Build Your Castle

Expand the exterior from the ground up, then decorate the completed structures inside.

Castle layout

Place Basic Buildings on the ground level. They may stand side by side, up to five across; there is no requirement to build a floor or tower. Floors and towers must be supported by the structure below, and extensions must connect without gaps. The designer confirmed that new Basic Buildings must also be adjacent to the existing castle in this rules-forum answer.

The starting Basic Building is already part of your castle and begins with 8 exterior Prestige. Completing a Basic Building adds 8 exterior Prestige; a second floor adds 6, and a tower adds 12. A wall facing scores 7 exterior Prestige, and a statue scores 5. A column scores 6 interior Prestige and may be added only after all three decorations are complete in that building.

Decorations

Decorations go inside a building, in any order. You may decorate a structure only after its building piece is complete. Wood paneling and stucco score 4 interior Prestige in a Basic Building or second floor, and 5 in a tower. Marble decoration scores 5 in a Basic Building or second floor, and 6 in a tower. A wall facing fits under the ground floor at an entrance. Each Basic Building has two statue spaces underneath; Sculptors place statues there.

Contract costs and craftsmen

Every order lists the materials, workers, Prestige and level of work. Commit the full cost when you place an order. Master Builder experience can reduce a contract’s cost according to its level. When a contract exhausts workers, those workers go to the Inn; the others return to your supply. If an experience increase would go beyond level five, take the tile’s printed compensation instead.

Craftsmen become available by year: Sculptor I and Stonemason I in year one; Master Builder II, Carpenter II and Plasterer II in year two; then Master Builder III, Carpenter III, Plasterer III and Stonemason III in year three. There is no Stonemason II. The head tile shows the hiring price and varies by player count. At setup, remove the designated highest or middle-price copies before laying out each type.

Carpenter II and Plasterer II allow two contracts on different floors using separate instructors. Carpenter III, Plasterer III and Stonemason III can place two qualifying contracts with one instructor; use the printed worker cost for the pair. The rulebook limits Stonemasons to eligible exterior work; follow the individual tile and player aid for its exact contract requirements.

Bonus spaces

Some spaces revealed by construction award immediate rewards. If a bonus gives a land or building decoration, take it without paying its usual gold or resources, and still receive the Prestige printed for that completed building. The designer confirmed this in a rules-forum answer.

The bonus-condition system has separate light-blue and dark-blue conditions, plus yellow reward tiles. See the cards and components page for the component inventory and the exact-face coverage boundary.