Last Updated on February 26, 2026 by The Official Game Rules Team

Step into 18th-century France under the reign of Louis XV, where opulence defines status and every noble strives to dazzle at the most prestigious ball of the season. In Rococo, you are a master dressmaker navigating not only commissions for lavish coats and gowns, but also the politics, funding, and prestige of the grand event itself.

What begins as tailoring soon becomes orchestration: hiring skilled employees, acquiring rare silk, crafting garments, funding fireworks and musicians, and strategically placing your influence throughout the ballroom halls. After seven rounds of preparation, the night of the ball arrives — and only the most prestigious dressmaker will triumph.

Players: 2-5 Players | Ages: 12+

This post contains affiliate links. For more information, see our disclosures here.

How to Play Rococo

---

Object of the Game

Your goal in Rococo is to accumulate the most Prestige Points by the end of the seventh round.

You earn Prestige by:

• Renting Dresses and Coats to guests attending the ball
• Funding Decorations (Fountains, Statues, Musicians, Fireworks)
• Triggering Employee bonuses
• Converting leftover money into Prestige
• Gaining special bonuses such as the Queen’s Favor

After seven rounds — once the Employee stack has been exhausted — final scoring is conducted. The player with the most Prestige Points wins. Remaining money breaks ties.

---

Components Overview

Dress Tiles (42)

Each Dress tile has two sides:

Draft Side (Manufacturing Side):

• Main color (Yellow, Red, Green, or Blue)
• Required resources (Silk bales, Thread, Lace)
• Cost in Livre (0–8)
• Sale value (6–28 Livre)
• Prestige value (2–4)
• Some display a golden thimble (Master required)

Rental Side (Ball Side):

• Prestige value (2–4)
• Depicts either:
  • A Lady in Yellow or Red
  • A Gentleman in Green or Blue

Important Notes:

• “Dress” refers to both Ladies’ dresses and Men’s coats.
• Each tile has one main color, even if secondary accents appear.
• Yellow and Green garments are common.
• Red garments are less common.
• Blue garments are rare.

---

Employee Cards (28 total)

Three types:

• Master (gold thimble) – May perform any of the 6 main actions.
• Journeyman (silver thimble) – Cannot hire new Employees.
• Apprentice (brass thimble) – Cannot:
  • Claim the Queen’s Favor
  • Make a Dress
  • Hire Employees

Each Employee card includes:

• Level (1–6)
• Type
• Possible bonus
• Deputation payout value

Special Note:
Level 6 Apprentices (with crown and red bonus background) do not grant bonuses during the game. Their effects apply only during final scoring.

---

Setup

1. Place the Game Board in the center, using the side matching player count:
   • 2–3 players side
   • 4–5 players side
2. Place the Favor card next to its designated space.
3. Prepare the General Employee Stack:
   • Sort by level (1–6).
   • Shuffle each level separately.
   • Stack them in order:
     • Level 6 on bottom
     • Then 5, 4, 3, 2
     • Level 1 on top
4. Shuffle Resource tiles and create multiple face-down stacks near the Warehouse.
5. Place all Dress tiles into the Cloth Bag.
6. Each player chooses a color and receives:
   • 1 Player Board
   • 5 Base Employees (face down into supply)
   • 16 Property markers
7. Place Coins and Prestige tokens near the board.
8. Each player starts with:
   • 15 Livre
   • 1 Thread marker
   • 1 Lace marker
9. Randomly determine the Starting Player.

---

Game Structure

Rococo is played over 7 rounds. Each round has 4 phases:

1. Prepare for New Round
2. Select 3 Hand Cards
3. Take Actions
4. Collect Income

---

Phase 1: Prepare for New Round

Favor & Starting Player

If a player gained the Favor card last round, they:

• Become Starting Player
• Return the Favor card to the board

---

Reveal New Employees

• Remove any unpurchased Employees from previous round.
• Reveal 4 new Employee cards.
• In Rounds 1–6, the highest level revealed indicates the current round number.

---

Refill Warehouse

• Fill empty Warehouse spaces with face-up Resource tiles.
• If supply runs out, reshuffle discard.
• If still insufficient, spaces remain empty.

---

Refill Workshop

1. Discard Dresses remaining in the two rightmost marked spaces.
2. Shift remaining Dresses to the right.
3. Fill empty spaces from the Cloth Bag (draft side up).
4. If bag empties, reshuffle discard pile.

