Contents
- 1 Welcome to the Castle Panic Game!
- 1.1 Object of the Game
- 1.2 Game Setup
- 1.3 Playing the Game
- 1.4 Defeating Monsters
- 1.5 Winning the Game
- 1.6 Let’s Get Started!
- 1.7 Game Components
- 1.8 Let’s Play
- 1.9 1. Draw More Cards
- 1.10 2. Get Rid of a Card and Get a New One
- 1.11 3. Trade Cards
- 1.12 4. Play Cards
- 1.13 Step 5: Monster Movement
- 1.14 6. Get 2 New Monsters
- 1.15 Special Monster Tokens
- 1.16 End of the Turn
- 1.17 Game Over!
Welcome to the Castle Panic Game!
Hey there! I’m excited to guide you through the rules of the Castle Panic game. It’s a super fun and challenging game that will keep you on the edge of your seat!
Object of the Game
The main goal of Castle Panic is to work together with your fellow players to defend your castle from the evil monsters that are attacking. You’ll need to strategize and make smart decisions in order to keep your castle standing tall!
Game Setup
Getting started is easy. First, place the game board in the middle of the table so that everyone can reach it. Then, place your castle in the center of the board. Each player will have a hand of cards, which will be their arsenal against the monsters. Lastly, divide the monster cards into three different types and shuffle them separately.
Playing the Game
Now it’s time to start playing! The game is played in turns, and each turn has four phases: Draw, Play, Move, and Draw again. In the Draw phase, you’ll draw cards from the pile to replenish your hand. Next comes the Play phase, where you’ll strategically play your cards to attack and defeat the monsters. After that, in the Move phase, the monsters will move closer to your castle. Finally, you’ll draw more cards in the Draw again phase.
Defeating Monsters
To defeat the monsters, you’ll need to play cards that match their color and range. This will allow you to attack them and remove them from the board. Sometimes, you might need to ask your fellow players for help, as some monsters are tougher than others. If you defeat a monster, you’ll earn points and potentially gain helpful rewards!
Winning the Game
The game ends when you successfully defend your castle from the evil monsters and all the monster tokens are gone. You and your fellow players will have won the game and saved the day!
Let’s Get Started!
Now that you know the rules, it’s time to gather your friends and start playing Castle Panic. Remember to work together, strategize, and have fun defending your castle!
The forest is a scary place, filled with all kinds of frightful creatures. There are goblins, orcs, and even big, fierce trolls hiding in the shadows. They’ve been watching and waiting as you built your castle and trained your soldiers. But now, they’ve gathered their own army and are coming out of the woods.
Can you and your friends work together to defend your castle against this horde of monsters? Or will they tear down your walls and destroy your precious castle towers? It’s up to all of you to win or lose together. But in the end, only one player will be crowned the Master Slayer!
So, here’s the goal of the game: in Castle Panic, you all play as a team, not against each other. You have to work together to defeat the monsters. Use your cards strategically to hit and slay the advancing monsters, as they come closer and closer to your castle. It’s all about teamwork and cooperation in this thrilling game!
In Castle Panic, we trade cards and plan strategies together to protect our Castle Towers from the Monsters. We all win or lose as a team, but only the player with the most victory points becomes the Master Slayer.
To win, we must defeat all 49 Monster tokens by slaying the Monsters that show up. If the Monsters manage to destroy all our Castle Towers, we lose the game.
Three Ways to Play
We have three versions of Castle Panic: Standard, Co-op, and Overlord. The Standard game is explained in the following rules. If you want more details on Co-op and Overlord versions, check out our additional information.
Game Components
I’m standing in front of the board, and let me tell you, it’s a pretty cool setup. The board is divided into several rings, each with its own purpose and design. At the very center of the board is the Castle, which holds a special place of importance. Surrounding the Castle are several other rings, each with its own unique role in the game.
Starting from the outermost ring, we have the Forest. This ring is labeled with numbers, which represent where the Monsters will begin their journey. It’s like their launching pad! Moving inward, we have the Archer ring, followed by the Knight ring. Finally, we reach the Swordsman ring, which is located closest to the Castle. It’s like a protective layer around the Castle, ready to defend it from any intruders.
Speaking of the Castle, the Castle ring is at the very center of the board. It’s where the Towers of the Castle are placed. These towers are essential for defending the Castle and keeping it safe from harm. But wait, there’s more! The line between the Swordsman ring and the Castle ring is where the Walls of the Castle are built. These walls are super important, as they act as an extra barrier of protection for the Castle.
