Citadels Rules

Game Overview

"Citadels" is a strategic city-building board game designed by François Guillemot and published by Eagle-Gryphon Games. The game is suitable for 2-8 players and can be found on Amazon (jeu de societe citadelles).

Objective

The primary objective in Citadels is to build the most impressive city by constructing districts and earning points based on the costs of the districts you've built. The game ends when a player builds their eighth district, and the player with the highest score at the end of the game is declared the winner.

Setup

To set up the game, first remove the bonus character and district cards marked with a white star. Shuffle the eight remaining character cards together to create the Character Deck. Shuffle the remaining district cards to create the District Deck. Each player is then dealt four random district cards from the District Deck and given two gold from the bank. The oldest player receives the Crown.

How to Play

Citadels is played over a series of rounds, each consisting of four steps:

1. Remove Characters: Draw one random card from the Character Deck and set it facedown in the center of the table. Then draw a second set of cards from the Character Deck and set them faceup in the middle of the table (the number of such faceup cards depends on the number of players). If the King card appears, replace it with another random card from the Character Deck, and then shuffle the King back into the Character Deck.

2. Choose Characters: The player with the Crown takes the Character Deck, secretly chooses a character card, and passes the remaining cards to the player on their left. This process continues until each player has chosen one card. The remaining unchosen card is placed facedown in the center of the table.

3. Player Turns: When all players have chosen a character card, the player with the Crown calls out the names of the characters in order of numerical rank. When a player's character is called, they reveal their card, take their turn, and then the player with the Crown calls the name of the next character. On your turn, you must first take an action and then build a district card if you wish.

   • Take an Action: At the beginning of your turn, you must either take two gold from the bank or draw two district cards from the District Deck, choosing one card to keep and placing the other card on the bottom of the District Deck.

   • Build a District Card: After taking an action, you may build one district card in your city by paying the cost in gold to the bank. You may not build a district such that you have two identical districts in your city.

4. End of Round: After all the characters have been called, each player returns their character card to the Character Deck, which is shuffled, and a new round begins.

Scoring and End of Game

At the end of the game, each player scores points based on the total combined gold cost of all the district cards in their city and other criteria:

• A player receives a number of points equal to the total combined gold cost of all the district cards in their city.
• If a player has at least one district in each of the five colors, they receive three points.
• If a player was the first player to build eight districts, they receive four points.
• All other players who have managed to build eight districts at the end of the game receive two points.

The winner of the game is the player with the most points. In case of a tie, compare the total points received only from step 1 of the scoring process. If there is still a tie, the player with the most gold wins.

Common Variants

There are several common variants of Citadels, including the Deluxe edition and various player count adjustments. Consult the official rulebook or online resources for more information on these variants.

Beginner Mistakes to Avoid

1. Building too many districts of the same type: It's important to diversify your city to maximize your points.
2. Neglecting to use character powers strategically: Each character has a unique power that can be beneficial during your turn.
3. Failing to pay attention during the character selection phase: Pay close attention to the characters available and try to choose a character that will give you an advantage during your turn.
4. Ignoring the importance of gold: Gold is essential for taking actions and building districts. Make sure to manage your gold wisely.
5. Rushing to build districts: Building districts too quickly can leave you without the resources needed to build the more expensive districts. Take your time and plan ahead.