Das Schloss der 7 Schlösser
Das Schloss der 7 Schlösser Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Game Materials
- 1 gameboard
- 8 castle towers (facades), each with a ledge and a rooftop
- 8 treasure chambers (inside the towers)
- 8 keys
- 8 coats of arms (2 per player)
- 1 keymaster
- 1 die
- 80 pearls
- 1 pearl bin
- 4 collection boxes
Set-Up of the Game
Assembling the Components
Before the first game, fold the facades of the towers (with ledge and rooftop), their treasure chambers, your collection boxes and the pearl bin, and put each of these parts together as shown in the rulebook illustrations.
➊ The towers (8x)
The materials: walls, a "Portal" front, a "Balcony" ledge and a rooftop.
a) Fold the right, left and back walls backward. Front: "Portal".
b) Connect the walls so that they form a triangle (with the back wall inside).
c) Slide the ledge down over the tower – with the balcony lining up with the portal.
d) Insert the balcony into the slot below the portal.
e) Unfold the right and the left walls.
f) Unfold the back wall as well … and, in doing so, snap the edge of the back wall into the right wall.
g) Insert the rooftop into the battlements.
➋ The treasure chambers (8x, in different heights)
The materials (using the example of the 5th highest chamber): walls, a floor and a roof. Only the 5 highest treasure chambers have a floor; the 3 smallest treasure chambers have no floor.
a) Bend the sides of the roof in slightly.
b) Insert the roof and the floor into the applicable slots of the walls.
c) Bend the walls in such a way that you can insert the roof and the floor into the applicable slots on all sides.
d) Before closing the chamber, you can apply a drop of glue to these spots.
e) Close the holding flaps.
➌ The pearl bin
The materials: walls and a trough.
a) Bend the stone edges of the trough vertically and the wooden floors at its sides at a slight angle upward.
b) Now it should look like this.
c) Starting from the bottom and at a slight angle, slide the walls on both sides into the slots of the trough.
d) Insert the middle wooden floorboard of the trough into the slot of both walls. The walls are now standing upright.
➍ The collection boxes (4x)
Assemble all collection boxes in the same way as the pearl bin; the boxes are just a bit smaller. Make sure that each collection box shows the same coat of arms on both sides.
Placing the Towers and Treasure Chambers
Before every game, put one tower over each treasure chamber.
Then mix up the 8 towers (without lifting them) until nobody knows anymore which treasure chamber is where. It is best if everybody looks away for a moment, so that nobody is able to observe the complete mixing-up process.
Then randomly sort out one tower and put it aside without looking underneath it. It will not take part in the game. Nobody knows which treasure chamber it holds.
Place the remaining 7 towers (with hidden treasure chambers) in the 7 indentations around the gameboard. To do so, lift the gameboard and put it on the balconies of all 7 towers.
➋ Insert the pearl bin into the middle of the gameboard. Then fill it with all 80 pearls.
➌ Put your two coats of arms and the collection box of the same type in front of you.
➍ Place all 8 keys in descending order according to their indentations next to the castle.
- The last player to open a lock begins.
- He places the keymaster (➎) on the space in front of a tower of his choice.
- Then he takes 14 pearls and waits until everybody is quiet. He throws one pearl – slowly and one after another – into each tower … and after that, a second pearl into each tower. All players should listen carefully to how deep the pearls are falling, since this is the first clue regarding the fitting keys!
- Now everything is ready, and the game can begin. The competition is open …!
The Game
On each turn, you fill pearls into the towers. The sound of each pearl can give you a clue as to how deep the treasure chamber of the tower is. After that, you move the keymaster to a tower. You should know which key fits in its lock. You choose a key and put it in the tower lock as deep as possible. If the key turns, you can open the tower and take the pearls out of the secret treasure chamber. The player who has accumulated the most pearls by the end of the game wins.
Course of the Game
Players play in turn. On your turn, you do these 4 things in the following order:
1. Roll the Die
The result of your die roll shows:
- a number of pearls (1 to 3), and
- a number of steps (1 to 3).
2. Fill Towers with Pearls
Take as many pearls from the pearl bin as your die roll indicates. Throw the pearls, one after the other, each into a different tower of your choice.
There are 2 possible special cases that might occur, but only at a later stage of the game:
- You roll 3 pearls, but there are only 2 (locked) towers left. Then – and only then – you throw 2 of these pearls into the same tower (of your choice).
- The pearl bin is empty (... which hardly ever happens...). If you have let it come to this, the keymaster regards all of you as unworthy of ascending to the throne. The game ends immediately, and you all lose.
3. Move the Keymaster
Move the keymaster clockwise to a different tower. (He never ends his move on the space from where he just started.) The keymaster enters (and counts) only those spaces where a tower is still standing. The steps shown on your die roll determine the maximum number of towers you may move him.
With the 3 steps shown on your die roll, you can move the keymaster one, two or three towers further. The space where there is no longer a tower is not included in the count.
4. Unlock the Tower
Try to open the tower to which you have moved the keymaster. The other players can participate in the opening (by placing coats of arms).
➙ Choose a key: Take the key you want to use. Once you have taken it into your hand, you may no longer exchange it for a different key.
➙ Place a coat of arms: Any other players who want to participate in the opening of the tower (in order to get a share of the pearl treasure) can now place one of their coats of arms next to the keymaster. However, every coat of arms can be used only once in the game – after that, it's gone!
