Game Concept

In the Florence of the 12th-14th centuries, the city’s powerful and influential families don’t just compete with each other in trade and politics. They also try to outdo one another by building tall, mostly square-based tower homes as status symbols.

In this game, you are master builders working on the families’ construction commissions for such towers. You build the towers from different-colored bricks you receive from the game’s cards. But be careful: once you’ve started construction on a tower, you must keep erecting it every turn, or it will be torn down as abandoned construction. Pay attention to other players’ projects, so that they don’t snatch commissions you were counting on right from under your nose!

You receive Prestige Points for completed commissions. Whoever has amassed the most Prestige Points by the end of the game wins.

The Game Board

Game Contents

• 1 Game Board
• 88 Bricks:
  25x White
  18x Yellow
  15x Green
  12x Red
  10x Blue
  8x Purple
• 52 Action Cards
• 8 Overview Cards (4x A, 4x B)
• 4 Construction Sites
• 4 Prestige Markers (in the 4 player colors)
• 36 Seals (in the 4 player colors)
• 7 neutral Seals
• 4 small Seals (in the 4 player colors)
• 19 Balcony Tiles
• 4 Level Tiles
• 1 End of Game Tile
• 1 Pouch
• 1 Action Card Overview Sheet

Set Up

1. Place the Game Board in the middle of the players.

2. Place the Level Tiles on the four small spaces to the left of the white tower according to their respective levels.

3. Place the End of Game Tile on the oval space above the two towers in the middle.

4. Turn the Balcony Tiles to the sides with Roman numerals and shuffle them. Turn over 4 Balcony Tiles, one I, one II, one III, and one IV. Place these balconies on the Game Board so that they cover the appropriate Level of the tower of the appropriate color.

5. Now take the 5 neutral Seals and use them to cover 5 Levels of your choice of whatever towers you like, as long as they don’t already have a Balcony Tile on them. You can choose any Levels you like. We recommend that no more than two tiles (Balconies and/or neutral Seals) be placed on any given tower. In addition, two or three neutral seals should be set on the third and fourth Levels. The two leftover neutral Seals are not required and may be placed back in the box.

6. Each player takes one Construction Site and one of the Overview Cards, placing them in front of them.

7. Now each player chooses a Seal Color and takes the following number of Seals, depending on the number of players, of their chosen color:

- If 2 players: 9 Seals each
- If 3 players: 7 Seals each
- If 4 players: 6 Seals each

8. Whoever was most recently up a tower is the Starting Player and receives 2 white Bricks. Proceeding in a clockwise direction, each other player receives one more brick than the player before, that is: 3, 4, or 5 white Bricks. Place these Bricks below the Construction Site in front of you (not on the Construction Site). This is your Storehouse. Place all the other Bricks in the Pouch, and mix them up in it.

9. If this is your first time playing Firenze, we recommend that you do not use the Campanile Action Card. Take it out of the deck and put it back in the box. When you do play with the Campanile card, take care that all players know the effects of the Campanile before the game begins. You’ll find a description of it on the accompanying Summary Sheet.

10. Pick the 10 Start Cards out of the Action Cards. They have the Start Symbol on the bottom of front side. Lay them aside for the moment. Shuffle the rest of the cards and place them face down on the space at the bottom right of the Game Board to make the Deck.

Now shuffle the 10 Start Cards and place them on top of the Deck, also face down.

11. Turn over the top card of the Deck and place it on the leftmost space of the Card Row. Then place the second card on the second space, the third card on the third space, etc., until all six spaces of the Card Row are occupied. Now place 4 Bricks drawn randomly from the Pouch on each of the six cards in the Row.

Construction Commissions

In the top part of the Game Board, you’ll see six towers. They have the same colors as the Bricks. Each Level of the towers is a symbol for a different Construction Commission. The small numbers to the left indicate how many Levels a tower requires to fulfill the commission. The large numbers indicate how many Prestige Points you receive for fulfilling the commission.

