Castles of Mad King Ludwig is a tile laying game in which each player is trying to build an amazing castle, subject to the whims of the King. Players are looking for the best deals on rooms while selling their services to other players. As players add rooms to their castles, they earn points. The player with the most points at the end of the game wins!
1. Options Button
The gear button in the upper-left opens a screen where players can change options, including Music and Sound Effects, access Help and reference materials (including these Rules), and Restart or Quit the match.
2. Stack Counts
Across the top of the screen are 10 icons that represent the 10 different "stacks" of Room tiles. Above each icon is a number (in black) from 100 to 600, which is the tile size in square feet. The white number on each icon is the count of tiles of that size remaining in the stack. As new tiles are drawn each round, these numbers decrease. During regular matches, players receive points for each tile they have built from a depleted stack (one whose count is 0 at the end of the match). In some Training and Campaign levels, certain stacks will be disabled, and the white count number will not be shown.
There are 9 of each small tile size (100, 150, 200, 250, and 300) and 6 of each large tile size (350, 400, 450, 500, and 600). Not all tiles are in play for every match. For regular matches with 3 players, one large tile and two small tiles are randomly removed from each stack, leaving 5 tiles in each large stack and 7 tiles in each small stack. For regular matches with 2 players, two large tiles and four small tiles are randomly removed from each stack, leaving 4 tiles in each large stack and 5 tiles in each small stack. New tiles are selected randomly from these stacks as Room Cards are drawn.
3. Contract Board
The Contract Board has between 5 and 7 "slots" for room tiles, depending on the number of players and match options. For matches where pricing is enabled, there is a "coin ring" in the upper left of each slot, which shows the tile cost in Coins. Each round that a tile remains on the Contract Board without being sold, a coin is automatically added below it, effectively lowering its cost. If a tile has more Coins below it than its cost, a player will actually make money by building that tile. Slots with tiles that are too expensive for the current player will be shaded red, and the player will not be able to choose those tiles.
Players can tap tiles on the Contract Board to enlarge them. (Tap anywhere else to return them to normal size.) When a player drags a tile down, it will automatically resize to match the scale of the player's castle. Tiles are highlighted red until moved onto a valid location, where they will be highlighted green.
4. Corridors
In addition to the tiles on the Contract Board, players can also choose to build Hallways and Stairs, which are both types of Corridors. In regular 4-player matches, there are 9 Hallways and 6 Stairs tiles available. In regular 3-player matches, there are 7 Hallways and 5 Stairs tiles available. In regular 2-player matches, there are 5 Hallways and 4 Stairs tiles available. The count of remaining Corridors is shown in white just to the right of each stack. When all tiles of a type have been built, the stack will no longer be shown. If pricing is enabled, the cost of each tile (3 Coins by default) is shown in the upper left of the Corridors slot. If a player cannot afford to build a Corridor, the slot will be shaded red.
When players build Stairs, they are automatically oriented so that the lighter end connects to the entrance of a main floor room and the darker end connects to a Downstairs room. When Hallways are connected to Downstairs rooms, they automatically become Downstairs Hallways when built.
5. Minimize Button
Tapping the white banner in the upper-right slides the Contract Board and Corridors off the top of the screen, giving players more space to view their castles. (The Options Button and Stack Counts always remain visible.) Tapping the bottom of the banner that remains on screen restores the Contract Board to its full size. The Contract Board cannot be minimized during Master Builder pricing or computer turns.
6. Rotate Button
Once a tile has been dragged down off the Contract Board, it can be rotated clockwise in 90-degree increments by tapping the Rotate Button. Rotating changes the shaded locations where a room can be built. In some cases, rotating a tile that has already been moved to a valid location will require that the tile be moved again before it can be built. In some Training and Campaign levels, rotation is disabled.
7. Build Button
When a tile is dragged down off the Contract Board, valid locations (where at least one of the room's entrances aligns with the entrance of another room) are shaded. When a tile is moved onto one of these locations, it will snap into place and be highlighted green. The Build Button will then be shown. Tapping the Build Button builds the room in its current location, subtracting the cost from a player's Coins and adding points to a player's score. This ends the player's turn, unless a room has been completed, triggering a Room Completion Reward.
8. Cancel Button
After a player drags a tile down, the Cancel Button can be tapped to return the tile to the Contract Board, resetting it to its default size and rotation, and allowing the player to choose a different tile.
Pass Button
Before dragging down a tile from the Contract Board, the Pass Button is displayed instead of the other buttons. Players can choose to Pass instead of building tiles. During regular matches with pricing enabled, tapping the Pass Button awards the player 5 Coins, and the turn passes to the next player. Players can also pass during an extra turn from the Food Room Completion Reward, and pass instead of building a free Corridor from the Corridor Room Completion Reward. On some Training and Campaign levels, passing is disabled.
