard
6
Follow placement rules
Buildings must be placed on squares of your own color or purple wildcard squares
7
Mark ownership
Place a chimney on every building you place, including special buildings like Jardin des Plantes
8
Use postcards strategically
Claim postcards with action tokens; you may claim simply to block opponents
9
Note postcard timing
Only Metropolitain can be deferred; all other postcard actions must be taken immediately or are forfeited
10
End the game
Game concludes when neither player can place more buildings AND all action tokens have been used
11
Levitation
Exchange a building from your reserve with one from the supply, then play the new one immediately
12
Metropolitain
Claim for later use; when activated, place a building that may cover streetlight spaces
13
Bouquinistes de la Seine
Place the annex piece on your colored cobblestone, expanding an existing building
14
Le Penseur
Place the statue on your cobblestone with at least one free space in front
15
Jardin des Plantes
Place this building on your colored or purple wildcard cobblestones
16
Le Peintre
Place the painter on an empty cobblestone of your color
17
Lampadaire
Place the streetlight tile on a cobblestone of your color
18
La Grande Lumière
Place on a streetlight space to illuminate multiple surrounding spaces
19
Sacré Coeur
Hold to avoid penalties for unplaced buildings at endgame
20
Moulin Rouge
Place the dancer on a cobblestone of your color
21
Chartier
Take the purple tile now; later place it on an opponent's cobblestone to receive a building or fountain
22
Fontaine des Mers
Place the fountain on your colored or purple cobblestones

Winning

How to claim victory.

1
Score building illumination
For each separate building, multiply the number of streetlights (including la Grande Lumière) lighting its edges by the number of squares covered
2
Score largest building group
Gain 1 point for each square occupied by your largest connected building group (buildings whose edges touch)
3
Apply unplaced building penalty
Lose 3 points for each building gathered but not placed
4
Score stamped postcards
Gain 1 point for each postcard with a stamp on it
5
Calculate Le Penseur bonus
Gain 2 points per empty adjacent cobblestone and 1 point per diagonal empty cobblestone (no points if space in front is occupied)
6
Calculate Le Peintre bonus
Gain 2 points for every streetlight the painter can walk to unobstructed by buildings or board edges
7
Calculate Moulin Rouge bonus
Gain 1 point for every cobblestone the dancer can reach unobstructed by streetlights, statues, painters, or buildings
8
Calculate Fontaine des Mers bonus
Gain 3 points for each of your buildings in edge-to-edge contact with the fountain
9
Determine winner
Player with the highest total score wins

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FULL rules

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

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