Components

• 1 game board
• 1 rotating board
• 1 suckling pig
• 12 point tiles
• 28 playing figures
• 10 Rings (golden)
• 88 cards
• 1 plastic stand
• Instructions

Object of the Game

ARTUS includes rules for beginners as well as ones for advanced players.

The rules for the beginner game follow below. Additional rules for advanced players are included at the end. We recommend using the beginner rules for the first game. Experienced players may choose to start with the advanced game right away, however.

Beginner Game

(9 years and up - without scoring cards)

Setup

Place the game board in the middle of the table, using the connecting piece to ensure that the two halves are properly connected together.

Place the silver and bronze colored figures (Princes) onto the four seats with crowns, taking care to ensure that identical colors are opposite each other.

Place 3 rings onto the prince located on the seat with the larger crown. This becomes King Arthur. Place only 1 ring onto each of the other three princes. (it is irrelevant whether king arthur is a silver or a bronze figure).

Place the rotating board (table surface) such that the round portion of the plastic stand is inserted into the hole in the middle of the game board.

Now, using the suckling pig, rotate the table so that the plate with the crown is immediately adjacent to King Arthur. It will remain there for the rest of the game. Should the King move or a new King be crowned, then the rotating board is immediately rotated to suit the new King's location.

Place the 12 point tiles (with 50) as well as the remaining 4 rings next to the game board.

Each player receives, in the color of his choice:

• 6 Knights (with 2 and 3 players) or 5 Knights (with 4 players).

  Each player places one Knight onto the 0/50 space on the prestige point track. He places the remaining Knights in front of himself.

• 1 set of cards: Each player sorts his cards according to their backs into the three piles: Knight cards (helmet), King cards (crown) and scoring cards (scroll).

  Each player returns his scoring cards to the game box, as these six cards are only used in the advanced game.

  Each player shuffles his remaining two piles separately and places them in front of himself: face-down pile of Knight cards on the left, face-down pile of King cards on the right.

Each player then draws two cards from each pile and places them in his hand so that he has a total of 4 hand cards.

After all, players have looked at their hand cards, Knights are placed onto the empty seats around the round table. The oldest player is the start player. His right-hand neighbor goes first, placing a Knight onto an empty seat (the 10, for example).

Then, in a counter-clockwise direction, the next player does the same (placing on the 8, for example), and so on, until each player has placed a Knight.

Depending on how many players are taking part, there will be a total of five (2-3 player game) or four (4 player game) placement rounds. The start player then begins the actual game, with play proceeding in a clockwise direction.

Game Play

The game lasts for a total of 16 rounds. On a player's turn, he plays one of his hand cards, carries out the corresponding action and then sets the card aside (it is out of the game).

He subsequently draws another card from either of his two draw piles. It is then the next player's turn.

Each card played allows a single action to be carried out. In the beginner game, there are a total of three different actions:

1. Move a Knight

If the player plays one of his Knight cards, then he must move one of his own Knights as many seats (henceforth also referred to as spaces) forwards in a clockwise direction as indicated by the card.

The numbers on the card played give him options for how far he may move his Knight.

Prestige Points

When a player moves one of his Knights, he either receives or loses prestige points. The value of the space that the Knight leaves (not the space the Knight lands on!) determines how many prestige points the player receives/loses.

The player then adjusts his scoring marker on the prestige point track by moving it forwards or backwards the appropriate amount.

Should a player's scoring marker reach or go beyond the 50 space on the prestige point track, then the player takes one of the point tiles from the supply and places it in front of himself: Should a player's score be reduced to fewer than 50 again, then the player must return the point tile back to the supply.

If the Knight ends its movement on an occupied seat, then it displaces that figure. More on this on the next page (under Displacement) (as well as in the detailed examples on page 8).

2. Move a Prince or the King

The Princes and the King are neutral figures that can be moved by all players.

If a player plays one of his King cards with number values on them, then he must move a correspondingly colored Prince or the King forwards as many spaces as indicated by the card.

The numbers on the card played give him options for how far he may move the Prince or King. The card's background color is binding for Princes as well as the King!

When the King is moved, then the table surface is rotated immediately afterwards, so that the crown is next to the King again.

Prestige Points

When a player moves one of the Princes, then he either receives or loses prestige points corresponding to the value of the space that the Prince left. The player then adjusts his scoring marker on the prestige track by the appropriate amount.

When a player moves the King, then he doesn't receive or lose any prestige points, since the King is always next to the crown (which counts 0 points).

If the Prince or King ends its movement on an occupied seat, then it displaces that figure.

Displacement

There may never be more than one figure on any seat.

If a figure's movement (regardless whether it is a Knight, Prince or the King) ends on an occupied seat, then the figure currently located there (regardless whether it is a player's own or an opposing Knight, Prince or the King) is displaced and must move to the next empty space in a counter-clockwise direction (which is often, but not always, the space the just-moved figure came from).