9. Points Preview
When a tile has been moved to a valid location and is highlighted green, a preview of the room's points will be shown in the lower-right of the screen. The first number, in white against a black castle icon, is the room's base points, shown in the upper-left of each tile. (Hallways and Stairs have no base points.) Next, any connected points (based on the icons in the center of the tile and in the center of connected tiles) are shown next to an open doorway symbol. If the room is an Activity room, or is adjacent to an Activity room, the adjacency points penalty is shown in red next to a brick wall symbol. If the room is of a type that matches a Downstairs room that has been built, those points are shown next to a stairs symbol. Finally, the total points that will be earned by the player this turn if the room is built in its current position (such as "+7" or "-2") is shown.
A small Bonus Card icon indicates if the room matches any of the current player's Bonus Cards. If playing a regular match with 2 or more players, a circular King's Favor icon indicates if the room matches any of the King's Favors. Neither Bonus Card points nor King's Favor points are included in the Points Preview, as they are always changing, and are not awarded until the end of a match.
10. Status Text / Log
At the bottom of the screen is Status Text, which tells the current player what to do, and shows what other players are doing during their turns. The current player's color (or the color of the player whose castle is being viewed) is shown behind the Status Text. Tapping the Status Text opens a Log of recent moves. This Log shows approximately 20 of the latest moves, organized by Round, and color-coded according to player. Tap the Log to hide it.
11. Bonus Cards
For matches where Bonus Cards are enabled, a small preview of the current player's cards is shown in the lower-left of the screen. Up to 4 cards are shown at one time, along with a faded icon indicating that the player has additional cards. To the right of the cards is a number in white, indicating the total current points value of all the player's cards, such as +6. This value changes over the course of a match. Tapping the cards opens the Bonus Cards scroll, where cards can be viewed in more detail. Tap anywhere on this scroll to hide it. Points for Bonus Cards are awarded at the end of a match.
Bonus Cards are private. When viewing another player's castle, you will see a Bonus Card icon with a number that shows how many cards that player has. However, you cannot view another player's cards until a match has ended.
12. King's Favors
For regular matches with 2 or more players, one King's Favor is randomly drawn for each player and previewed below the list of players on the lefthand side of the screen. King's Favors are public goals for which all players are competing. Each circular icon represents one Favor. Tapping them opens the King's Favors scroll, where details about each Favor are shown, including each player's progress towards each Favor. Tap anywhere on this scroll to hide it. Points for King's Favors are awarded at the end of a match.
For Training and Campaign levels, King's Favors are replaced with between one and three individual Crown Goals. Computer players do not compete for these Goals. The King's Favors and Crown Goals scroll cannot be opened during computer turns.
13. Players
In the middle-left of the screen is the list of players in play order, with the first player at the top and the last player at the bottom. The current player's name is highlighted and that "pennant" has a gold arrow on its right. (The current player is also indicated by the color shown behind the Status Text at the bottom of the screen, and by the color of the player's Foyer.) During each round of a regular match, a different player is the Master Builder (responsible for pricing the tiles for that round), starting with the first player. The Master Builder is indicated by a white castle token to the left of the player's name.
For matches where pricing is enabled, players' Coins are shown just to the right of their names, in black text on coin icons. Coins are used to buy room tiles. By default, players start with 15 Coins each, though this varies for Training and Campaign levels. At the end of regular matches, players are awarded 1 point for every 10 Coins they have remaining.
On the right of the player pennants, in white text, are player scores. In regular matches, the first player starts with 0 points, the second player with 1 point, the third player (if any) with 2 points, and the fourth player (if any) with 3 points. Scores do not include points for Coins, King's Favors, Bonus Cards, or Depleted Stacks, as these are always changing, and are not awarded until the end of a match, when the player with the most points wins.
14. Current Round
Each match is divided into rounds. Each round, every player gets a turn. During each round of a regular match, a different player is the Master Builder and prices the tiles for that round. At the beginning of a new round, the next player becomes Master Builder, and Room Cards are automatically drawn to fill any empty slots on the Contract Board with new tiles. Once all Room Cards are drawn, the Final Round is triggered, and each player gets a final turn.
When Bonus Cards are enabled, a special "Round 0" starts the match, where players choose their first Bonus Cards, before the Master Builder sets the initial prices for Round 1.
