Objective

The objective is to build the most valuable castle by strategically placing room tiles and fulfilling various objectives.

Components

• Room Tiles: Various sizes and shapes, representing different types of rooms.

• Foyer Tiles: Starting tiles for each player.

• Corridor Tiles: Hallways and stairs used to connect rooms.

• Bonus Cards: Offer additional scoring opportunities.

• Favor Tiles: Public objectives that offer end-game points.

• Room Cards: Used to draw new room tiles.

• Money: Used to purchase room tiles.

• Player Markers: Indicate each player’s color and track their score.

• Master Builder Token: Indicates the current master builder.
  

Setup

1. Distribute Foyer Tiles: Each player receives a foyer tile and places it in front of them.

2. Set Up Room Tiles: Sort the room tiles by size and place them face down in separate stacks. Draw a specific number of tiles from each stack to create the room market.

3. Draw Bonus Cards: Each player draws two bonus cards and keeps them secret.

4. Place Favor Tiles: Draw a number of favor tiles (public objectives) and place them face up.

5. Distribute Money: Each player receives a starting amount of money.

6. Determine Starting Player: The player with the master builder token starts the game.
   

Gameplay

The game is played over a series of rounds, with each round consisting of the following phases:

1. Master Builder Phase

• The master builder arranges the available room tiles in the market and sets their prices.

• The master builder places each room tile in a different price slot on the pricing board.

2. Buying Phase

• In clockwise order, each player (except the master builder) buys one room tile from the market by paying the set price to the master builder.

• The master builder buys a room tile last, paying the bank instead of another player.

3. Building Phase

• Players place their purchased room tiles adjacent to their existing castle, following placement rules:

  • Rooms must connect to an existing room via a doorway.

  • Corridors and stairs can be used to connect rooms that don't align directly.

• When placing a room, players score immediate points based on the type of room and any adjacency bonuses.

4. Scoring Phase

• Players score points based on completed rooms and various bonuses:

  • Room Completion: Some rooms have specific completion bonuses that activate when all doorways are connected.

  • Adjacency Bonuses: Certain rooms score extra points based on what they are adjacent to.

    
    

Special Rules

• Room Types: Each room type has specific scoring rules and adjacency bonuses.

• Corridors and Stairs: Used to connect rooms that don’t align directly; stairs are used to build underground rooms.

• Bonus Cards: Secret objectives that provide additional points at the end of the game.

• Favor Tiles: Public objectives that provide points based on specific criteria (e.g., most living rooms, largest castle).
  

End of Game

The game ends when the room deck is exhausted and no more room tiles can be drawn. Players then score final points:

1. Bonus Cards: Players reveal and score their bonus cards.

2. Favor Tiles: Players score points based on the favor tiles.

3. Money: Players score 1 point for every 10,000 coins remaining.

The player with the most points wins.

Tips and Strategies

• Master Builder Strategy: Set prices strategically to maximize your income and hinder your opponents.

• Room Placement: Plan your castle layout to take advantage of adjacency bonuses and complete room bonuses.

• Money Management: Manage your money carefully to afford valuable room tiles and optimize your purchases.

• Bonus and Favor Tiles: Pay attention to both your secret bonus cards and the public favor tiles to maximize your points.