To make things easier during gameplay, the corners of the board have some useful information. You’ll find the order of play and summaries of the more challenging Monster tokens. So whenever you need a reminder or a quick reference, just take a look at those corners.
Overall, the board is carefully designed to create an immersive and strategic gameplay experience. It’s not just a bunch of shapes and colors – each element has a purpose and adds to the excitement of the game. So get ready to dive into the adventure and defend the Castle!
Castle Panic: It’s a fun game where you use cards to protect your castle from monsters. There are 49 castle cards that you can use to attack the monsters and defend your castle. Take a look at the image below to see how to play:
49 Monster tokens: Ah, the monsters! These creepy creatures are what you’ll need to outsmart and outmaneuver if you want to survive. They come in all shapes and sizes, each with their own special powers and abilities. From ferocious dragons to sneaky goblins, you never know what you’ll encounter next.
When it comes to protecting the Castle, walls with plastic stands are essential. They serve as a barrier, preventing Monsters from getting inside. Even if the walls are destroyed, they can be easily rebuilt, ensuring that the Castle remains safe and secure.
(The very first time we play Castle Panic, we need to attach plastic stands to the Walls and Towers). There are 6 Towers with plastic stands: Towers are the most important part of the Castle. If the Monsters destroy all of the Towers, we lose the game.
1 Tar token: When I play the Tar card, I use this token.
2 Fortify tokens: When you play the Fortify Wall card, you’ll need these tokens to help you out.
I remember the first time I played Castle Panic. The game was set up with a six-sided die and six Order of Play cards. The cards were helpful reminders of what to do on a turn. No matter which version of the game we played, the setup was always the same. We had to choose which Monster goes into which arc, making sure there was only 1 Monster in each arc. We placed each Monster so that the corner with the highest number was pointing toward the Castle. It was important to get this right to protect the Castle and win the game.
- First, I’ll put a Tower in each of the light-colored spaces in the Castle ring. I can choose any Tower for any space.
- Next, I’ll place 1 Wall on each of the lines between the Castle ring and the Swordsman ring.
- Then, I’ll draw 3 Goblin, 2 Orc, and 1 Troll from the Monster tokens. I’ll place one Monster in each arc of the ring labeled Archer. Note: Throughout the game, Monsters will be in the Forest ring. During setup only, they start in the Archer ring so the first player can attack or defeat them.
- Lastly, I’ll separate the 6 Order of Play cards from the Castle cards and give 1 to each player. Keep this card visible to remember the steps for each turn. Any remaining Order of Play cards will not be used.
Getting Started
Alright, let’s kick things off! First, shuffle the Castle cards and give each player a hand of cards. Don’t worry, there’s no need to keep them a secret since Castle Panic is a cooperative game. The number of cards you’ll get depends on how many players there are. Check out the chart below to see how many cards you should have:
Hand Size
| Number of Players | Number of Cards in a Hand |
| 2 | 6 |
| 3 to 5 | 5 |
| 6 | 4 |
Put the rest of the Castle deck face down. This is where we’ll draw cards from. Make sure there’s enough space for a pile of discarded cards next to the draw pile.
Let’s Play
We need to pick someone to go first. After that, we’ll take turns going clockwise around the board. Here’s what each turn looks like:
- Draw more cards
- Trade cards (if you want to)
- Play cards
- Move the Monsters
- Draw 2 new Monsters
1. Draw More Cards
Draw enough cards to refill your hand. When the deck of Castle cards runs out, we’ll reshuffle the discarded cards to create a new deck. Since everyone starts the game with a full hand, you don’t have to draw cards on your very first turn.
2. Get Rid of a Card and Get a New One
When it’s my turn, I have the option to get rid of 1 card from my hand and replace it with a new one. I don’t have to do this if I don’t want to, but it can be helpful to change things up.
3. Trade Cards
When it’s my turn, I can trade cards with other players to make my hand better. How many cards I can trade depends on how many players are in the game.
- If there are 2 to 5 players, I can trade 1 of my cards for 1 card from any other player. But I can only make one trade on my turn.
- If there are 6 players, I get to make 2 trades on my turn. I can either trade 2 cards with the same player, or trade 1 card with 2 different players.
Trading Cards
| 2 to 5 | 1 |
| 6 | 2 |
4. Play Cards
In this phase, I can play as many cards from my hand as I can. I can use these cards to do different things like attacking or slowing down Monsters, building destroyed Walls, or drawing more cards. Let’s take a closer look at attacking Monsters.