---

Phase 2: Select 3 Hand Cards

Each player secretly selects 3 Employees from their face-down supply.

If fewer than 3 remain:

• Take remaining cards.
• Shuffle discard pile into new supply.
• Draw until you have 3 cards.

If exactly 3 remain:

• Take all 3.
• Do NOT reshuffle discard until next round.

---

Phase 3: Take Actions

Players take turns clockwise starting with Starting Player.

On your turn:

• Play 1 Employee card.
• Perform 1 main action (if allowed by type).
• Then optionally resolve the card’s bonus.
• Place card into discard pile.

Continue until all players have played all 3 cards.

---

The 6 Main Actions

1. Claim the Queen’s Favor (Master or Journeyman)

• Take Favor card (if available).
• Gain 5 Livre immediately.
• Become Starting Player next round.
• Worth 3 Prestige at game end.

Only one player may claim per round.

---

2. Acquire Resources (All Employee types)

Take 1 Resource tile from a Warehouse segment.

Cost:

• 3–4 tiles in segment: Pay 2 Livre
• 2 tiles: Pay 1 Livre
• 1 tile: Free

After payment:
Choose ONE:

• Keep tile face down (as silk only)
• Discard tile to gain Thread and/or Lace shown

Silk tiles are hidden. Thread and Lace are public.

---

3. Make a Dress (Master or Journeyman)

Pay:

• Livre cost shown
• Required silk, Thread, Lace

Golden thimble icon requires Master.

After crafting, choose:

Rent It

• Flip to rental side
• Place in any available hall Guest space
• Master Guest spaces require Master-made Dress
• Gain immediate bonuses shown
• Score Prestige at end

Sell It

• Gain Livre shown
• Discard tile
• Take 1 free Resource tile

If no Guest spaces available, you must sell.

---

4. Hire a New Employee (Master only)

Cost:

• 4 available: 5 Livre
• 3 available: 3 Livre
• 2 available: 1 Livre
• 1 available: Free

Add hired Employee to hand immediately.

---

5. Depute an Employee (All types)

Remove Employee permanently from game.

Gain:

• Master: 10 Livre
• Journeyman: 7 Livre
• Apprentice: 4 Livre

You may still use the bonus before removing.

Restriction:
You may not depute if you would be left with only 4 Employees total.

---

6. Fund a Decoration (All types)

Pay cost to place Property marker.

Decorations provide:

• End-game Prestige
• Income bonuses (Fountain)

Fountain restriction:

• Only 1 marker per row per player.

---

“All Halls” Bonus

When you are present in all 5 halls:

• Immediately place marker on highest available All Halls space.
• Only 1 per player.

Presence = at least one Dress OR Musician in that hall.

---

Phase 4: Collect Income

All players receive:

• 5 Livre base income

Fountain Bonuses:

Upper Row:
Gain Livre equal to number of Decorations you funded.

Lower Row:
Gain Livre equal to number of Dresses you rented.

---

End of the Game

After Round 7 income:

1. Convert money:
   • 1 Prestige per 10 Livre
   • Remainder breaks ties
2. Score Level 6 Employee bonuses (crown symbol)
3. Score:
   • Dresses
   • Decorations
   • Favor (3 Prestige)

Highest Prestige wins.

---

Strategy Guide

Control Turn Order

Claiming the Favor is powerful — both for money and tempo.

Manage Employee Deck

Hiring increases flexibility but dilutes draws.
Deputing boosts economy but shrinks long-term potential.

Monitor Silk Rarity

Blue and Red garments are scarce — plan early.

Fountain Investment

Upper row supports Decoration-heavy strategy.
Lower row supports Dress-heavy strategy.

Don’t Ignore All Halls

The bonus is often decisive.

Timing is Critical

Late-game Dresses can block halls.
Early investments generate income for multiple rounds.

---

Advanced Tips

• Masters are your most versatile asset — protect at least one.
• Selling Dresses strategically fuels Resource efficiency.
• Track opponents’ silk needs to predict moves.
• Hiring late Level Employees can swing final scoring.
• Avoid over-expanding your Employee deck without synergy.

---

Video Tutorial

---

FAQ

---

Conclusion

Rococo is a layered economic and tactical experience where timing, specialization, and influence determine victory. Balancing workforce management, silk acquisition, spatial control in the ballroom, and endgame scoring multipliers requires both planning and adaptability.

By mastering tempo, resource scarcity, and Employee synergy, you will not simply host the grandest ball of the era, you will define it.