In total, there are 36 Commissions. The Commissions which have already been covered by neutral Seals are not available in that particular game. Once you fulfill a Commission, cover it with your personal Seal. Each Commission may only be executed once.

Balconies Balcony Tiles cover 4 Commissions. These balconies represent Special Commissions for particularly lavish towers and therefore yield additional Prestige Points. The Balcony Commissions can only be performed in a particular sequence, as indicated by the Roman numerals. At the beginning of the game, only Balcony Commission I may be undertaken. Then, only after one player has executed that Commission, may Balcony II be undertaken. After II’s fulfillment, III can be undertaken, etc.

Game Play

Beginning with the Starting Player, each player takes a turn in clockwise order. Only the player whose turn it is may act. Each turn is divided into up to six phases, which proceed in the following order:

1) Choose a card (mandatory)
2) Exchange Bricks (optional)
3) Build Towers (optional)
4) Tear down abandoned construction (mandatory)
5) Fulfill Commissions (optional)
6) Check Limits (mandatory)

1) Choose a card

When it’s your turn, you must first choose exactly 1 of the 6 face-up Action Cards in the Card Row. The symbol on the Game Board below the chosen card shows how many Bricks must be paid for the card in question. We call these prices Card Costs. The card at the far left is free. The others each cost one Brick more than the one to its left.

In order to pay the Card Costs, you must withdraw the corresponding number of Bricks from your Storehouse. Place one Brick on each Card Row card to the left of your card. You can use any color Brick to pay these Costs.

Tip: Pay attention to the correct order. You must pay the Costs before you can take the Card and the Bricks. That is, you may not use the Bricks on the chosen Card to pay for it!

Now take the chosen Card along with the Bricks on top of it on the Game Board. Place the Bricks in your Storehouse. What happens with the card depends on the Symbol at the top left of the card.

-You must play Event Cards immediately. -Put Personnel Cards into your hand. You can play them immediately or later, whenever it’s your turn. -Put Celebration Cards into your hand, where they will normally remain until the end of the game. -Put Building Cards in front of you face up. You can use them at any time, starting immediately. -Place Church Cards on the Church Spaces face up.

There is now a hole in the Card Row. Move all the cards to its right one place to the left (in the direction of the arrows). Then turn over the top card of the Deck and place it on the now-open, rightmost field. Take 4 Bricks from the Pouch and put it on the new card.

Tip: In the unusual case that the Pouch has fewer than 4 Bricks, simply place all the Bricks left in the Pouch on the card. Bricks are not added to the card when someone places Bricks back in the Pouch!

2) Exchange Bricks

You may swap 1 Brick of your choice from a card in the Card Row for 3 Bricks from your Storehouse. Simply place the 3 Bricks from your Storehouse on the card where the Brick you want is sitting, and place the desired Brick in your Storehouse. You may choose the 3 Bricks’ colors freely. You may conduct at most one such exchange per turn. Exchanging Bricks is completely optional; you may simply skip this phase.

3) Build Towers

In this phase, you can use the Bricks in your Storehouse to build or expand Towers. The following rules of construction apply:

• 1 Brick = 1 Level.
• Each tower must be of a single color.
• Towers must always be built on the Construction Site.
• You may begin new towers as well as continuing work on towers already under construction.
• You can build as many towers as you like at one time. The towers may differ in color or be of the same color.
• Towers may not be reduced in size.
• You may add on at most 6 Bricks per turn.
• 2 Bricks per turn can be used for free. If you want to use more bricks, you must pay for them in the form of additional Bricks from your Storehouse. We call these costs Construction Costs.

