How to Play Caylus 1303: Workers, Buildings & the Provost
Caylus 1303 is a nine-round worker-placement game. Players place workers along a growing road, manipulate how far the Provost allows buildings to activate, deliver resources to the castle and convert buildings into residences and monuments.
Each round has four phases
- Planning: place workers or pass.
- Activation: resolve occupied buildings in road order up to the Provost.
- Delivery: contribute resource bundles to the castle.
- Stewardship: transform buildings, construct monuments and prepare the next round.
Planning: place workers until you pass
Starting with the first player, take turns placing workers on legal buildings or special spaces. Once a player passes, their position on the Guilds Bridge matters for later Provost manipulation and the cost of continued placements can increase for players who remain active.
Activation stops at the Provost
Resolve buildings from the start of the road toward the Provost. Workers on buildings beyond the Provost do not receive their building action that round. This makes Provost movement a direct interaction tool.
Buildings create resources and construction opportunities
Road buildings generate food, wood, stone, fabric, gold, workers, construction actions and other benefits. When you construct a building, place one of your houses to show ownership and gain the printed prestige reward.
Deliver to the castle for prestige
Workers placed at the construction site may deliver one or more legal bundles. Each bundle contains three different resources including food and awards prestige. The player delivering the most bundles earns a Favor, with ties resolved by delivery order.
Favors and Characters change your abilities
Favors can activate construction-site benefits or transfer Characters. Characters provide persistent powers, but they can move between players, so your engine is not permanently fixed.
The game ends after round 9
After the final Stewardship phase, reveal prestige points and convert remaining gold using the final rule. Highest prestige wins.
Rules reference: Caylus 1303 rulebook. Checked September 21, 2026.