Tanto Cuore

English manual
0. Game overview

Tanto Cuore is a deck building card game for 2–4
players.
The players take the roles of ”masters of house”,
employ a lot of cute maids, are served by them whileslowly ﬁlling out their house (card deck).
But take care. The maids can become sick, or get bad
habits.
When the game ends, the player who has most victory
point (VP) gaining maids in his staff (all his cards) isthe ”perfect master” and the winner of the game.
Go for a maid harem!

Credits:
Game design: Masayuki Kudoh
Chief Developper: Naoki Kubouchi
Developpers: Atsuo Yoshizawa, Akihiro Kusano,Tomohiko Sekine, Kouta TagashiraArt direction: Kazuna Shizukuishi
Graphic design: Jun-ichi Narusawa (Media desk N)
Translation: Simon Lundstrom

Recommended selection for the ﬁrst game
Azure Crescent
Geneviève Daubigny
Viola Crescent
Moine de Lefèvre
Rouge Crescent
Tenalys Trent
Safran Virginie
Sainsbury Lockwood
Kagari Ichinomiya
Anis Greenaway
Set-up example
Player 4 house* Note: Tanto Cuore means ”Much heart” in Italian.

The town

1. Game components

This game consists of this rule book and 280 cards. In
the limited edition, a special play mat is also provided.
* 198 Maid cards- 32 maid chiefs (green frame) of 2 kinds- 156 general maids (blue frame) of 16 kinds- 10 private maids (black frame)* 26 event cards (purple frame) of 2 kinds* 56 love cards (pink frame) of 3 kinds

Privatemaid pile(face down)

Players sit around the game table. In the middle ofthe table, all available cards are placed; this is called
the town. Each player should have enough table space
before him to play his cards. This is called the player’s
house. Each player’s house consists of the player’s personal draw deck, called the waiting room, discard pile,
called the kitchen entrance, play area (where cards areplayed) and the player’s private quarters (an area forcards that you own but that are set aside).
* First, sort out the maid chiefs ”Marianne” and”Colette” and place them in one stack each in the
middle of the table (in the town).
* Second, sort out the event cards ”Illness” and”Bad habit”, and place them in one stack each in thetown.
* Thirdly, sort out the three Love cards ”1 Love”,”2 Love”, ”3 Love” and place them in one stack each in
the town.
* Fourthly, take all 10 Private Maids, shufﬂe themand place them in one pile face down in the town. Draw
the top 2 cards of that pile and place them face up beside the pile.
* Lastly, select 10 of the 16 General Maids, randomly or by choice, and place them in ten stacks in two
rows of ﬁve each in the town, preferrably in cost order(the top right ﬁgure on each card). Any combination ofGeneral Maids is okay. The unused General Maids are
put back in the box and not used in the game.

Privatemaid

Privatemaid

Generalmaid

Generalmaid

Illnesses

Generalmaid

Generalmaid

Bad
habitsGeneralmaid

Generalmaid

ColetteGeneralmaid

Generalmaid

Marianne

Generalmaid

Generalmaid

1 Love2 Love3 LovePlayer 3
house

2. Setup and terminology

Playerdraw
decks

Player draw
decks

Player 1
house

Player 2 house

Each player now takes 7 ”1 love” cards, and 3”Colette” cards, shufﬂes them thoroughly, and places
them in a face down stack before him – his waiting
room. He then draws the top 5 cards and keeps in his
hand. This is the staff that stands by his side. To draw
cards from the draw deck into one’s hand is called tocall staff – ”staff” being generally ”cards”. To playcards from his hand onto the playing area is to beserved by that staff. Each player’s discard pile, where
the player discards cards, and also where newly boughtcards end up, is called the kitchen entrance. To discard
cards is generally called to dismiss staff. To get ridof, or ﬁre staff means to return it to the town. To send
staff into your waiting room means, to put the card on
top of your draw deck. To send staff to the back of the
waiting room means to put it at the bottom of the drawdeck.