The Construction Costs are assessed according to the total number of Bricks used for building in this turn: 1 Bricks used to build --> 0 Construction Cost 2 Bricks used to build --> 0 Construction Cost 3 Bricks used to build --> 1 Construction Cost 4 Bricks used to build --> 3 Construction Cost 5 Bricks used to build --> 6 Construction Cost 6 Bricks used to build --> 10 Construction Cost It is immaterial for the assessment of Construction Costs how many towers are being built or how high they are. The sole factor assessed is the total number of Bricks used during this turn. In order to pay the Construction Costs, simply move the appropriate number of Bricks from your Storehouse to the Pouch. The colors of these Bricks don’t matter. You may choose them at will, regardless of the colors of the Bricks you’re using to build.

4) Tear down abandoned construction

All the towers on your Construction Site that were under construction at the beginning of your turn but were not worked on are considered abandoned construction. You now have to tear them down. Place half of such towers’ Bricks into the Pouch (rounding odd numbers up). Place the remainder in your Storehouse.

5) Fulfill Commissions

In this phase, you may choose whether you wish to use any of your Towers to fulfill a Commission, or if you want to continue building them. You may only fulfill Commissions that are not covered by a Seal. You may only fulfill the Balcony Commission with the lowest Roman numeral.

The number of Levels (i.e., Bricks) in a Tower must match the number in the Commission exactly. There can be no more and no fewer Levels.

To fulfill a Commission, complete the following steps:

a) Declare out loud which Tower you want to use.
b) Take the number of Prestige Points indicated on the Game Board, by moving your Prestige Marker forward a corresponding number of spaces.
c) Cover the Commission you executed with one of your Seals.
d) Put all the Bricks of the Tower in question in the Pouch.

Then you can fulfill other Commissions. If you have executed a Balcony Commission, you may fulfill the next Balcony Commission in the same turn.

Level Bonus At the left next to the white tower are 4 Level Tiles. These award a bonus to the first player who fulfills a Commission for the corresponding Tower height. This Commission may also be a Balcony Commission. If you receive this bonus, move your Prestige Marker ahead the number of spaces given. Place the Level Tile back in the box, as each bonus is only given once.

6) Check Limits

When your turn is over, you must check 2 limits, the Storehouse Limit and the Card Limit. These limits only apply in this phase—i.e., earlier in the turn they can be exceeded as much as you like; they only apply at the end of the turn.

The Storehouse Limit means you may have at most 10 Bricks in your Storehouse. (The Bricks of the Towers on your Construction Site are not counted for this purpose.) If you have more than 10 Bricks in your Storehouse, you must surrender enough Bricks to the Pouch to bring you down to 10 Bricks. You may choose the colors of the surrendered bricks freely.

The Card Limit means you can possess at most 5 Action Cards. All Personnel and Celebration cards in your hand, and all Buildings you have in play count towards this limit. If you have more than 5 Action Cards, you must put enough Personnel and Building Cards in the discard pile until you only have 5 cards left.

In general, you may not discard Celebration Cards during this phase. Even if someone has more than 5 Celebration Cards, they are not allowed to discard any. Here, in an exception to the rule, they are able to keep more than 5 cards in their hand—though they must discard all Personnel and Building Cards.

The End of the Game

The first player who places their last Seal on the Game board, receives a bonus of 5 Prestige Points as a reward. They take the End of Game Tile and place it in front of them face-down. All other players receive exactly one more turn. The game ends, therefore, with the turn of the player to the right of the one with the End of Game Tile. Then, there is a Final Scoring. Final Scoring First, the Majority Bonus is given for each tower color. This bonus is shown for each color on the flag flying from top of the tower on the Game Board. It is given to the player who has fulfilled the most Commissions of this color, that is, the one who has most Seals on the tower of that color. (Balconies count normally.) In case of a tie, the bonus goes to the tied player who executed the biggest Commission (as measured in Levels), that is, the one whose Seal is the highest on the tower. Now turn over all your Celebration Cards and move your Prestige Marker forward or backwards, as appropriate. Whoever ends with the most Prestige Points wins. In case of a tie, there are multiple winners.

Action Cards

In general, if the text of an Action Card contradicts the general rules in these instructions, the card text always takes precedence. The abbreviation PP on the cards stands for Prestige Points.

