178. Designer Series: Michael Schacht - Richelieu
I haven't done a designer series in a while. Vlaada Chvátil and Martin Wallace have had theirs, so let's look at another designer who has made quite an impact on the market: Michael Schacht.

(BGG image by user EYE of NiGHT)
Michael Schacht is a German designer who has made a career of designing very streamlined, family-friendly games that offer lots of strategic choices that engage gamers. His first game, Taxi, was published in 1992 by the German magazine Spielerei. It wasn't terribly complex - roll your dice, move your taxi, collect money. His first big hit, Web of Power, came out in 2000. (Usually, I would cover this here, but I have plans for the system in a later series, so I won't this time.) Over the next few years, he gained more and more credibility as a designer, and in 2003, he came out with Coloretto, the basis for the 2007 Spiel des Jahres winning Zooloretto. 2003 also saw the release of the game I'll be talking about here, Richelieu.

(BGG image by user spellen)
Richelieu was designed by Reiner Knizia (been a while since I pulled that joke out), and was published by Ravensburger. Art was done by Oliver Freudenreich. The game is for 2 players, though you can play it on yucata.de with up to 4. The game is set in 17th century France, and revolves around the struggle between Queen Maria and Cardinal Richelieu for influence in the country. The theme is absolutely paper-thin as this is a simple card game about trying to earn the most points.

(BGG image by user Silke_und_Andre)
The game comes with 48 cards, each marked in one of 9 different colors. Each card is marked with a shield that represents its region, as well as a number that tells how many shields there are total for the region. There also may be a symbol that can get you extra points. There are also 6 square property markers and 14 discs. And that's it.
At the start of the game, you'll deal all 48 cards face up into 4 rows. You'll mix the 14 discs and take 8 of them, placing them on certain cards (the second card from either end on the top tow; the third card from either end on the second row; the fourth card from either end on the third row; and the fourth card from either end on the bottom row). One player assumes the role of Richelieu, while the other is Maria. You each get three square markers, and are ready to play.

(BGG image by user -mIDE-)
The younger player goes first. On your turn, you take a card. The card you take must be from either end of any row. You must take at least one card, but you can take up to two cards. If you take two, they must be the same color and each one can only have one shield. After taking cards, you may place one of your property markers on any of the cards. This marker gives some measure of protection to the card. If an opponent takes a card with your marker on it, they must return the marker to you and discard one of their own markers from the game. When placing a marker, you can move it off of one card and onto another.
If you take a card with a disc, you may look at the disc. Keep it secret, however - it's worth points at the end of the game.

(BGG image by BGG user PhotonStorm)
Once all cards have been taken, the game is over and you add up your points. First, you'll count your shields. Each card is marked with a different region, and you'll score each in this order: Bourgogne, Bretagne, Champagne, Normandie, Languedoc, Provence, Anjou, Bourbon, and Auvergne. Count the number of shields you have for each and compare with your opponent. The player with the most shields scores that many points while the other gets nothing. If there's a tie, neither player gets points. Discs that show shields count as an extra shield for that region when counting. For each region where you have no cards, you must deduct five points.
After counting shields, count symbols. These are the sword, the cross, and the tower. These are scored the same way - you must have more of the symbol than your opponent to score. Discs with the symbol again count as an extra symbol. Whoever has the most points wins. If there's a tie, the player with the lower number of cards wins.
And that is it. Read more at BGG. The game is out of print, though there's one in the BGG marketplace for $27. You could also go give the game a try at yucata.de. More Michael Schacht coming soon...can't promise win, but I will get there. Happy gaming!
-Jesse
(BGG image by user EYE of NiGHT)
Michael Schacht is a German designer who has made a career of designing very streamlined, family-friendly games that offer lots of strategic choices that engage gamers. His first game, Taxi, was published in 1992 by the German magazine Spielerei. It wasn't terribly complex - roll your dice, move your taxi, collect money. His first big hit, Web of Power, came out in 2000. (Usually, I would cover this here, but I have plans for the system in a later series, so I won't this time.) Over the next few years, he gained more and more credibility as a designer, and in 2003, he came out with Coloretto, the basis for the 2007 Spiel des Jahres winning Zooloretto. 2003 also saw the release of the game I'll be talking about here, Richelieu.
(BGG image by user spellen)
Richelieu was designed by Reiner Knizia (been a while since I pulled that joke out), and was published by Ravensburger. Art was done by Oliver Freudenreich. The game is for 2 players, though you can play it on yucata.de with up to 4. The game is set in 17th century France, and revolves around the struggle between Queen Maria and Cardinal Richelieu for influence in the country. The theme is absolutely paper-thin as this is a simple card game about trying to earn the most points.
(BGG image by user Silke_und_Andre)
The game comes with 48 cards, each marked in one of 9 different colors. Each card is marked with a shield that represents its region, as well as a number that tells how many shields there are total for the region. There also may be a symbol that can get you extra points. There are also 6 square property markers and 14 discs. And that's it.
At the start of the game, you'll deal all 48 cards face up into 4 rows. You'll mix the 14 discs and take 8 of them, placing them on certain cards (the second card from either end on the top tow; the third card from either end on the second row; the fourth card from either end on the third row; and the fourth card from either end on the bottom row). One player assumes the role of Richelieu, while the other is Maria. You each get three square markers, and are ready to play.
(BGG image by user -mIDE-)
The younger player goes first. On your turn, you take a card. The card you take must be from either end of any row. You must take at least one card, but you can take up to two cards. If you take two, they must be the same color and each one can only have one shield. After taking cards, you may place one of your property markers on any of the cards. This marker gives some measure of protection to the card. If an opponent takes a card with your marker on it, they must return the marker to you and discard one of their own markers from the game. When placing a marker, you can move it off of one card and onto another.
If you take a card with a disc, you may look at the disc. Keep it secret, however - it's worth points at the end of the game.
(BGG image by BGG user PhotonStorm)
Once all cards have been taken, the game is over and you add up your points. First, you'll count your shields. Each card is marked with a different region, and you'll score each in this order: Bourgogne, Bretagne, Champagne, Normandie, Languedoc, Provence, Anjou, Bourbon, and Auvergne. Count the number of shields you have for each and compare with your opponent. The player with the most shields scores that many points while the other gets nothing. If there's a tie, neither player gets points. Discs that show shields count as an extra shield for that region when counting. For each region where you have no cards, you must deduct five points.
After counting shields, count symbols. These are the sword, the cross, and the tower. These are scored the same way - you must have more of the symbol than your opponent to score. Discs with the symbol again count as an extra symbol. Whoever has the most points wins. If there's a tie, the player with the lower number of cards wins.
And that is it. Read more at BGG. The game is out of print, though there's one in the BGG marketplace for $27. You could also go give the game a try at yucata.de. More Michael Schacht coming soon...can't promise win, but I will get there. Happy gaming!
-Jesse