When the King is displaced, then the table surface is rotated immediately afterwards, so that the crown is next to the King again.

3. Add a Ring

The player takes a ring from the supply next to the game board and adds it to a Prince (never the King!).

The card played indicates whether the ring may be added to a silver Prince, a bronze Prince, or either (observe the card's background color!).

As soon as a Prince receives a third ring, then it is immediately crowned the new King: The old King becomes a Prince again, losing all but one ring back to the supply. The table surface is rotated such that the crown is next to the new King.

Prestige Points

For adding a ring (including a third one!), a player receives or loses prestige points equal to the value of the space the Prince is currently standing on. Princes are never moved as a result of a ring action.

New Hand Cards

After a player has played a card and carried out the corresponding action, he sets the card aside (it is now out of the game) and then draws a new card from the top of either of his draw piles.

The four hand cards must only consist of two Knight and two King cards at the start of the game; afterwards a player's four hand cards can be made up of any combination of cards.

As soon as one draw pile is exhausted, then the player may only draw cards from the other pile. Once both piles are exhausted then the player may not draw cards any more. Players continue playing until all hand cards have been played.

The Scoring Cards

A fundamental rule for all scoring cards is that a player's own Knights are always what is meant when the cards refer to Knights.

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  Score All Knights

  The player who plays this card must score all of his Knights (all four in a 4 player game or all five in a 2 or 3 player game).

  He receives or loses prestige points equal to the values of the spaces his Knights are currently standing on and moves his scoring marker forwards or backwards the corresponding amount.

  
  
• 

  Score All Knights (Opposite Signs!)

  The player who plays this card must score all of his Knights (all four in a 4 player game or all five in a 2 or 3 player game).

  He receives or loses prestige points equal to the opposite values of the spaces his Knights are currently standing on - positive spaces score negative points and negative spaces score positive points - and moves his scoring marker forwards or backwards the corresponding amount.

  
  
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  Score one Knight each on green, yellow and red spaces or -15 prestige points

  The player who plays this card must choose one of his Knights on a green (1 to 10) space, one on a yellow (3x 0) space and one on a red (-1 to -15) space and score all three, moving his scoring marker forwards or backwards the corresponding amount.

  Should the player not have at least one Knight on green, yellow and red spaces, he can still play this card, receiving -15 points for it instead (and ignoring the positions of his Knights).

  This may be the case towards the end of the game, when the player is forced to play this card without being able to fulfill its requirements because there are no other options.

  
  
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  Score two Knights on the carpet or -25 prestige points

  

  The player who plays this card must choose two of his Knights located on any two of the six chairs on the carpet (see figure) and score them, moving his scoring marker forwards or backwards the corresponding amount.

  Should the player have fewer than two Knights on the six carpet spaces, he can still play this card, receiving -25 points for it instead (and ignoring the positions of his Knights).

  This may be the case towards the end of the game, when the player is forced to play the card without being able to fulfill its requirements because there are no other options. (See also Example F on the next page).

  
  
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  Score three Knights on red spaces or -50 prestige points

  The player who plays this card must choose three of his Knights located on red spaces (-1 to -15) and score them, moving his scoring marker backwards the corresponding amount.

  Should the player have fewer than three Knights on red spaces, he can still play this card, receiving -50 points for it instead (and ignoring the positions of his Knights).

  This may be the case towards the end of the game, when the player is forced to play the card without being able to fulfill its requirements because there are no other options.

  
  
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  Move a figure 1-3 spaces forwards or add a Ring or score a Knight

  The player who plays this card must choose one of the three options: Either he moves one of his Knights, a Prince of his choice or the King between 1 and 3 spaces forwards, with all usual consequences (prestige points and displacement).

  Or he adds a ring to a Prince of his choice (not the King!), with all usual consequences (prestige points and possibly a new King).

  Or he scores his best Knight and moves his scoring marker forwards (or backwards) the corresponding amount.

  
  

End of the Game

Advanced Game

(12 years and up - with scoring cards)

All beginner game rules are in effect with the following exceptions:

Setup

Each player shuffles his 6 scoring cards and places them in a face- down pile to the right of his other two draw piles.

Each player draws 3 Knight and 3 King cards at the start of the game; the game is played with 6 hand cards. Scoring cards may also be drawn as hand cards after this.

Game Play

Each player must always play 2 hand cards, in any order, on their turn.

The player plays the first card, carrying out the action and any associated displacement and scoring, and then setting the card aside. Immediately thereafter, he plays a second card, again carrying out the action and any associated displacement and scoring, and again setting the card aside.

Then he first draws one card from the draw pile of his choice. After having looked at that card, he draws a second one, again from the draw pile of his choice. It is then the next player's turn to carry out two actions, etc.

End of the Game

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