Caylus is an evolutive game. Depending on the players' choices (which buildings should they build first? Will there be a lawyer? When will the mason arrive on the board?), the game will develop in different ways. Some games will see huge resources, others won't.

Some games will see the construction of prestige buildings, others won't. However, the players will have to take advantage of the tough situations they will face. Here is some advice to help them make the most of their first games.

Resolution Order

Beginners may inadvertently be unable to activate a building. For instance, it takes a cloth cube and a denier to activate the joust field. The denier may come from the trading post,

since it comes before the joust field on the road. However, the cloth cube must be in the player's reserve at the beginning of the turn. Indeed, there is no cloth production before the joust field. If a player has placed a worker on a farm or at a peddlar's, hoping to use the cloth cube to activate the joust field, their plan will not succeed, since the cube will come too late.

Passing Order

The later you pass, the more you will influence the provost's move (if you have deniers, of course). The provost is extremely important to determine which workers will be activated and how fast the counts will come.

A player who passes early and whose workers are too far on the road will probably be the victim of his opponents, who won't hesitate to club together to make the provost go backward! On the contrary, a player who passes late can spend the deniers needed to activate all of his workers.

Placing Workers In An Opponent's Building

It is often a clever move to place one's pawns in the others' buildings, even if they gain a prestige point. Indeed, using their buildings may yield much more.

Special Buildings

It is necessary to use special buildings cleverly if you want to win the game. The gate allows you to temporize, and pass later to hide your intentions.The trading post provides money at the best moment (that is right before the provost moves). The guild is an economical way to move the provost. The joust field allows you to take advantage of the King's favor without having to build the castle.

The first place in the stables allows you to ensure an important action for the next turn. The inn, especially in games with numerous players, allows you to save money or place more workers.

Royal Favors

Royal favors are a good way to refine your strategy. The four lines of the table are useful. The usefulness of the prestige line is quite obvious, especially if the player concentrates on it. The deniers line allows the player to easily make up their losses. It also helps you get powerful effects if some buildings (the bank, the church) are built.

The resource line allows you to find the cube that will help you get the upper hand. It also grants you access to gold cubes. Finally, the building line allows a player whose strategy is based on the building of the castle to have an impact on the city at a lower cost.

The Lawyer

You must choose carefully which building will be transformed by the lawyer. A player can destroy a neutral building which challenges one of their own buildings, or even destroy the marketplace to deprive all the players of a source of income.

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