It is the year 1781 in Harima province, Japan. The looming Himeji Castle is a reminder that to have a successful future, you must use timing, management and strategy to maneuver your clan into position to obtain and keep a good standing in the province. You can achieve this mission, if you know how to play a good game of The White Castle.
This worker placement, card-drafting and dice placement game for 1-4 players takes place over three rounds consisting of three turns each. There are three bridges in the gardens containing dice that players roll each round. The results provide options for placement directly on the main board or on personal boards from which players can dispatch workers.
The goal in this game is to chain as many events during one turn to touch as many scoring areas and options as possible. At the end of the game, the player with the most points wins. Workers generate most of the points in this game and each worker placement area and type require different numbers and types of resources. There are three types of workers:
- Courtiers – These workers enter the Castle, which consists of three levels. Each level provides increasing numbers of points per worker at game end. They also provide cards, which players collect and place on their boards to provide resources.
- Warriors – Dispatch them to the training areas to gain resources and actions. Points are awarded per warrior depending on the area level they are placed in.
- Gardeners – Send these workers out and place them on resource cards that provide resources, actions and game-end points.
Besides placing workers, there are areas inside and outside the castle that provide dice placement rewards. These are resources, coins and game action opportunities. If you enjoy complex game experiences with variety and competitive strategy, this game provides a challenging 80-minute playtime. ~ Marsha