The White Castle

Description

A heron flies over Himeji Castle while the Daimyo watches the movements of his servants from the top of the castle. Gardeners tend the pond where the koi carp live, warriors stand guard on the walls, and courtiers crowd at the gates, longing for an audience that would bring them closer to the innermost circles of the court. When night falls, the lanterns are lit and the workers return to their clan.In White Castle, players control one of these clans in order to score more victory points than the others. To do so, they must gather influence at court, manage resources boldly and place their workers in the right place at the right time. In White Castle we will explore the most impressive fortress in modern Japan, Himeji Castle, where the flag of the Sakai clan flies under the command of Daimyo Sakai Tadakiyo.White Castle is a Euro-style game with resource management, worker placement and dice-drafting mechanics for taking actions. During the game, over three rounds, players send members of their clan to tend the gardens, defend the castle or climb the social ladder of the nobility. At the end of the game, players receive victory points in various ways.The central board shows Himeji Castle in all its glory, divided into several zones. The largest is inside the castle, with the room of a thousand mats, where the courtiers must climb socially until they reach the circle closest to the Daimyo to enjoy his favour. Here too are the pond and the gardens, patiently tended by the gardeners, where everyone can relax and freely admire their beauty. Another important area is the walls and exterior of the castle, where the warriors patrol and stand guard. Finally, we find the area of the three bridges, where the three types of dice used to take actions are gathered, and each player's personal domain, where they track their resources and keep their reserve of workers.With accessible rules and a very carefully designed setting, The White Castle is a very versatile title that will suit different gaming groups. As is the tradition with Llama Dice titles, its elegant and simple design hides a great deal of strategic depth within the players' reach.