Trial Ballot Results
WBC Orphans/Preliminary Event List
WBC Tournament Previews
WBC Scheduling Tools
BPA Open Gaming
BPA Game Library
WBC Preregistration
Icon Key

Orleans (ORL) Updated July 3, 2026
Type:Trial
GM:Jiang, Allan (2nd)
GM Contact:N/A
Event Website:N/A
Class:A - Experienced Players Only
Style:Scheduled
Format:HMW - P: Heats Most Wins - Points
Rounds:2 Heats, Semifinal, Final
Round Length:2 Hours
Advancement:Semifinal 6/9/12/16, Final 3/4
Prize Level:1

Come out and enjoy the 2015 Kennerspiel des Jahres nominated game and see if you can reign supreme in medieval France! Half a deck builder, half a worker placement game, Orleans is an innovative game from Reiner Stockhausen. Players recruit Farmers, Monks, Scholars, and other trades people to build a worker pool and take actions to better their game engine. Each new worker gives a specific ability that improves your game engine in a specific way.

New For 2026: The Bathhouse will be permitted, in the version that is implemented on Boardgame Arena (BGA). It is activated with a Farmer in the Action Phase and requires you to have at least 2 characters in your bag: “Draw 2 Character Tiles from your bag and choose 1 of them. Immediately place the chosen tile on an appropriate Action Space. (You cannot place the tile on the Bathhouse.) Put the other tile you have drawn as well as the Follower from the Bathhouse back into your bag. If you cannot place 1 of the drawn tiles on Action Spaces, put them back into your bag.”

These other changes in 2025 to be consistent with the BGA interface will be continued:

  • Updated Hourglass Tiles rules will be used. Each third of the game will have one of each event. Some events will vary in strength as indicated by first/second/third instance: Taxes will cost you $1 per 1/2/3 goods. Trading Day: $3/2/1 per guild hall. Income: $3/2/1 per development level. Harvest: pay 1/2/3 food tiles, or $5 per missing food tile
  • Placement of Technology Tiles (Gears) is limited by your position on the Craftsmen track. Starting from the first space on the track you are allowed to use Technology Tiles to replace farmers. And starting from the second space on the track you are allowed to use Technology Tiles to replace any followers except monks.

Games will be played with only the base tiles and deeds board. When a pile of tiles runs out, you may no longer take the action that provides that tile (i.e., when there are no more scholars you cannot take the University action). The supply of money is to be considered infinite and cannot run out.

Heats will preferentially be 3-player games with 4-player games as necessary based on number of players and games available.

Advancement to the Semifinal will be based on the Heats Most Wins – Points standard tie-breakers with GM specific tie-breaker listed below.

The Semifinal and Final format will depend on the number of unique players in our tournament and winners present for the Semifinal:

  • If there are 32+ unique players and 13+ winners appear for the Semifinal, four 4-player games will be played with Semifinal winners advancing to a 4-player Final
  • Otherwise, if there are 24+ unique players and 10+ winners appear, four 3-player games will be played with Semifinal winners advancing to a 4-player Final
  • Otherwise, if there are 18+ unique players and 7+ winners appear, three 3-player games will be played with the Semifinal winners advancing to a 3-player Final
  • Otherwise, if there are 12+ unique players and 5+ winners appear, two 3-player games will be played with the winners plus the closest second by % advancing to a 3-player Final
  • Otherwise, the Final will be played immediately among the top 4

Multiple Heat winners will be separated as much as possible when seating the Semifinal, with the remaining players randomly assigned tables. Seat order will be random in the Heats. In the Semifinal and Final, players will bid for seat order in full victory point increments, to be deducted from their score at the end of the game.

For any game with a tie, we will use the printed tie-breaker in the rulebook of whomever is further ahead on the development track. If there is still a tie, during the Heats it will count as a dual win. During the Semifinal and Final, additional tie-breakers will be used as followed:

  1. most guild halls built
  2. most VP in goods
  3. most VP in coins
  4. finally whomever started latest in initial turn order

HEATS: MOST WINS - POINTS (HMW-P):

  1. Most Wins (e.g., total in all heats entered)
  2. Total Points – Players earn the following pints in each heat they entered:
    • 1st Place - 1,000 points
    • 2nd Place - 100 points
    • 3rd Place - 10 points
    • 4th Place - 1 points
    • All other places - 0 points
    • e.g. player has a 1st, 2nd, and 4th in three heats: total points would be 1,101
  3. GM Specific Tie-breaker:
    1. Closest Second from First as a percentage
    2. Closest Third from First as a percentage
    3. Closest Fourth from First as a percentage
    4. Largest win over Second as a percentage
  4. High dice roll.

Links:

AREA