Contents
Welcome to the Castle for All Seasons Game!
Are you ready to embark on an exciting adventure? In this game, you’ll get to experience the thrill of owning your own castle. But first, let me walk you through the rules to help you get started!
Winning the Game
The ultimate goal of the game is to become the ruler of the castle. To achieve this, you need to earn the highest number of victory points. These points can be acquired through various activities, such as constructing new rooms in your castle, inviting renowned guests, and completing special quests. The player with the most victory points at the end of the game wins!
Setting Up the Game
Before starting the game, make sure to gather all the required components. These include the game board, player boards, room tiles, guest cards, quest cards, and victory point tokens. Once you have everything ready, each player should select a player board and place it in front of them. Shuffle the room tiles and create a face-down stack next to the game board. The guest cards and quest cards should also be randomized and placed face-down in separate decks.
Gameplay
The game is played over the course of multiple rounds, with each round divided into several phases. In the first phase, players take turns selecting room tiles from the stack and adding them to their castle. Each room has a different function and provides unique benefits. You’ll need to strategically arrange your rooms to maximize their usefulness!
Once all the players have finished adding rooms to their castles, the second phase begins. Players take turns inviting guests to their castle by playing guest cards from their hand. Each guest card specifies the requirements to invite the guest, such as specific room types or combinations. Guests can bestow various advantages, so choose wisely!
The third phase is all about completing quests. Players can play quest cards from their hand and try to fulfill the requirements listed on the card. Successfully completing quests will earn you victory points and possibly other rewards. Don’t underestimate the power of quests!
End of the Game
The game comes to an end when a specific number of rounds have been played, determined by the number of players. At this point, all players tally up their victory points. The player with the highest total wins the game and becomes the ruler of the castle!
Now that you know the rules, it’s time to jump into the Castle for All Seasons Game! Good luck and may the best castle owner win!
Imagine this: You’re in a land full of rugged mountains, and as you gaze up, you spot the outline of a massive castle. It’s an impressive sight, and you can’t help but be drawn in.
As you approach, you’re greeted by a bustling scene. A long line of traders and merchants weaves its way towards the castle gate. The commotion is infectious, and it attracts skilled workers like bricklayers and stonemasons who hope to earn a living from the castle’s construction.
The area surrounding the castle is alive with activity. Market booths cover every inch of available space, adding to the vibrant atmosphere. And amidst all of this, the castle itself continues to grow and expand.
What Makes it All Come Together?
- When you open the box, you’ll find:
- 1 gameboard
- 4 summary cards
- 23 building tiles
- 28 helpers
- 4 victory markers
- 83 Resource Pieces:
- 4 card sets of 8 character cards
- 6 winter cards
- 1 starting player marker
- 65 Game Coins (taler)
- Rulebook
What’s the Point?
As a builder, you always need resources and money. That’s why you have character cards. These cards determine the order of play each round.
But here’s the catch – you have to make sure your opponents don’t benefit more than you do. It’s a game of strategy and tactics!
I’m hooked on this game from start to finish, and it always ends with an exhilarating final score. If you have the highest number of victory points when it’s all over, you’ll earn the castle’s protection and emerge as the victor.
Getting Started
- Let’s start by setting up the gameboard. Place it in the center of the table with the summer side facing up. If you prefer the winter variant, use the winter side of the gameboard, along with the summer game rules and the winter cards (page 8).
In the game, there are a few things you need to do to get started. Let me walk you through it. First, depending on how many players are joining the game, we’ll place a certain number of talers on the round spaces. If it’s a two- or four-player game, we’ll put one taler on each of the first 12 spaces. But if it’s a three-player game, we’ll put one taler on each of the 15 round spaces.
Next, we need to set up the defense tower. You’ll need to place a sand pile, wooden beam, stone block, silver bar, and clay slab on the defense tower. The defense tower is the tower that’s being built above the carts, so make sure to place the pieces there.
Finally, we’ll place all the building tiles on the gameboard. Just put the tiles on the matching pictures on the board. That way, everything will be ready for the game to begin.
When we start playing a game, one of the first things we do is choose a color. It’s a small decision, but it sets the stage for the whole game. We each grab a victory point marker, which represents our progress in the game, and place it on the starting space of the victory point bar. This is where we’ll keep track of our points as we play.
I’ve got a fun game for you called Keyflower! It’s a strategy game that involves building and expanding your own village. Let me break down the components you’ll find in the game.
First, there are the hexagonal tiles, also known as key tiles, which represent the different areas of your village. These tiles can be placed together to form a unique landscape for your village.
Next, we have the meeples, which are little wooden figures that represent the inhabitants of your village. Each player gets a set of colored meeples, and in a two-player game, both players get seven meeples each.
Then, there are the character cards. These cards come in a set that matches your meeple color. The set includes eight character cards: a messenger, a trader, a bricklayer, a stonemason, three workers, and one master builder. These character cards have special abilities that can be used strategically to help you in the game.