To attack a Monster, I need to “hit” it. To do that, I must play a card that matches both the color and the ring location of the Monster. For example, if a Monster is in the Sword ring and its color is red, I need to play a red card from my hand that also has the Sword symbol.
I can use multiple cards to hit multiple Monsters or the same Monster. However, it’s important to note that Monsters can never be hit in the Forest ring. They are only vulnerable in the Sword, Archer, and Castle rings.
Speaking of the Castle ring, there are only a few cards that can hit Monsters when they are in that ring. These cards have a special symbol on them that looks like a castle. So, if a Monster is in the Castle ring, I’ll need to play one of these special cards to hit it.
Remember, the goal is to defeat as many Monsters as possible to protect our castle. So, choose your cards wisely and plan your attacks strategically. Good luck!
Slaying Monsters
When a Monster loses its last point, it gets “Slayed”. If I hit the Monster for the final point of damage, I get to keep that Monster token as a trophy.
But if a Monster is slayed by something other than a player’s attack, like when it’s attacked by Walls or Giant Boulders, no player gets to keep it. Those Monsters are simply put into the Monster discard pile.
Slowing Monsters
Not all cards damage Monsters. Some cards slow them down or move them back into the Forest. Check out the Play Details section for more information on these cards.
Building Walls
During the Play Cards phase of my turn, I can also build Walls to replace any that the Monsters have destroyed.
To build a Wall, I need to play both a Brick card and a Mortar card. I can’t add a second Wall to one that’s already there.
Step 5: Monster Movement
Now it’s time for the remaining Monsters to make their move. Each Monster will move one space on the board.
By moving towards the Castle, monsters outside the Castle close in by 1 ring.
When you’re playing the Castle ring of Monsters, they move in a clockwise direction, only one space at a time. It’s like they’re caught in a never-ending loop within the ring. It’s a strange phenomenon to witness.
6. Get 2 New Monsters
Here’s a fun part – drawing new Monsters! Grab 2 tokens from the Monster pile and reveal them one by one. If a token shows a Goblin, Orc, or Troll, grab the die and give it a roll. Take the Monster and place it in the Forest ring on the space that matches the number you rolled.
When it comes to placing the Monster in the Forest ring, make sure the token’s highest numbered corner is pointing towards the Castle. Oh, and don’t worry if more than one Monster ends up in the same space. They don’t seem to mind the company!
So here’s the deal: you might end up drawing some pretty special tokens. We’ve got these things called Special Monster tokens, and they come in two varieties: Boss Monsters and Monster Effects. Let me break it down for you.
Special Monster Tokens
First up, we have Boss Monsters. These beasts are no joke – they attack your Castle just like regular monsters, but they also come with a little something extra. They have a special effect that can really mix things up. Keep an eye out for these bad boys!
Next, we have Monster Effects. Now, these tokens don’t actually go on the board. Instead, they have an effect that can either impact you or the other Monsters. Once the effect is resolved, the token gets tossed aside. Simple as that.
End of the Turn
Here’s how the turn wraps up: once you’ve dealt with those two Monster tokens I mentioned earlier, your turn is officially done. Then it’s time for the person next to you to take their turn. And so the cycle continues!
Game Over!
The game comes to an end when one of two things happens: either the Monsters destroy the last Tower, in which case we lose the game, or we manage to slay all 49 Monster tokens and emerge victorious.
If we win the game, it’s time to tally up our victory points. Each player adds up the number of trophies they’ve collected from slain Monsters. The player with the most victory points becomes the Master Slayer!
Each type of Monster is worth a different number of victory points:
- Boss Monsters: 4 points
- Trolls: 3 points
- Orcs: 2 points
- Goblins: 1 point
In the event of a tie in victory points, the player who has slayed the most Monsters takes the crown.
If there’s still a tie, we could always settle it with an honorable sword duel at dawn… Fire up the excitement!
Strategy
When it comes to playing the game, there are a few things you can do to give yourself the best chance of success. Here are some tips to help you out:
- Working with other players can be a smart move. By trading cards, you can protect the Castle even if it’s not your turn!
- Remember that the biggest threat to the Castle might not always be obvious. Take a careful look at the whole board to spot any potential dangers.
- Not all cards are created equal. Play your cards strategically, using them at the most opportune moments to gain an advantage.
- Each Monster in the game has a different value in terms of victory points. Before attacking, think carefully about which Monsters are worth going after.
- Keep in mind that the Master Slayer title can’t be claimed if all the Towers have been destroyed. Protect them at all costs!