Tabletop games
Castles of Mad King Ludwig
Lucky Duck GamesTed Alspach2014
- players
- 1–4
- minutes
- 90
- years
- 13+
In the box
Room tiles of all shapes and sizes · King's Favour cards and Bonus cards · Master Builder board and score track · Coins
Box details
- Designer
- Ted Alspach
- Artwork
- Keith Curtis, Agnieszka Dabrowiecka, Ollin Timm
- Publisher
- Lucky Duck Games
- Mechanics
- AuctionTile PlacementObjectivesHidden Victory PointsPattern Building
Where to buy it
Near you and online
In a shop
Within 50 km.
Online
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The basics
Each player builds the most remarkable castle for King Ludwig II of Bavaria. Each round, the Master Builder sets the prices of the market rooms, then everyone buys one or passes to take 5,000 marks; the room joins their castle, respecting the doorways, and immediately scores its points, depending on its neighbours. When the market can no longer be refilled, finish the round, score King's Favours, Bonus cards and money, and the highest total wins.
The rules, step by step
Setup
1 foyer each, Secret Bonus cards, King's Favours revealed
- Each player receives a starting foyer, money and secret Bonus cards.
- The room tiles are sorted into stacks by size; a row of rooms forms the market, under the price spaces.
- King's Favour cards are revealed: they show what the king will reward at the end of the game.
- One player receives the role of Master Builder.
How to play
Master Builder's prices, Buy or pass, Pass = 5,000 marks
- At the start of each round, the Master Builder places the market rooms under the prices of their choice.
- Each other player, in turn, buys a room by paying its price to the Master Builder, or passes and takes 5,000 marks from the bank.
- The Master Builder plays last: they pay for their room to the bank.
- The room bought is added to your castle, respecting the doorways; downstairs rooms and stairs have their own rules.
- You immediately score the room's points, modified by neighbouring rooms that like or dislike it.
- A room whose doorways are all connected is complete: it gives a reward that depends on its type.
- The Master Builder role passes to the next player each round.
Scoring
Points during play, King's Favours, 10,000 marks = 1 point
- Points scored during the game on the score track.
- King's Favours: the best-ranked players in each category required score points.
- Bonus cards: points for the personal objectives achieved.
- Remaining money: 1 point per 10,000 marks.
End of the game
Market can't be refilled, Finish the round, Highest total
- When the rooms can no longer refill the market, the current round is finished, then the final scoring takes place.
- The highest total wins.
Going further
Frequently asked questions · In the same family
Frequently asked questions
How do you set prices as Master Builder?
The money from purchases goes to you: price the coveted rooms high, and keep the one you want for yourself cheap, without making it attractive to the others.
Do you always have to buy a room?
No: passing earns 5,000 marks, useful when no room suits you or you are short of money.