Finally, there is the summary card. This card provides a handy reference for all the different actions and scoring opportunities in the game. It’s a helpful tool to have on hand as you play.
So, there you have it! Those are the main components of Keyflower. It’s a game that combines strategy, resource management, and a bit of luck. I hope you enjoy playing it as much as I do!
I got my hands on 3 talers, a sand pile, and a wooden beam to add to my play area. I can place them right in front of me on the table.
Let’s Play!
We’ll play for either 12 or 15 rounds. Each round has the following stages:
- I’ll start by taking the starting player marker and the taler from the highest round space on the gameboard. We can decide who goes first in the first round by any method we like.
- Each of us will choose one character card and place it face-down in our play areas.
- Once we’ve all chosen our cards, we’ll reveal them simultaneously.
When I turn over a worker card, I equip it with resources. The cards have to be executed in a specific order, which is shown on the summary cards. Once the last card is executed, the next round starts and the starting player changes.
After the final round, the game ends with the final scoring. This is when we calculate the victory points for the helpers.
Now let’s talk about selecting character cards. At the start of each round, every player chooses one card from their hand and plays it face down in their play area. In a two-player game, we each play two cards per round. The summary cards provide information about each character card’s functions and advantages.
On the back of these rules, you’ll find an overview that shows which cards give resources, talers, or immediate victory points. It’s a handy reference to have during the game.
The Important Role of Worker Cards in Architects of the West Kingdom
Worker cards in Architects of the West Kingdom are a crucial component of gameplay. By understanding their role and how to use them strategically, you can gain a significant advantage in your quest to be the greatest architect in the kingdom.
1. Playing Worker Cards
As a player, it’s crucial to know that you cannot play the master builder in the first round. This limitation sets the stage for a more strategic and thoughtful approach to the game.
In each round, the bank may have varying amounts of talers. Sometimes there’s more, sometimes less, and sometimes there may be none at all. This variability can be a decisive factor when deciding whether to use the messenger or bricklayer. If the bank is low on talers, players will receive fewer rewards.
2. Equipping Worker Cards
When you play a worker, you take the three resource pieces shown on the card from the general stock and place them on the card itself. The presence of helpers on the card doesn’t affect this process.
There are three different types of worker cards, each with its own unique capabilities and advantages. By considering the specific benefits and limitations of each worker card, you can strategically equip and deploy them to further your architectural ambitions.
- One worker receives 2 wooden beams and 1 silver bar.
- Another worker receives 2 sand piles and 1 clay slab.
- A third worker receives 1 stone block and any combination of 2 sand piles, clay slabs, or wooden beams.
Executing Character Cards
Alright, it’s time to put those character cards to work! We’ll execute them in a specific order. On page 6, you can find a detailed description of each character card, plus instructions on how to use the “Erecting Buildings” and “Using Helpers” sections. Here’s the order we follow:
- Messenger
- Trader
- Bricklayer
- Stonemason
- Worker
- Master Builder
The function of the starting player
If multiple players played the same card, we start with the starting player and go clockwise around the table for the execution order.
But: remember, the order from the messenger to the master builder always takes priority and can’t be changed!
Playing and getting back character cards
When we play a card, it’s important to keep it face up in our play area until we play the master builder. Make sure to place the cards in a way that overlaps, so that everyone can see which ones have been played.
When we use the master builder (page 6), we can gather all the cards we’ve played and add them back to our hand.
6. Changing who starts
Once the last card in a round is played, the starting player passes the starting player marker to the next player in a clockwise direction. The new player also receives the taler from the next (highest) round space.
When playing the game, I take talers from the round space bar on the gameboard, moving from right to left. This way, I can always check how many rounds are left. Since I may have a different number of cards in my hand during the game, the round spaces show me the remaining rounds.
7. The Last Round
The game will end after 12 rounds for 2 or 4 players, or after 15 rounds for 3 players. Sometimes, a player might finish building before completing all 12 or 15 rounds. When this happens, the ongoing round becomes the last round.
8. Final Scoring
First, I need to remove all helpers from the carts. These helpers don’t earn any victory points.
When all the helpers are left on the board, I need to score them according to the list of buildings (page 7). To keep things clear, it’s better if I lay down each helper after I score them, but still leave them in their original spots!
End of the Game
The player who earns the most points on the victory point bar after the final scoring will be the winner of the game.
Once a player reaches the end of the victory point bar at 90 points and earns additional victory points, they start again at space 1 and add 90 to their score.
If there is a tie between players, the one with the most talers out of those tied for first place will be the winner. Talers that were converted into victory points will not be counted.
If there is still a tie, the player with the highest value of unused resources in their personal stock among the tied players will be the winner. Resources that were converted into victory points will not be counted.