Overview

Belfort is a worker-placement and area-control game in which players are Master Architects competing to build the castle of Belfort. Players assign Elves, Dwarves, and Gnomes to collect resources, construct buildings, and take special actions. Buildings are placed in five districts, and points are awarded three times during the 7-round game based on each player’s influence in the districts and among the three worker types. The player with the most points at the end wins the Key to the City.

Components

• 5 gameboard districts (form a pentagon with scoring track)
• 1 Calendar board
• 1 Collection board
• 5 player boards / player aids
• 5 turn order crests
• 50 property cards (10 types, 5 each)
• 12 guild tiles (Basic, Resource, Interactive categories)
• 35 Dwarves (7 per color, 5 with Master Dwarf on reverse)
• 35 Elves (7 per color, 5 with Master Elf on reverse)
• 22 Gnomes (neutral)
• 60 property markers (12 per color)
• 5 scoring markers
• 1 calendar marker
• 46 gold coins, 6 multiplier chips
• 30 wood logs, 30 stone blocks, 20 metal bricks

Setup

1. Assemble the 5 districts into a pentagon game board.
2. Place Collection board and Calendar board nearby.
3. Each player takes: 3 Elves, 3 Dwarves (remaining go to worker supply), 12 property markers, 1 scoring marker, 1 player aid.
4. Each player starts with 1 Wood, 1 Stone, 1 Metal, 5 Gold.
5. Deal 5 property cards to each player; keep 3, discard 2.
6. Select 5 Guild tiles and place on the board. Beginner: 3 Resource + 2 Basic. Normal: 1 Resource + 2 Basic + 2 Interactive.
7. Place Gnomes on the “Gnomes for Hire” area: 9/14/18/22 for 2/3/4/5 players.
8. Draw 3 property cards for the face-up draw pool.
9. Randomly distribute turn order crests.

Turn Structure

Each game lasts 7 rounds (months). Each round has 5 phases:

Phase 1: Calendar

Move the calendar marker to the next month.

Phase 2: Placement

Starting with first player and proceeding in turn order, players take turns placing one worker on an available plank (action spot). A player may pass; when passing, all remaining unplaced workers go to Resource Areas. Continue until all players pass.

Placement locations:

• Resource Areas (Forest, Quarry, Mine, Gold Mine) – workers placed here when passing
• Recruiter’s Desk – pay 2 Gold; Elf recruits Elf, Dwarf recruits Dwarf. Limited spots: 1 (2-3p), 2 (4p), 3 (5p)
• King’s Camp – claim better turn order; 1 worker per player per round
• Guild tiles – pay 1 Gold fee (to supply if unowned, to owner if owned, free if you own it)
• Own built Property Cards – some planks require Gnome to unlock; some have Gold fees

Phase 3: Collection

Resolve the Collection board left-to-right, top-to-bottom. Workers collect resources and are reclaimed.

Resource Area	Workers Needed	Yield	Bonus
Forest	1 Elf	1 Wood per Elf	+1 Wood for most Elves (no ties)
Quarry	1 Dwarf	1 Stone per Dwarf	+1 Stone for most Dwarves (no ties)
Mine	1 Elf + 1 Dwarf pair	1 Metal per pair	+1 Metal for most pairs (no ties)
Gold Mine	1 Elf or 1 Dwarf	1 Gold each	+1 Gold for most workers (no ties)

Master Workers: A Master Elf counts as 2 Elves for collection; a Master Dwarf counts as 2 Dwarves.

Recruiter’s Desk: Take a new Elf or Dwarf from the worker supply.

King’s Camp: Players swap turn order crests based on placement order.

Income: Collect 1 Gold per Gnome assigned to your buildings.

Taxes: Pay taxes based on your score position (higher scores pay more).

Phase 4: Actions

Starting with first player, players take turns performing one action each cycle. Continue until all players pass. See the Actions section below for details.

Phase 5: Scoring

Scoring occurs 3 times during the game (at specific calendar months, not every round).

District scoring: In each of the 5 districts, the player with the most property markers scores points. Second place also scores. Points increase in later scoring rounds.

Worker majority scoring: The player with the most of each worker type (Elves, Dwarves, Gnomes) scores points.

Actions

During Phase 4, starting with first player, players take turns performing one action per cycle until all pass.

• Build a Property – Pay the card’s resource cost in Wood, Stone, Metal, and/or Gold. Place a property marker in a chosen district. Draw a replacement property card.
• Hire a Gnome – Pay 1 Gold to place a Gnome from the supply onto one of your built properties. This unlocks the property’s Gnome-locked action plank.
• Upgrade a Worker – Flip an Elf or Dwarf to its Master side (requires having built the relevant building). Master Elves count as 2 Elves for resource collection; Master Dwarves count as 2 Dwarves.
• Resolve a Property/Guild Action – Use the action of a property card or Guild tile where you placed a worker during the Placement phase.
• Visit the Trading Post – Buy or sell resources at fixed prices listed on the Calendar board.
• Recruit from Property Cards – Draw a property card from the face-up pool or the deck.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

• Points are scored in 3 scoring rounds during the 7-round game.
• District influence: Count property markers in each district. Most = points, 2nd = points.
• Worker majorities: Most Elves, most Dwarves, most Gnomes each award points.
• After 7 rounds, the player with the most total points wins and receives the Key to the City.
• Tiebreaker: Most Gold remaining.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Resources are not limited by physical components – use multiplier chips to make change.
• Property markers are limited to 12 per player; in the rare case of running out, use substitutes.
• The 2-player game has special setup and rule modifications (see appendix in rulebook).
• Guild fees: Free if you own it, 1 Gold to supply if unowned, 1 Gold to the owner if someone else owns it.
• A worker placed on a plank cannot be moved once placed.
• Master Workers count as 2 for collection bonuses but occupy only 1 plank space.
• Tax levels increase as players score more points.

Player Reference

Phase	Summary
1. Calendar	Advance month marker
2. Placement	Assign workers to planks or resource areas
3. Collection	Gather resources, recruit, adjust turn order, pay taxes
4. Actions	Build, hire Gnomes, trade, use property/guild actions
5. Scoring	Score district majorities and worker majorities (3 times in game)

Starting Resources	Amount
Wood	1
Stone	1
Metal	1
Gold	5
Elves	3
Dwarves	3
Property cards	3 (from 5 dealt)

Gnomes Available	Count
2 players	9
3 players	14
4 players	18
5 players	22