In the course of the game, it will transpire that you’ll discard cards. As you do so, build a Discard Pile next to the Game Board. When the Deck on the Game Board is all used up, shuffle all the cards in the Discard Pile and use them as a new Deck.

There are five kinds of Action Cards, which can be differentiated by the Symbol at top left.

Event Cards
If, during your turn, you choose an Event Card, you must immediately follow the instructions on the card. If the card does not explicitly state that all players are affected, then the effect only applies to the player whose turn it is. After following the instructions, discard the card.

Personnel Cards
If you pick a Personnel Card, place it in your hand. You may play the card immediately or at a later point in the game. However, it must be during one of your turns. In any given turn, you may play as many Personnel Cards as you wish, just not two or more cards with the same name. Personnel Cards that have been played are put into the discard pile.

Celebration Cards
A player who selects a Celebration Card places it in their hand. (One exception is the Monument card, which a player may receive even if it’s not their turn.) The card remains there until the End of the Game. You may not discard it, even if you have exceeded the Card Limit. (Only the Patrician card allows you to discard Celebration Cards.)

Building Cards
If you draw a Building Card, place it face up in front of you. You may use its function from then on out. You may not possess two identical Buildings. You may draw identical Building Cards, but they must be put in the Discard Deck immediately. (If, for example, you have already played a Workshop, you may take another Workshop from the Card Row but you must discard it immediately.)

Church Cards
Any Church Card chosen is placed face up on one of the 4 Church Spaces. It remains there until its effect is fulfilled. Thereafter, it’s placed in the Discard Pile.

Action Cards Summary

Alchemist (4x)
You may swap any one Brick from your Storehouse for any one from the Pouch. You may look into the Pouch to find a particular Brick.

Architect (3x)
Play this card during the Fulfill Commissions phase. You may count one tower as one Level taller or shorter during this turn. E.g., you can score a yellow tower with 3 Levels as if it had 4 Levels. You could also score a Tower with 2 Levels as having 3, or one with 9 Levels as if it had 8.

Botch (1x)
Choose 1 Tower on your Construction Site. Put one Brick from that Tower in the Pouch.

Bridge (1x)
When you perform an exchange in the Exchange Bricks phase, you must give up one fewer Brick. Instead of 3 Bricks for 1, you now switch 2 for 1. You are still limited to only one exchange per turn.

Campanile (1x)
If a player chooses the Campanile card from the Card Row, they place it (like with all Church cards) onto one of the Church spaces on the Game Board. Then, all players must build a bell tower out of 3 white Bricks. Until a player’s bell tower is finished, they may not fulfill any other Commissions! Nevertheless, you must keep adding to any Towers under construction or tear them down as abandoned.
Upon finishing the bell tower, players place the white Bricks back in the Pouch during the Fulfill Commissions phase and put their small Seal on the Campanile card. They may immediately execute other commissions—even in the same turn.
The card remains on the Game Board until every player has placed his small Seal on it. Then, everyone takes their small Seal back, and the card is placed on the Discard Pile.

Collapse (1x)
You must tear down 1 Tower on your Construction Site. All of this Tower’s Bricks go into the Pouch. If you have no Tower under construction, nothing happens.

Disgrace (2x)
You have to give up 2 Prestige Points in the Final Scoring.

Fame (2x)
You receive 3 Prestige Points in the Final Scoring.

Flood (1x)
All players are affected by this card. Put a third (rounding up) of your Storehouse Bricks in the Pouch. E.g., if you have 4 Bricks in your Storehouse, you have to round the number 1.33 up to 2. You may choose the Bricks’ colors at will. The Bricks on the card do not count towards the total, and are not put into the Pouch.