➙ Open the tower: Once all fellow players have decided whether to join in the opening by placing a coat of arms, you try to use the chosen key for unlocking the tower that the keymaster is standing in front of. Insert the key into the lock at the top of the tower and slowly push it straight into the tower, until it hits the bottom (i.e., the treasure chamber). Only when the key cannot be put in any further do you check whether you are able to turn it 90°, since its notch is now at the right height for this. Only if the key is resting at the bottom of the tower (right on top of the treasure chamber) can the key fit and the unlocking be valid. When turning the key, make sure that the notch at the lock doesn't tilt.
✗ If the key does not fit, you pull it out of the lock and put it back into the row of keys where it was. Your turn is over.
✓ If the key fits, you move the whole tower – including the key – away from its indentation of the gameboard, so that it stands alone. Then you lift the tower, using the turned key.
The illustrations show four cases: the key fits and can be turned (the treasure chamber appears when the tower is lifted, showing its treasure of pearls); the key sits as deeply as possible but its notch is above the tower, so it cannot be turned; and the key sits as deeply as possible but its notch has disappeared inside the tower, so it cannot be turned.
➙ Distribute the pearls:
- If nobody has placed a coat of arms, you are a happy and lucky door opener: all the pearls in the treasure chamber are yours, and yours alone!
- If other players have also placed coats of arms, you share the pearls of the just-opened treasure chamber with them in equal proportions. If there is an indivisible remainder, you get these pearls as well.
All coats of arms placed have been used up and are put aside, even if the tower could not be opened. Collect all pearls you have gained in your own collection box!
Example: The treasure chamber you have opened contains 8 pearls. You share them with Anna and Benny who have both placed one coat of arms. Corinna goes away empty-handed, since she has not used a coat of arms. After Anna, Benny and you have each taken 2 pearls, there are 2 pearls left, which you cannot evenly share with Anna and Benny. Since you are the door opener, you get these two pearls as well. Super, that means a total of 4 pearls for you!
➙ Stow the opened tower under the gameboard: After the distribution of the pearls from this treasure chamber, you immediately stow the opened tower under the gameboard; from now on, there will be no tower (or space) at the respective indentation.
Put the opened tower (including the key) back over its treasure chamber … tilt the tower on its side (but not onto its balcony) … and slide it under the gameboard at the place it stood before.
After that, it's your left neighbor's turn. Give him the die.
Only 2 Towers Left: Figure Out the Enchanted Key!
After the 5th tower has been opened, there are only 2 towers left, but there are still three keys to choose from. Now the keymaster – immediately and only once – asks you for the enchanted key:
"One of the keys doesn't fit anywhere. Only if you figure out this enchanted key now will you receive the pearls of the very last locked tower at the end of the game!"
All players who still possess any coats of arms may now – if they want – place one coat of arms above the key that they think is the enchanted key – the one that doesn't fit anywhere. You do this one after another, beginning with the player who has just opened the 5th tower. Even if you still possess both coats of arms, you may use only one of them for guessing the enchanted key. Only now – and at no time later in the game – is it possible to guess the enchanted key. After that, you continue the game as usual, in unchanged order; the player to the left of the one who opened the 5th tower has his turn.
Example: Anna bets on the orange key. Benny has no coat of arms left and can't take a guess. Corinna goes for the yellow key, and you also think that the yellow key is the enchanted key that doesn't fit anywhere.
Note: Keys where coats of arms have been placed can also still be used to unlock a tower – after all, the coats of arms placed there are only assumptions that it might be the enchanted key.
Variant for Strategists
If you like to act as decision-making strategists, you can try out the following variant: If several players place a coat of arms, all those joining in except for the last one may withdraw their coat of arms (before the key is tried out on the tower). Players who do that take their coat of arms back; they are then not involved in the opening of the tower. (This variant enables a player to still react to coats of arms placed later by withdrawing his own, letting him pursue the strategy of possibly not having to share pearls with other players.)
End of the Game
Once you have opened the next-to-last tower, the usual course of the game ends. Now you are going to solve the mystery of the enchanted key!
Try out which of the two remaining keys you can use to open the 7th tower. The other key (the one that doesn't fit) is the enchanted key. (It fits into the 8th tower – the one you have removed before starting the game.)
Now check who of you has placed a coat of arms at the enchanted key:
- If there is no coat of arms at the enchanted key, nobody gets the pearls from the 7th treasure chamber.
- If only one player has placed a coat of arms at the enchanted key, he alone gets all pearls from the last – the 7th – treasure chamber.
- If several players have placed a coat of arms at the enchanted key, they share the pearls from the 7th treasure chamber in equal proportions. If there is an indivisible remainder, nobody gets these pearls.
Winning the Game
Add up your pearls! The player who has accumulated the most pearls may call for a celebration as the king, provided he is open to victory celebrations. But of course, he can also enjoy his victory and look forward to his future regency in private.
And what if there are several winners – are therefore also several kings? Hardly. In this case, to crown it all, you simply determine the successor to the throne by playing the game again right away! That's the key!
Putting the Game Away
After the game, you can leave all the towers, treasure chambers, the bin and the boxes assembled. The game materials fit completely in the game box.
You can stow the coats of arms along with the pearls in the paper bag. If you lose this bag, you can also store the pearls between the two smallest treasure chambers in a tower, since these two treasure chambers fit inside a tower.
Then you cover everything with the rule booklet, and the game stands ready to use for the next game.