How to Play Rococo Deluxe: Employees, Dresses & Palace Actions
Rococo Deluxe is a hand-management and deck-building eurogame about running a tailoring business for the royal court. Employees determine which actions you can take and how efficiently you can perform them.
Scope: Deluxe Edition core game; optional modules are excluded unless your group adds them.
Prepare three employee cards
At the start of each round, choose three employee cards from your available deck/hand. Those are the workers you will use that round.
Play one employee at a time
On your turn, play an employee and take one legal action. Employee rank can restrict or improve certain actions, so Masters, Journeymen and Apprentices are not interchangeable.
Acquire fabric and lace
Visit the warehouse/market to gain the materials needed for garments. The current market supply and employee rank determine what you can take.
Make a dress or frock coat
Spend the required materials to create a garment. You may sell it for immediate money or send it to the Ball to score prestige and occupy a room space.
Hire new employees
Recruit cards into your deck to gain stronger actions, one-time bonuses or end-game effects. A larger deck is not always better because it can reduce access to your best specialists.
Decorate the palace
Fund musicians, statues, fireworks and other palace improvements. Decorations provide prestige during play and/or final scoring.
After seven rounds, score the Grand Ball
Final scoring rewards garments at the Ball, decorations, employee bonuses and other qualifying palace elements.