THE GAME BACKGROUND
You are an abbot of a medieval monastery competing with other abbots to collect the greatest library of sacred books. To do so, you will need to have both the workers and resources to run a well-functioning scriptorium. To acquire workers and resources, you will use a limited supply of donated gold. Furthermore, you must be on good terms with the powerful bishop, who can help you in your quest.

SUMMARY OF GAME PLAY
The goal of the game is to score the most Victory Points. You get Victory Points by winning any of the 5 categories: Illuminators, Scribes, Manuscripts, Scrolls, and Supplies. You win a category by having the most workers (Scribes, Illuminators) or resources (Manuscripts, Scrolls, Supplies) in that category. This can be determined by the numbers in the upper left corner on the cards. At the beginning of the game, each category is worth 3 Victory Points. As the game progresses, the values on the Value Board will change and some categories will become worth more or less Victory Points than the others. The game is split into 2 stages: a Donation stage and an Auction stage. During the Donation stage, players obtain free cards according to an established plan. In the Auction stage, players will purchase cards in auction rounds. After the two stages, winners of each category are determined and Victory Points awarded accordingly. The player with the most Victory Points wins the game.

GAME CHARACTERISTICS
The game requires a good deal of strategic planning, some bluffing, and a little bit of luck. The rules are easy to understand, but you need to play it a few times to develop a playing strategy. It will play differently from 2-4 players, but each game is equally fun and challenging.