This is a documentation for Board Game Arena: play board games online !

Gamehelpcastleofmadkingludwig: Difference between revisions

From Board Game Arena
Jump to navigation Jump to search
mNo edit summary
m (Downstairs room completion reward)
 
(12 intermediate revisions by 5 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
Castles of Mad King Ludwig is a tile-laying game where players compete to build the most impressive and point-scoring castle for the eccentric King Ludwig II of Bavaria.
== Set up ==
Here's a breakdown of the core mechanics:
 
Objective:
== Round Structure ==
The goal is to score the most "Castle Points" by building rooms, completing objectives, and managing your money.
'''1. Upkeep'''
Components:
 
* Room Tiles: These are the heart of the game, coming in various shapes, sizes, and room types (e.g., Living, Sleeping, Utility, Outdoor, Food, Corridor, Downstairs). Each has a point value, connection bonuses/penalties, and sometimes a completion reward.
- Place a coin (from the bank) on each room left in the market from the previous round.
* Foyer Tiles: Each player starts with one of these.
 
* Money (Coins/Marks): Used to buy room tiles.
- Refill empty spaces in the market by drawing cards from the room deck and taking a room from the indicated pile.
* Favor Tiles (King's Favors): These are public objectives that award points at the end of the game based on meeting certain criteria (e.g., having the most of a certain room type, largest square footage of a type, etc.).
 
* Bonus Cards (Secret Objectives): Each player gets a few of these at the start, providing secret ways to score extra points at the end.
- Pass the Master Builder marker.
* Scoreboard: To track points and money.
 
* Master Builder Token: This token passes around, indicating who is the "Master Builder" for the round.
'''2. The new Master Builder rearranges the rooms in the market in any way they like.'''
Gameplay Overview:
 
The game is played over several rounds, with each round having distinct phases:
'''3. Other players may each buy one room, ''paying the Master Builder''. The room must be placed immediately in a legal position in the player's castle'''
* Master Builder Phase:
 
  * One player is designated as the "Master Builder" for the round.
- A player may buy a stairs or hallway from the supply instead of buying a room. The cost is always 3000 and is still paid to the Master Builder.
  * The Master Builder draws a certain number of room tiles from stacks (sorted by size) and places them in a "market" or "contract display" at varying prices. They set these prices strategically. The prices typically range from very cheap to very expensive.
 
* Buying Phase:
- A player may pass to take 5000 from the bank.
  * Starting with the player to the Master Builder's left and going clockwise, each player (except the Master Builder) chooses one room tile from the market to purchase.
 
  * They pay the set price for the room to the Master Builder.
'''4. Finally, the Master Builder may buy a room from whatever is left in the market. The Master Builder pays the bank. They may buy a corridor or pass, as usual.'''
  * If a player cannot or chooses not to buy a room, they can "pass" and take a fixed amount of money from the bank instead.
 
  * Finally, the Master Builder gets to buy one of the remaining rooms, paying the bank instead of another player.
'''Game End:''' When the last card in the Room deck is drawn, players finish the current round, then end the game.
* Building Phase (Adding a Tile to Your Castle):
 
  * After purchasing a room, players immediately add it to their personal castle blueprint.
== Room Placement ==
  * Placement Rules:
'''All rooms:'''
    * Rooms must connect to an existing room (or your starting Foyer) via a doorway.
 
    * Tiles can be rotated in 90-degree increments.
- Each new room must connect to the entrance of a room already placed.  
    * Rooms cannot overlap.
 
    * Downstairs rooms can only be connected to upstairs rooms via stairs tiles.
- Rooms cannot overlap
    * Basement rooms often have special scoring rules that apply to all rooms of a certain type in your castle, not just adjacent ones.
 
  * Immediate Scoring:
- There must always be at least 1 external entrance to the castle.
    * When placing a room, you immediately score points for its base value.
 
    * You also score points (or sometimes lose points) based on adjacency bonuses/penalties with rooms it connects to. For example, a Food room might give bonus points if adjacent to a Living room.
'''Downstairs Rooms:''' Downstairs Rooms can only connect to the bottom of stairs, other downstairs rooms or a downstairs hallway.  
    * Room Completion: If all entranceways of a newly placed room (or a previously placed room that now has all its entrances connected) are connected to other rooms, the room is "completed." Completing a room often awards a special reward, such as money, a bonus card, a Favor tile, or points.
 
