The White Castle

Overview

The White Castle is a strategic Euro game set in Japan during the Edo period at Himeji Castle (the White Castle). Players compete as daimyo to earn the most prestige (victory points) by deploying courtiers across three levels of the castle, managing resources, sending gardeners to the gardens, training warriors, and advancing on the political track. The game uses a unique dice-drafting mechanism where the value of drafted dice determines both the available actions and their costs.

Components

• 1 Main game board (Himeji Castle with 3 levels)
• 4 Player boards
• 9 Action dice (3 colors: white, grey, black)
• Courtier meeples (in player colors)
• Gardener tokens, Warrior tokens
• Resource tokens (coins, food, iron)
• Bridge tiles, Lantern tiles
• Influence markers
• Bonus cards
• Score track and markers
• Solo mode components
• Rulebook

Setup

1. Place the main board centrally.
2. Roll and sort the 9 action dice by value onto the three castle levels (lowest values on bottom level, highest on top).
3. Each player takes a player board, starting resources, courtiers, gardeners, and warriors.
4. Deal starting bonus cards.
5. Seed the castle levels with available action tiles and rewards.
6. Place markers on scoring tracks.
7. Determine first player.

Turn Structure

The game is played over 3 rounds, each with multiple turns. On your turn:

1. Draft a die from one of the three castle levels.
2. Perform the associated action for that level.
3. Gain or pay resources based on the die’s value.

Lower-value dice are cheaper to draft but may provide fewer benefits. Higher-value dice are more powerful but cost more resources.

Castle Levels

Level 1 (Bottom - Gardens):

• Send gardeners to garden spaces for end-game scoring.
• Gain resources based on die value and available bonuses.

Level 2 (Middle - Castle Interior):

• Deploy courtiers to rooms within the castle for immediate and ongoing benefits.
• Advance on the political influence track.

Level 3 (Top - Training Grounds):

• Train warriors for military strength and scoring.
• Gain iron, food, or coin bonuses.

Resource Management

• Coins: Primary currency for actions and purchases.
• Food: Feeds courtiers and unlocks abilities.
• Iron: Used for warrior training and upgrades.

Actions

On each turn after drafting a die, players perform one of the level-specific actions:

• Place Gardeners: Assign a gardener to a garden space for end-game VP.
• Deploy Courtiers: Place a courtier in a castle room, gaining the room’s bonus.
• Train Warriors: Add a warrior to the training grounds for military scoring.
• Use Bridge/Lantern Tiles: Activate special tiles for bonus resources or actions.
• Advance Influence: Move up the political track for VP and bonuses.
• Play Bonus Cards: Use cards for special one-time effects.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

After 3 rounds, calculate final scores:

• Courtiers: VP based on placement and adjacency bonuses in castle rooms.
• Gardeners: VP for garden positions (more VP for harder-to-reach spaces).
• Warriors: VP based on military strength rank.
• Influence Track: VP for political advancement.
• Bridge/Lantern Sets: VP for collected sets.
• Bonus Cards: VP from completed card objectives.
• Remaining Resources: VP for leftover coins, food, and iron.

The player with the most VP wins. Ties broken by remaining resources.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Die Drafting: When drafting a die, you may have to pay a cost equal to the difference between the die value and a base value. Alternatively, low dice may grant you resources.
• Courtier Displacement: Some castle rooms have limited capacity. Placing a courtier may push out an opponent’s courtier.
• Turn Order: The order of die drafting creates important tactical decisions, as valuable dice may be taken by earlier players.
• Solo Mode: Includes a solo variant with an automated opponent using a dedicated die-selection mechanism.
• Garden Adjacency: Gardeners score bonus VP for being adjacent to specific landscape features.
• Warrior Ranking: Warriors are ranked by total military strength; highest ranks score the most VP.
• Round End Bonuses: At the end of each round, players receive bonuses based on their position on various tracks.

Player Reference

Castle Level	Action	Key Resource
Level 1 (Bottom)	Place gardeners	Coins
Level 2 (Middle)	Deploy courtiers	Food
Level 3 (Top)	Train warriors	Iron

Die Value: Lower = cheaper but weaker

Higher = stronger but costlier

Game Length: 3 rounds, multiple turns each

Victory: Most VP from courtiers + gardeners + warriors + influence + sets + cards