Queen’s Necklace

Overview

A card game of gem trading and jewel crafting set among the jewelers of pre-revolutionary Paris. Players acquire gems, influence the court, and sell jewels over three annual sales. Fashion and rarity determine gem values, and cunning use of character cards can swing sales. The player with the most pounds (victory points) after three sales wins.

Components

Component	Quantity
Cards (tarot-sized)	110
Gem cards (Ruby, Emerald, Diamond, Amber)	59
Ring cards	7
Queen’s Necklace card	1
Character cards	33
Merchant cards	3
Player summary cards	4
Blank cards	3
Queen’s Necklace (physical necklace)	1
Gem tiles (Diamond, Ruby, Emerald, Amber)	4
Fashion tiles (+30, +20, +10, 0)	4
Rarity tiles (+30, +20, +10, 0)	4
Golden Ring markers	5

Gem card distribution:

• Ruby: 2 cards with 3 gems, 5 with 2 gems, 7 with 1 gem (14 cards)
• Emerald: same distribution (14 cards)
• Diamond: same distribution (14 cards)
• Amber: 17 cards with 1 gem each

Setup

1. Give each player a Summary card.
2. Place Fashion tiles left-to-right: +30, +20, +10, +0.
3. Shuffle 4 Gem tiles behind your back; place one face-up below each Fashion tile (determines starting fashion).
4. Stack the 4 Rarity tiles aside (used during sales).
5. Set aside 3 Merchant cards. Shuffle remaining cards.
6. Deal 4 cards to each player. If dealt an Astrologer, discard it, draw a replacement, then shuffle the Astrologer back.
7. Insert Merchants: one at ~1/3 deck, one at ~2/3, one among bottom 5 cards.
8. Draw 5 cards face-up in center. Place a Golden Ring marker on each card’s top number (purchase cost).
9. Randomly determine first player.

Turn Structure

Each player’s turn has 3 phases in order:

1. Influence Phase – Play blue character cards from hand (optional, multiple allowed).
2. Card Purchase Phase – Buy at least 1 card from the 5 displayed cards using 10 ducats. Unspent ducats are lost.
3. Devaluation Phase – Move Golden Ring marker down one spot on each remaining displayed card. If a marker reaches the bottom (crossed-out icon), discard that card. Replace bought/discarded cards from the draw pile. Place Golden Ring on top number of new cards. If a Merchant is drawn, a Jewel Sale occurs immediately.

Actions

Jewel Sale (occurs 3 times per game)

Step 1 – Display Jewels: Each player secretly selects gray Sale cards (gems, Rings, Kings, Bankers, Queen’s Necklace) to display. Players simultaneously reveal their selections, sorted by gem type in rows from most to least fashionable.

Step 2 – Rarity: Count total gems of each type displayed by all players. Place Rarity tiles: +30 under rarest gem type, +20 under second rarest, etc. Ties broken by fashion (more fashionable = rarer).

Step 3 – Selling: For each gem type, only the player with the most gems displayed sells and collects money. If tied, all tied players sell. Selling price per jewel = Fashion value + Rarity value (0-60 pounds).

Character Cards

Blue (Influence) Cards – played during Influence Phase: | Card | Count | Effect | |—|—|—| | Confessor | 4 | Look at all cards in one opponent’s hand | | Courtier | 3 | +3 ducats for purchases this turn (stackable) | | Forger | 3 | Choose an opponent and gem type; they must discard one matching gem card | | Favorite | 3 | Move a gem type to “Most Fashionable” (+30), shift others right | | Thief | 4 | Draw a random card from one opponent’s hand |

Purple Cards – played at special times: | Card | Count | Effect | |—|—|—| | Alchemist | 1 | During a sale, after reveal: transmute one true gem card to another type (not Amber) | | Astrologer | 3 | Discard on purchase; draw top card from draw pile into hand | | Cardinal | 2 | When Merchant drawn (another player’s turn): delay sale until end of your next turn | | Musketeer | 4 | Counters Thief (both discarded, you steal from them instead); counters Forger (both discarded); play 3 together to steal Queen’s Necklace | | Queen | 1 | When a gem card is drawn during devaluation: take it into your hand |

Gray (Sale) Cards: | Card | Effect | |—|—| | Gem cards | Displayed during sale to compete for majority | | Ring (7) | Each Ring played with winning gems = extra jewel sold (1 Ring = double, 2 = triple, etc.) | | King (3) | Cancels sale of associated gem type; max 1 King per player per sale | | Queen’s Necklace (1) | Protects gems from King effect; King’s owner must pay 50 pounds to Necklace holder | | Banker (2) | +10 pounds per jewel sold in this sale (applies to all your gem types) |

Scoring / Victory Conditions

Score pounds after each of the 3 sales. The player with the most total pounds after the third sale wins.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• The Queen’s Necklace holder must physically wear the necklace.
• If a Thief steals a Musketeer, both are discarded and the theft victim steals back.
• If you steal the Queen’s Necklace card, you also get the physical necklace.
• Only cards held at the start of your turn can be played during the Influence Phase.
• You must buy at least 1 card per turn.
• A King player may lose 50 pounds (going negative) if Queen’s Necklace blocks them.
• If a Cardinal delays the last Merchant and the draw pile runs out, the game continues without replacement cards until the delayed sale occurs.

Player Reference

Phase	Action
Influence	Play blue character cards (optional)
Purchase	Spend 10 ducats buying displayed cards (minimum 1)
Devaluation	Reduce displayed card prices; replace cards; Merchant triggers sale

Gem Value	Calculation
Selling price	Fashion tile value + Rarity tile value (0-60 pounds)
Ring bonus	Multiplies jewels sold (1 Ring = x2, 2 = x3)
Banker bonus	+10 pounds per jewel