* End of Round:
'''Outdoor Rooms:''' The fenced edge of an Outdoor Room cannot touch another room.
  * The Master Builder token passes to the next player in clockwise order.
 
  * Any remaining room tiles from the market are discarded, and new ones are drawn for the next round.
'''Activity Rooms:''' Activity Rooms give penalties if they touch certain types of rooms, as indicated on the room.  
Game End:
 
The game ends immediately after the round in which a specific number of room tile stacks (depending on player count) have been completely depleted.
== Scoring ==
Final Scoring:
'''Rooms'''
At the end of the game, players score additional points for:
 
* Favor Tiles (King's Favors): Players check how well they met the criteria of the public Favor Tiles and score points based on their ranking for each.
Rooms are scored as they are played. This includes points for the new room (top left corner), connection bonuses/penalties of the new room, connection bonuses/penalties of surrounding rooms, and downstairs rooms, as well as completion rewards.
* Bonus Cards: Players reveal their secret bonus cards and score points for any objectives met.
 
* Money: Players typically score 1 point for every 10000 coins they have left.
Connection '''bonuses''' require rooms to share a doorway; touching walls or a blocked entrance is not enough. Connections score per connected room, not per doorway: connecting two rooms by multiple doors does not count extra.
* Depleted Room Stacks: Some versions give points for each room you have from a stack that was completely depleted during the game.
 
Connection '''penalties''' from activity rooms do '''not''' require doorways. Any adjacent room (of an indicated type) which is touching the activity room subtracts points.
 
Downstairs rooms do not require any adjacency. Bonus points from downstairs rooms score for any matching room in the castle.
 
'''King's Favours'''
 
King's Favours are scored at the end of game. Ties are split, e.g. if two players tie for 2nd, they each get 3 points (4+2 divided in two).
 
1st ⇒ 8 VPs
 
2nd ⇒ 4 VPs
 
3rd ⇒ 2 VPs
 
4th ⇒ 1 VPs
 
'''Bonus Cards'''
 
Each player scores points for their bonus cards.
 
'''Depleted Stacks'''
 
Each room whose stack is empty is worth an extra 2 points. For example, if the stack of 100-size rooms is empty, then each 100-size room on a player's board scores 2 points. Only the stack in the supply matters; some of the rooms might still be in the market, the bonus will score as long as the stack is depleted.
 
'''Money'''
 
1 VP for each 10 000 of money leftover
 
== Completion Rewards ==
A room is completed when all of its entrances are connected to entrances on other rooms. A room with a blocked entrance (leading to a wall) cannot be completed. Each room type offers different rewards upon completion.
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Icon
!Room Type
!Reward
|-
|[[File:Ludwig Activity Room.jpg]]
|'''Activity Room'''
|Gain 5 VPs
|-
|[[File:Ludwig Corridor Room.jpg]]
|'''Corridor'''
|Gain and place a free Hallway or Stairs. (Maximum once per turn)
|-
|[[File:Ludwig Downstairs Room.jpg]]
|'''Downstairs Room'''
|For every 2nd (4th, 6th, ...) Downstairs Room completed,
gain your choice of the 7 other completion rewards.
 
 
If Living Room reward is chosen, the player rescores the downstairs room that was completed (if two or more Downstairs rooms were completed at once, he chooses which of those to take the reward on).
|-
|[[File:Ludwig Food Room.jpg]]
|'''Food Room'''
|Take another turn.
|-
|[[File:Ludwig Living Room.jpg]]
|'''Living Room'''
|Re-score this room, including the room's VP value and connection bonus.
|-
|[[File:Ludwig Outdoor Room.jpg]]
|'''Outdoor Room'''
|Gain 10000 in coins from the supply.
|-
|[[File:Ludwig Sleeping Room.jpg]]
|'''Sleeping Room'''
|Choose 0, 1, or 2 rooms from a stack of room tiles to be placed on top of the room deck.
(These room tiles will become the next ones added to the market)
|-
|[[File:Ludwig Utility Room.jpg]]
|'''Utility Room'''
|Draw 2 bonus cards from the deck and keep 1 of them.
|}

Latest revision as of 22:20, 24 August 2025

Set up

Round Structure

1. Upkeep

- Place a coin (from the bank) on each room left in the market from the previous round.

