Official Castles of Mad King Ludwig Rules

Last Updated on February 26, 2026 by The Official Game Rules Team

Castles of Mad King Ludwig is a tile-laying strategy game where players design extravagant castles by placing uniquely shaped rooms. Each round, players take turns selecting and pricing tiles, aiming to maximize points while fulfilling the king’s eccentric building requests. With strategic bidding and creative castle-building, the game offers endless replayability. In this guide, we’ll explain the rules and share tips to help you design the most magnificent castle in Castles of Mad King Ludwig!

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How to Play Castles of Mad King Ludwig

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Components

• 24 King’s Favor tiles
• 1 Master Builder token
• 6 Stairs tiles
• 9 Double-sided Hallway/Downstairs Hallway tiles
• 20 x 5000ℳ coins
• 76 x 1000ℳ coins
• 6 x 500 Room tiles
• 6 x 600 Room tiles
• 1 Double-sided Contract board (use different sides depending on player count)
• 2 Room boards
• 1 Corridor board
• 1 Score tower
• 50 Room cards
• 27 Bonus cards
• Room tiles in various values (100, 150, 200, 250, 300, 350, 400, 450)
• 4 Player Reference cards
• 4 Foyer tiles
• 4 Player markers

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Setup

1. Board Layout
   • Place the Contract Board in the middle of the table (use the 2–3 player side if applicable).
   • Place the 100–300 Room board to the left, and the 350–600 Room board to the right.
   • Put the Corridor board above the Contract board.
   • Place the Score tower where all players can see it.
2. Room Cards
   • Shuffle the Room cards. Count out:
     • 22 for 2 players
     • 33 for 3 players
     • 44 for 4 players
   • Place the rest back in the box.
3. Stairs & Hallways
   • Place these near the Contract board.
   • For 3 players, remove 1 Stairs and 2 Hallways.
   • For 2 players, remove 2 Stairs and 4 Hallways.
4. Room Tiles
   • Shuffle each stack face down and place them above the Contract board.
   • For 3 players: remove 1 tile from each large stack (350–600) and 2 from each small stack (100–300).
   • For 2 players: remove 2 from each large stack and 3 from each small stack.
5. Starting Setup
   • Each player receives:
     • 1 Foyer tile
     • 3 Bonus cards (choose 2, return 1 to the bottom of the deck)
     • 15,000ℳ in coins
   • Place each player’s marker on the Score tower (starting at 0).
   • The starting player receives the Master Builder token.
6. Initial Market
   • Flip over Room cards:
     • 5 for 2 players
     • 6 for 3 players
     • 7 for 4 players
   • Place the corresponding tiles face-up below the Corridor board.

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Gameplay

The game is played in rounds, each with three phases:

1. Master Builder Phase

• The Master Builder draws Room cards to fill empty spaces on the Contract board.
• They then set the prices for all available rooms, placing each tile on a pricing space (no duplicates allowed).
• In 2-player games, the 2000ℳ slot is not used.

2. Player Purchase Phase

• Starting with the player to the left of the Master Builder, players take turns buying one tile (Room, Stairs, or Hallway) or passing.
• To buy a Room:
  • Pay the listed amount to the Master Builder.
  • The Master Builder pays the bank when it’s their turn to buy.
• To buy a Hallway or Stairs: pay 1000ℳ to the bank.

3. Building & Scoring Phase

• Place the purchased Room in your castle, following placement rules.
• Immediately score the room (see Scoring section).
• Apply completion bonuses if all entrances of a room are connected.
• Once all players have bought or passed, pass the Master Builder token clockwise.

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Room Placement Rules

• At least one entrance must connect to another room’s entrance.
• Tiles may not overlap.
• Rooms can rotate in 90° increments.
• Outdoor rooms cannot be placed against their fenced edge.
• Downstairs rooms must connect through Stairs.
• You must always have at least one external entrance.
• If you cannot legally place a room, you cannot buy it.

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Scoring

When placing a room, score in this order:

1. Points in the castle icon (top left of tile).
2. Add or subtract points based on icons in the room center (connected or adjacency).
3. Apply adjacency penalties for Activity rooms.
4. Apply any “connected room type” bonuses.
5. If completed, take the completion reward.

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Completion Rewards by Room Type

• Living Rooms: Re-score the room.
• Activity Rooms: Gain +5 points.
• Sleeping Rooms: Search a Room tile stack and rearrange.
• Outdoor Rooms: Gain 1000ℳ.
• Utility Rooms: Draw 2 Bonus cards, keep 1.
• Food Rooms: Take an immediate extra turn.
• Corridor Rooms: Place a free Hallway or Stairs.
• Downstairs Rooms: For every 2 completed, re-score a room of your choice.

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Game End

• The game ends after the round in which the Room card deck is depleted.
• Then, final scoring occurs:
  1. Score King’s Favors (majority bonuses).
  2. Add Bonus card points.
  3. Add 1 point per 10,000ℳ left.
  4. Add 2 points per room from depleted stacks.
• The player with the most points wins.
• In case of a tie, the castle with the larger total square footage wins.

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Solo Mode

• Set up as a 3-player game, using the 2–3 player Contract board side.
• Do not use King’s Favors.
• Each turn, flip 3 Room cards and place them on the 2000, 4000, and 6000 spots.
• Remove unbought rooms at the end of each turn.
• Score yourself at the end:
• <50: Court Jester
• 51–70: Servant
• 71–85: Duke
• 86–100: Prince Regent
• 101+: King of Castles

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Castles of Mad King Ludwig FAQ