Luxury Tax (1x)
All players are affected by this card. For every Tower on their Construction Site that has at least 5 Levels, the builder must pay 2 Bricks. The colors of these Bricks don’t matter and are unrelated to the colors of the Towers.
Any tower for which the builder cannot pay is torn down. Half the Bricks (rounding up) are placed in the Pouch, the other half (rounding down) into the builder’s Storehouse. You may not tear town a Tower voluntarily, but must pay the tribute if possible.

Major Privilege (1x)
This card remains face up on a Church space until a player fulfills a commission of exactly 7 Levels. This player then immediately receives an additional 4 Prestige Points. Then place the card on the Discard Pile.

Mason (3x)
Play this card during the Build Towers phase. You pay three fewer Bricks in Construction Costs this turn. E.g., 4 Bricks cost no Bricks, 6 Bricks cost 7. If you also own a Workshop you pay 4 less bricks instead of 3. A negative number is regarded as zero.

Minor Privilege (1x)
This card remains face up on a Church space until a player fulfills a commission of exactly 5 Levels. This player then immediately receives an additional 2 Prestige Points. Then place the card on the Discard Pile.

Monument (2x)
If a player chooses this card from the Card Row, determine who has the tallest Tower on their Construction Site. This player puts the card in their hand, even if it’s not their turn. If a tie, no one receives the card; it goes on the Discard Pile. In the Final Scoring, the holder of the card receives 3 Prestige Points.

Patrician (3x)
This card may be used in 2 different fashions. Either you may ignore the effect of an Event Card that you chose during the Choose a card phase of your turn, or you may spend the Patrician to discard one card from your hand (e.g., Disgrace or Scandal).

Princess (2x)
Play this card during the Choose a card phase. You must pay no Card Cost this turn when you choose a card from the Card Row.

Privilege (1x)
This card remains face up on a Church space until a player fulfills a commission of exactly 6 Levels. This player then immediately receives an additional 3 Prestige Points. Then place the card on the Discard Pile.

Recognition (2x)
In the Final Scoring, count up all the 3- and 4-Level Commissions you’ve fulfilled. You receive that many Prestige Points.

Renaissance (1x)
Shuffle the Discard Pile and the Deck together (not the Card Row!), and use the result as your new Deck. The Renaissance card must be shuffled in as well. Then, refill the Card Row from the new Deck.

Saboteur (1x)
Choose a Tower of another player. Take one Brick from it and put it in the Pouch.

Scandal (2x)
You lose 3 Prestige Points in the Final Scoring.

Smuggler (3x)
You can switch one Brick from your Storehouse with one from another player’s Storehouse. You can choose both Bricks freely.

Storehouse Fire (2x)
You put 3 Bricks from your Storehouse into the Pouch. The colors of the Bricks may be chosen freely. The Bricks on the card may not be used for this. If you have fewer than 3 Bricks, just put all your Bricks in the Pouch.

Tribute (2x)
All players are affected by this card. For every Tower on their Construction Site, each builder must pay 1 Brick of the Tower’s color.
Every Tower for which the builder cannot pay is torn down. Put half (rounding up) of the Bricks in the Pouch, and the other half in the builder’s Storehouse.
You may not tear down a tower voluntarily, but must pay the tribute if able.

Warehouse (3x)
In the Check Limits phase, you may keep 5 additional Bricks in your Storehouse, that is, a maximum of 15 Bricks. In addition, you may keep as many cards in your hand as you wish.

Wholesaler (2x)
Play this card during either the Choose a card or the Exchange Bricks phase. Choose one card from the Card Row and note the number of Bricks on it. Place all of that card’s Bricks in the Pouch and shuffle the Pouch. Draw the same number of Bricks from the Pouch and put them back on the card. You are not required to choose this card during the Choose a card phase.

Workshop (4x)
When paying the Construction Costs in the Build Towers phase, you pay one Brick fewer. This remains as long as you have the card in front of you. E.g., 3 Bricks cost 0, 4 Bricks cost 2. If you also play a Mason you pay 4 less bricks instead of 1. Negative numbers are regarded as zero.

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