- Refill empty spaces in the market by drawing cards from the room deck and taking a room from the indicated pile.

- Pass the Master Builder marker.

2. The new Master Builder rearranges the rooms in the market in any way they like.

3. Other players may each buy one room, paying the Master Builder. The room must be placed immediately in a legal position in the player's castle

- A player may buy a stairs or hallway from the supply instead of buying a room. The cost is always 3000 and is still paid to the Master Builder.

- A player may pass to take 5000 from the bank.

4. Finally, the Master Builder may buy a room from whatever is left in the market. The Master Builder pays the bank. They may buy a corridor or pass, as usual.

Game End: When the last card in the Room deck is drawn, players finish the current round, then end the game.

Room Placement

All rooms:

- Each new room must connect to the entrance of a room already placed.

- Rooms cannot overlap

- There must always be at least 1 external entrance to the castle.

Downstairs Rooms: Downstairs Rooms can only connect to the bottom of stairs, other downstairs rooms or a downstairs hallway.

Outdoor Rooms: The fenced edge of an Outdoor Room cannot touch another room.

Activity Rooms: Activity Rooms give penalties if they touch certain types of rooms, as indicated on the room.

Scoring

Rooms

Rooms are scored as they are played. This includes points for the new room (top left corner), connection bonuses/penalties of the new room, connection bonuses/penalties of surrounding rooms, and downstairs rooms, as well as completion rewards.

Connection bonuses require rooms to share a doorway; touching walls or a blocked entrance is not enough. Connections score per connected room, not per doorway: connecting two rooms by multiple doors does not count extra.

Connection penalties from activity rooms do not require doorways. Any adjacent room (of an indicated type) which is touching the activity room subtracts points.

Downstairs rooms do not require any adjacency. Bonus points from downstairs rooms score for any matching room in the castle.

King's Favours

King's Favours are scored at the end of game. Ties are split, e.g. if two players tie for 2nd, they each get 3 points (4+2 divided in two).

1st ⇒ 8 VPs

2nd ⇒ 4 VPs

3rd ⇒ 2 VPs

4th ⇒ 1 VPs

Bonus Cards

Each player scores points for their bonus cards.

Depleted Stacks

Each room whose stack is empty is worth an extra 2 points. For example, if the stack of 100-size rooms is empty, then each 100-size room on a player's board scores 2 points. Only the stack in the supply matters; some of the rooms might still be in the market, the bonus will score as long as the stack is depleted.

Money

1 VP for each 10 000 of money leftover

Completion Rewards

A room is completed when all of its entrances are connected to entrances on other rooms. A room with a blocked entrance (leading to a wall) cannot be completed. Each room type offers different rewards upon completion.

Icon Room Type Reward
Ludwig Activity Room.jpg Activity Room Gain 5 VPs
Ludwig Corridor Room.jpg Corridor Gain and place a free Hallway or Stairs. (Maximum once per turn)
Ludwig Downstairs Room.jpg Downstairs Room For every 2nd (4th, 6th, ...) Downstairs Room completed,

gain your choice of the 7 other completion rewards.


If Living Room reward is chosen, the player rescores the downstairs room that was completed (if two or more Downstairs rooms were completed at once, he chooses which of those to take the reward on).

Ludwig Food Room.jpg Food Room Take another turn.
Ludwig Living Room.jpg Living Room Re-score this room, including the room's VP value and connection bonus.
Ludwig Outdoor Room.jpg Outdoor Room Gain 10000 in coins from the supply.
Ludwig Sleeping Room.jpg Sleeping Room Choose 0, 1, or 2 rooms from a stack of room tiles to be placed on top of the room deck.

(These room tiles will become the next ones added to the market)

Ludwig Utility Room.jpg Utility Room Draw 2 bonus cards from the deck and keep 1 of them.
Retrieved from "http:///index.php?title=Gamehelpcastleofmadkingludwig&oldid=26278"