3. The ﬂow of the game

Decide starting player in any suitable fashion.
Players take turns, with the starting player taking theﬁrst turn. Each turn consists of the following four phases (described in detail later in the rules):
1. Starting phase (aka ”The start of your turn”.Certain set-aside cards activate their effect here)
2. Serving phase (main game: playing maid cards)
3. Employ phase (play love cards, employ new staff)
4. Dismiss phase (dismiss used staff, call new)When the player has ﬁnished all four phases, turn goesto the next player in clockwise order. This continues
until the game ends, at which point Victory Points arecalculated and the winner is decided.

4. The cards

There are three types of cards in this game: Maid
cards, Love cards and Event cards.

Maid cards

There are three types of Maids: Maid Chiefs, General
Maids and Private Maids.
Private Maids (black frame) are a bit special; they
never enter the waiting room (draw deck). Instead, they
are always chambermaids, i.e. sitting beside your playarea. They are described later in the rules.
Maid Chiefs (green frame) mostly only generate
Victory Points and have little effect during the game.
General Maids (blue frame) are the cards that form
the game. You play these during the Serving Phase.
Playing a maid card from your hand (being served by amaid) costs one ”serving”. Each player has one serving
per turn, so basically, the player can only be served by
one maid per turn. (However, certain maids generate
more ”servings” and will thus allow the player be able tobe served by more maids).
1. Title

2. Maid name
4. Victory
points3. Employcost

9. Maidcategory
7. Servings
5. Callings

6. Love
10. Maid effect

8. Employments

Please note: ”Maids” in these rules means
collectively general maids, maid chiefs andprivate maids. Love cards are not maids, however, they are part of the staff.

1. Title – The maid’s title
2. Name – The maid’s name
3. Employ cost – The amount of Love required to
employ this maid from the town.
4. Victory Points – The number of Victory Points thismaid is worth.
5. Symbol: Callings – The number of extra staff theplayer will call (number of cards the player must draw
from his deck) when being served by this maid.
6. Symbol: Love – The amount of extra Love thismaid generates when she serves.
7. Symbol: Servings – The number of extra Servings
this maid generates.
8. Symbol: Employments – The number of extra
Employments this maid generates.
9. Maid category
10. Maid effect – A text describing the effect the maidhas.

Love cards

Love cards generate Love that is used to employ new
staff (buy new cards), and are mostly played during the
Employ Phase, but can generally be played at any time.
During a turn, the player may play as many Love
cards as he wishes to add to his amount of Love (hemight have gained some Love from the maids he played
during the Serving Phase). No Servings are needed
to play Love cards.
A ”1 Love” card will give 1 Love, a ”2 Love” cards
will give 2 Love and a ”3 Love” card will give 3 Love.
Obviously enough.
Love is not kept between turns. Any unused Love islost when the player’s turn ends.
1. Name – card name
2. Employ cost – The amount of Love requires to
employ this card from the town.
2. Employcost

1. Card name

Event cards

Event cards are bad cards that give negative effects to the owner. They are employed during the
Employ phase just like other cards, but they usually
don’t go into the player’s decks. Instead, they are placed
onto any player’s Private Quarters or Chambermaid(chamber maids are maids that have been sent to theplayers Private Quarters, more on that later). The player
who receives this card becomes the owner of the cardand suffers the effects.

2. Employcost

1. Card name

3. Victory points

4. Event effect

1. Card name
2. Employ cost – the amount of Love required to
employ this card.
3. Victory Points
4. Event effect – The effect the card will have whenemployed and/or owned.

5. Phase details
5-1 Starting phase

During this phase, effects from certain Private/Chambermaids and Event Cards take place. Each Private/
Chambermaid has the timing of her effect noted on thecard, and their effect can only take place once per turn.
Private/Chambermaids who are ill do not generate
their effect.
A player who has a Illness card placed on any of his
Private/Chambermaids may, during the Starting Phase,dismiss a ”3 Love” card in order to get rid of the illness(return it to the Town).
As soon as a Private/Chambermaid gets rid of her
Illness, she may use her effect immediately.

