Of Kings and Castles

If you are reading this, then the King has tired of my services and employed you to take my place. I hope you can do better than I have done. I assume the King still desires the new castle to be built. If so, there are a few things you should know.

It is not enough to just build a simple castle with basic walls, entry and towers. You will need those things, but you will also need a few things to really impress him. I have made a list of the possible features that he may desire and assigned values to each feature. He will not be happy unless it is a high value castle. Of course, each of those features require resources that we do not have.

I have made of map of the whole continent showing lands where these resources can be found. If you can convince the King to conqueror these lands, then you may be able to get the resources you need to build the castle.

But that is the tricky part. The King has motives of his own and there are other Kings on the continent that are after the same lands. It will not be easy, but If you're able use your powers of influence, you might be able to build the castle and win the Kings approval.

• Sir Ryson Edwards, Servant of the King

In Of Kings & Castles, your goal is to build a Castle for your King. This is accomplished by playing Castle Cards which cost resources. In order to get the resources, you’ll need your King to occupy particular territories on a map. This is where the heart of the game lies.

On your turn you will dump out the contents of your King’s Bag and this will determine how you and your King will act. Think of this like a deviner tossing bones to predict the future. Shields will come out of the Bag; some face up and some face down, some for your King and some for other Kings. How they fall will drive what happens on your turn.

You can affect the contents in your King’s Bag over time and doing so will shift the odds. The more of your own King’s Shields it contains, the more passive your King will be, but it also gives you more control. But as other King’s Shields are added, your King becomes more aggressive and harder to control.

Finding the right balance given the circumstances of the game is the first step towards creating a winning strategy.