Gamehelpcastleofmadkingludwig

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. Here's a breakdown of the core mechanics: Objective: The goal is to score the most "Castle Points" by building rooms, completing objectives, and managing your money. 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.
* Foyer Tiles: Each player starts with one of these.
* Money (Coins/Marks): Used to buy room tiles.
* 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.
* Scoreboard: To track points and money.
* Master Builder Token: This token passes around, indicating who is the "Master Builder" for the round.

Gameplay Overview: The game is played over several rounds, with each round having distinct phases:

* Master Builder Phase:
  * One player is designated as the "Master Builder" for the round.
  * 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:
  * 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.
  * 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.
* Building Phase (Adding a Tile to Your Castle):
  * After purchasing a room, players immediately add it to their personal castle blueprint.
  * Placement Rules:
    * Rooms must connect to an existing room (or your starting Foyer) via a doorway.
    * Tiles can be rotated in 90-degree increments.
    * Rooms cannot overlap.
    * Downstairs rooms can only be connected to upstairs rooms via stairs tiles.
    * 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:
    * 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.
    * 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:
  * 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.

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. Final Scoring: 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.
* 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.
* Depleted Room Stacks: Some versions give points for each room you have from a stack that was completely depleted during the game.