5-2 Serving Phase

The main phase. It’s during this phase that the player
plays (is served by) General Maids (sometimes even
Maid Chiefs) to gain their effects.
Being served by a maid costs (unless anythingelse is stated) one (1) ”serving”, and each player
gets only one serving at the start of his Serving
Phase. This means that each player can only be servedby one maid per turn, unless he is served by a maid thatgenerates more servings. (Please note that only playing maid cards from your hand costs servings. Gaining
effects from chambermaids (see later) does not costServings).
When a player is served by a maid, he ﬁrst receives
the bonuses described by the symbols on the card – Servings, Callings, Love and Employments. Of these, Callings are used immediately; the player must call the
speciﬁed number of staff from his waiting room (drawcards from his deck) as soon as he receives Callings. If
there are any maids among the staff the player calls,
they may serve the player during this same Serving
Phase (provided the player has Servings left).
Servings, Love and Employments, though, arestacked. Servings must be used during the Serving
Phase, and Employments and Love are used during the
Employ Phase, but they do not need to be used immediately. However, no Servings, Love or Employments
carry over into the next turn – they are all lost in theplayers’ Dismiss Phase.
Any text on the maid card is resolved after theplayer has received the symbol bonuses.
Certain maids may, instead of serving the player,
become chambermaids. To chambermaid a maid means
to set her aside from the playing area, in the player’s
Private Quarters (the area beside the play area, reserved
for set-aside cards). Chambermaids will not be dismissed during the Dismiss phase, but the player
retains ownership. For details, see ”6. Chambermaids”.
If nothing else is stated, the serving phase ends when
the player decides to end it. Usually, it ends when
the player has no more Servings or maids by his side.
Strictly spoken, however, the phase does not end justbecause the player runs out of Servings; any effects thatmust take place during the Serving phase may still beapplied even if the player has no Servings left. As statedearlier, no Servings are carried over to the next turn.

5-3 Employ Phase

After the player has been served by his maid(s), he may
employ staff from the town, which means buy a cardfrom the town. A player can only employ 1 staff member per turn, unless maid effects have increased thisnumber.
To employ a card, the player must have the necessary amount of Love to give to the new staff
member. The player may, in the Employ Phase, play
any amount of Love cards from his hand to add to any
Love he might have gained from being served by maids
during the Serving. It does not cost any Servings to play
Love cards.
Employing one staff member costs also
1 Employment. Each player gets only 1 Employment
at the start of each of his Employ Phases, which means
he may employ at least 1 staff member per turn. Howe-ver, if the player has gained more Employments frommaid effects, he may employ as much staff as his number of Employments allow, but he must have enoughLove to give to all of the employed staff.
If a player wants a Private Maid he can only
employ one of the two face-up Private Maids. As
soon as anyone employs a Private Maid, draw the next
card from the Private Maid stack to replace her.
Newly employed General Maids and Love go toyour kitchen entrance, whereas Private Maids
go to your Private Quarters, and Events go to
any player’s Private Quarters. Please note that no
newly employed staff goes into your waiting room (drawdeck) or to your side (hand), nor into any other player’s
kitchen entrance, unless speciﬁcally stated.
The Employment Phase ends when the player runsout of Employments or Love, or, strictly spoken, when
he decides to end it.

5-4 Dismiss Phase

The ﬁnal part of a player’s turn. All staff that served the player, and all staff still by his side, aredismissed (all played cards and cards left in hand are
put in the player’s discard pile). However, the staff in
the player’s Private Quarters (Private Maids, Chambermaids, Event cards etc) stay where they are, they are
not dismissed.
Next, the player calls ﬁve staff members fromthe waiting room (draws ﬁve cards from his deck). If
the waiting room runs out of staff (no cards in the drawpile), the player calls as many as he can, then all staff in
the kitchen entrance rush in total disorder to the waiting room (shufﬂe the discard pile and form a new drawdeck) and then the player calls those missing.
As mentioned earlier, all excess Love, Servingsand Employments are lost at this point. They do
not carry over to the next turn.
Generally about the reshufﬂing the deck:
The staff doesn’t reorganize just because the Waiting
Room is empty. They don’t notice anything until themaster Calls and no one is there. When that happens,
they run so chaotically to the Waiting Room thatthey’re all mixed up and the ones who happen to end
up closest to the door go to their master’s side.
Technically spoken, this means that you don’t reshufﬂe your discard pile until you must draw a cardand your draw deck is empty.