15. Room Cards
The deck of Room Cards controls the length of a match. Each Room Card represents one tile of a given size. Room Cards are automatically drawn each round to fill empty slots on the Contract Board. Regular 4-player matches start with 44 cards (37 after filling the 7 Contract Board slots). Regular 3-player matches start with 33 cards (27 after filling the 6 Contract Board slots). Regular 2-player matches start with 22 cards (17 after filling the 5 Contract Board slots). Sometimes a Room Card is drawn for a tile size that is no longer available, in which case another card is automatically drawn. Once all Room Cards have been drawn, the Final Round is triggered, the Room Card deck is hidden, and each player gets a final turn.
If players choose tiles during the Sleeping Room Completion Reward, small tile icons will appear above the Room Card deck, and these tiles will be drawn before Room Cards, lengthening the match.
Player Color and Order
Human players are on the left and computer players on the right of each colored "pennant." Tap a human player name to highlight and enable that player. Tap a computer player name to enable, and tap again to toggle between the two computers available for each color.
Drag the pennants up and down to change player order, with the first player at the top and the last player at the bottom. Tap the white plus sign to add a player, or the black minus sign to remove a player. There must be at least two players selected to begin a match.
Allow Players to Rotate Foyer
When this option is enabled, players can rotate their Foyers before building their first rooms.
Always Show Pass Screen
When multiple human players are part of a match, the Pass screen is automatically shown between their turns. When this option is enabled, the Pass screen will always be shown (regardless of the number of human players), including before computer player turns.
Manage Players
When the app is first opened, a player name is entered for the default human player. That player, along with the other three default human players, cannot be deleted, but can be renamed. Additional human players can be added, but there must always be at least four available.
At the start of each round, one Room Card is automatically drawn to fill each empty slot on the Contract Board with a new tile from one of the available stacks. In addition, any tiles remaining on the Contract Board from the previous round automatically get one coin each added below them, effectively lowering their cost. The Master Builder then prices each room by dragging it left or right into a slot. The other rooms automatically shift as necessary, as only one tile can be in each slot. The Master Builder taps the Confirm Button and the turn passes to the next player.
Each player in turn chooses a room to build and the Master Builder receives the full cost of the tile shown in the "coin ring" above it. (The current player first receives any Coins from under the tile, then automatically pays the Master Builder.) A player can also choose to Pass and receive 5 Coins, in which case the Master Builder receives nothing.
Finally, the Master Builder has an opportunity to buy a tile (from the "bank"), and then the round ends. The next player becomes the Master Builder, Room Cards are drawn to fill empty Contract Board slots with new tiles, and a new round begins.
To build a room, at least one entrance from the new room must align with an entrance of an existing room. Room tiles cannot overlap, but can be rotated in 90-degree increments. No room may be adjacent to the top fenced edge of an Outdoor (green) room.
As long as one entrance is aligned, other entrances can be blocked by walls, but rooms with blocked entrances can never be completed for a Reward. Additionally, there must always be at least one open "external" entrance to a castle, otherwise a player will be unable to build any new rooms.
Downstairs rooms (including Downstairs Hallways) can only connect to "upstairs" (main floor) rooms via Stairs. Downstairs rooms can be adjacent to upstairs rooms, with walls touching, but their entrances cannot connect.
Just because a player can afford a tile, and can drag it down off the Contract Board, does not necessarily mean it can be built. A tile can only be built when it has been moved into a valid location. It will then be highlighted green and the Build Button will be shown.
In the center of most tiles are one or more icons representing different room types:
Activity rooms have an "adjacency" points penalty if rooms that match the icons are adjacent to them. If any wall or entrance of a matching room (even a Downstairs room) is touching any part of an Activity room, the player will incur the penalty (lose the points) shown in red in the center of the Activity room. If multiple rooms matching the icons are touching the Activity room, then multiple penalties will be incurred. This applies both when first building an Activity room, and later when building any rooms adjacent to it.
Many other room types provide "connected" points if one or more entrances are connected to rooms that match the icons in their centers. For each matching connected room, the player will score the icon points shown in the center of the room in addition to any other points due. Later, if another matching room is connected, the icon points will be scored again.
Downstairs rooms provide "each of your" points based on how many rooms of a certain type have been built. When a Downstairs room is built, the player will score the icon points shown for every matching room in the castle. (For Downstairs room types, this includes the Downstairs room itself.) This bonus remains active, so when future rooms of that type are built, the player scores the icon points again.
A regular match ends immediately after the round in which the deck of Room Cards has been depleted. If there are more empty Contract Board slots than cards at the start of the Final Round, all Room Cards will be shuffled, and as many as necessary will be drawn to fill the remaining empty slots, ensuring that the Final Round will have a full set of tiles.
After the last player's turn is complete, the Scoring screen will be shown. In addition to the Base Points earned during the match, players competing in regular matches will receive the following:
The player with the most points wins! In case of a tie, the player with the largest castle (total square feet) wins!