6. Details: Chambermaids

Certain maids have the title Chambermaid or Chambermaid chief. These may become Chambermaids,
which means they can be set aside of the playing
area, in the player’s Private Quarters, instead ofserving the player. None of their bonuses or effects
will happen and they and will not be dismissed in the
Dismiss phase. They will stay in the player’s private
quarters until the end of the game or some effect forcesthem away. The player retains ownership and any Victory Points are still valid.
To chambermaid a maid usually costs 1 Serving, butchambermaiding a maid chief can cost 2 Servings – it’s
noted on the card.
Some Chambermaids have a so-called Chambermaid
Bonus. The Chambermaid bonus is not applicable
unless the maid is a chambermaid, and can thus not be
activated if you are served by her normally or, in thecase of end-game Victory Point bonuses, she is in yourwaiting room when the game ends.

7. Details: Private Maids

Private Maids can be seen as instant chambermaids.
Once employed, a Private Maid goes straight toyour private quarters and will generate her effect once (and only once) each turn. Some Private
Maids are sent to other players’ private quarters insteadand might generate bad effects. They can never enter any waiting room nor kitchen entrance.
A player may only employ (or gain from a card effect)
one of the two face-up Private Maids. When one ofthese are employed, draw the next Private Maid fromthe stack in town (if possible).
Gaining the effect of a Private Maid does notcost any Servings. Each Private Maid effect has its
own timing, please refer to the card text. Also, please
note that the symbol bonuses on Private Maids sometimes are conditional; again, refer to the card text.
A player may employ any number of Private Maids
but each player can only have one active Private
Maid at any given time. If a player with a Private
Maid gains a new Private Maid, the new maid is placed on top of his former one, who loses all her effects
except her VP and/or end game bonuses. The
player may not change the order of his personal stack of
Private Maids.
If a Private Maid is ﬁred, she is placed face down at
the bottom of the Private Maid draw pile in town.

8. Details: Events
Art credits:
Adumi Tohru
Isiga
Inugami Kira
Ekusa Takahito Ozaki Hiroki
CARNELIAN
KawakuKusaka Souji
KEI
COMTA
Sato Satoru
Tachikawa Mushimaro
Tokumi Yuiko Nagatsuki Misoka Nana
Nanase Aoi
Hayase Akira
Harada Takehito
Fujima Takuya Poyoyon Rock
Matoki Misa
Minase Rin
Miyashita Miki
Yamadori Ofu
RuchieCover illustration: Nanase Aoi

Events are cards with bad effects. They never enter
any player’s kitchen entrance. Instead, they are put on
any other player’s private quarters (or private/chambermaid). You may put an event on your own private
quarters or private/chambermaid if you wish.

8-1 Bad Habits

A Bad Habit card must, when employed or gained by acard effect, be sent into Private Quarters containing at least one Private Maid, Chambermaid or
Chambermaid chief. The active player decides which
player should get the Bad Habit. The player who receives the Bad Habit cannot refuse it, unless he has a cardin his hand which allows him to (like Claire). There isno limit as to how many Bad Habits a player may have.
Players may be served by Claire during the serving
phase to get rid of a bad habit.

8-2 Illnesses

An Illness must, when employed, be played onto
either a Private Maid, a Chambermaid or a
Chambermaid chief, the active player decides which.
The player who receives the Illness cannot refuse it, unless he has a card in his hand which allows him to (likeClaire). The Illness card is placed on top of the Private
Maid or the Chambermaid (chief).
Only the top Private Maid in a player’s Private
Maid pile can be made ill. Players may place Illnesses on their own private maid if they wish.
A Private/Chambermaid who is ill loses all her
power and all her VP. Simply, she counts as if
she’s not there, though an ill Private Maid still blocks
the power of any Private Maids beneath her.
Several illnessess may be played onto the same Private/Chambermaid.
Players may dismiss a ”3 Love” card during the Starting Phase, or be served by Claire during the Serving
phase, in order to get rid of an illness. A Private/Chambermaid who gets rid of her illness may immediately
generate her effect, provided the timing allows.

9. Example of play

Raoul, Baron and Claris are playing the game. It’s
Raoul’s turn.
Raoul has Colette, Colette, 1 Love, 1 Love andGeneviève by his side (in his hand).
Raoul has no Private Maids nor Chambermaids, so
nothing happens during the Starting Phase.
Serving: Raoul gets one Serving, and uses it to beserved by Geneviève. Her bonus is 1 Calling, 1 Loveand 1 Serving.
First, Raoul calls one staff member (draws a card),
and it turns out to be Kagari.
Raoul still has one Serving left (the one Geneviève
generated) so he decides to be served by Kagari, who
was just called.
Kagari generates 2 Servings. Raoul uses both ofthese to chambermaid Colette. He places her in his
Private Quarters, beside the playing area.
Now Raoul has run out of Servings, so he continues
to the Employ Phase. He receives one Employment.
He didn’t get any extra Employment from his maids.
Raoul has two ”1 Love” by his side, and plays themboth. He also got 1 Love from Geneviève, so he has
a total of 3. He uses 2 of his Love and his 1 Employment to employ Rouge. He send her to his Kitchen
Entrance. He has 1 Love left, but no Employments
left, so the Employ Phase ends.
Time for the Dismiss phase. Raoul dismisses Geneviève, Kagari and the two ”1 Love” that he played,and he also dismisses the Colette that still stands
beside him. They all go to the kitchen entrance (discardpile). He then calls ﬁve new staff members (draws ﬁve
cards).
Raoul’s turn is ﬁnished, and it’s Baron’s turn.

10. Game end and victory

When two maid piles in the town has run out,
the game ends when the current player has
ﬁnished his turn.
Please note that Events and Love cards are not maid
cards. Also, the Private Maid stack is regarded as depleted when the Private Maid draw pile is empty (there
might still be face-up cards).
Each player counts his number of Victory Points on
all his cards. Victory points are marked in the top
right of each card. Some cards have a ’?’ mark there– their victory points only count if the requirement ismet. Also, even cards that have a ﬁxed VP number may
have bonuses or penalties – don’t forget to check theend game bonuses.
* For easiness sake, all staff still standing by theirmaster’s side, and in the Kitchen Entrances, go to theirrespective Waiting Rooms to match up (put all cards inhand and in the discard pile into the draw deck).
* Then remove all your Private/Chambermaids thatare are ill.
* Then count all Victory Points from the maids in yourPrivate Quarters, not forgetting any Chambermaid end
game bonuses.
* Then add to that all Victory Points from the maids inyour Waiting Room. Don’t forget any ﬁnal bonuses that
apply to both your Private Quarters and your Waiting
Room, like Colette’s bonus that gives 5VP to the player
who has employed most of her.
* Finally, subtract any penalties you get from Bad
Habits.
The player with the most Victory Points is the winner.
In the case of a tie, the tied player with the most nonVP generating maids win. If it’s still a tie, then it’s a tie.
The winner is crowned the King of maids.

11. Rule notes

How much staff are left in each waiting room, howmany maids left in each pile in the town, and any faceup cards in player’s private quarters (chambermaids
et al) are always open information to all. However, theplayers’ kitchen entrances are not. Only the top cardshould be visible, and players are not allowed to walk
into any one’s kitchen. For holiness’ sake, a master ofhouse doesn’t walk into the kitchen!
For a speedier game when playing 2 players, remove
3 cards from each stack of General Maids, Maid chiefs
and Events.
You can play 5 or more players if you have access
to two sets of Love cards. Also, game end conditionchanges to when three (not two) maid piles are exhausted.
FAQs and others can be found at the Arclight website
http://www.arclight.co.jp/tc/