The White Castle Duel Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Materials
• Game Setup
  • Board Setup
  • Player Setup
• Some Concepts for the Game
  • Clan Points and Conditions for Victory
  • Gaining and Paying Coins and Daimyo Seals
  • Gaining and Paying Resources
• Lantern Cards
• Purchasing Influence Cards
• Playing the Game
  • A Player's Turn
  • 1. Use a Change Activation Tile (Optional)
  • 2. Choose Actions
    • Placement of Tokens in the Outgoing Round
    • Collection of Tokens in the Return Round
  • 3. Gain the Lantern Reward
  • 4. Perform 2 Actions
  • An Example of a Full Turn
  • Maintenance
• Details of the Actions
  • Garden
  • Training
  • Courtier
  • Trade
  • Lantern
  • Improve
  • Well
• Final Scoring
  • 1. Remaining Resources
  • 2. Nobori Flags
  • 3. Katanas and Kabutos
  • 4. Origami
  • Example of Final Scoring
• Actions Appendix
• Turn Sequence
• Credits
  • Authors' Acknowledgements

Materials

• 12 Weapon cards (green) — Influence cards
• 12 Flag cards (blue) — Influence cards
• 12 Origami cards (coral) — Influence cards
• 15 Lantern cards
• 6 Starting Resource cards
• 6 Activation tiles
• 4 Basic Training Yard tiles
• 4 Elite Training Yard tiles
• 20 coins worth 1 yen
• 20 Daimyo Seals
• 2 +40/+80 Point tiles
• 6 Social Climbing tiles
• 2 Personal Domain boards
• 1 Main board
• 8 Garden tiles
• 4 Change Activation tiles
• 6 Merchandise tiles (3 Common and 3 Luxury Items)
• 12 Lantern tokens (4x3 colors)
• 1 Starting Player marker
• 6 Location tiles
• 8 Clan Seals (for each player)
• 3 Resource markers (Food, Iron, Mother-of-Pearl for each player)
• 1 Clan Point counter (for each player)
• 1 Courtier (for each player)

Game Setup

Board Setup

1. Place the main board so it can be reached by both players.
2. Thoroughly shuffle all the Influence cards together and randomly divide them into 3 decks of 12 cards each. Place each deck in one of the 3 Castle spaces with the side showing its cost up.
3. * Shuffle each of the Training Yard stacks separately then randomly select and place 1 of each type in the place for it on the game board. Put the rest of these tiles back in the box.
4. Shuffle the Lantern cards, reveal 3 of them, and lay them face-up beside the deck.
5. * Randomly place the 6 Activation tiles in the spaces for them on the board.
6. * Randomly place the 6 Location tiles in the spaces for them on the board.
7. * Mix up the Social Climbing tiles and put 2 on each side of the Castle, in the spaces for them, placing them so that the color printed on the board matches the side showing on the tile. Put the 2 tiles left over back in the box.
8. * Mix up the Garden tiles and randomly choose 3 of them to put in the matching spaces with the stone side up and the other 3 on their spaces with the plant side up. Put the 2 tiles left over back in the box.
9. Mix up the 3 tiles for each Merchandise type face-down, then put each stack face-up (showing the reward) in the spaces for them on the board. The Common Merchandise go in the space on the left and the Luxury Items go in the space on the right.
10. Place both players' Courtiers at the Castle Gate.
11. Create a common reserve of coins, Daimyo Seals, and Change Activation tiles.

Player Setup

Each player receives:

12. 1 personal Domain board.
13. 3 Resource markers, which are placed in the 0 spaces of their Domain board.
14. 8 Clan Seals.
15. 1 Clan point counter, which is left near the Clan Point Track.
16. 6 Lantern tokens (2 of each color), which are stacked on their corresponding Lanterns.
17. Choose the starting player by whatever method you like and give the Starting Player marker to them. It is placed beside that player's Domain board with their clan symbol facing up.
18. Now, shuffle the Starting Resource cards and reveal 3 of them. The player who is not the starting player chooses 1 of these 3 and gains the Resources shown on it. After that, they turn the card over and place it in their corresponding Lantern Area (see page 8), on the right side of their Domain board. The starting player then does the same, choosing between the 2 remaining cards, and the third card is put back in the box.

Now you are ready to play The White Castle Duel!

* For your first game, skip the steps marked with an asterisk and place the tiles as shown in the image in the rulebook.

Some Concepts for the Game

Clan Points and Conditions for Victory

Once the game is over, the winner will be the one who has advanced their Fan token farthest on the Clan Points track. When red-colored fans are collected, move the Fan token up the corresponding number of spaces. The golden fans are only counted at the end of the game.

If, at any time, 40 Clan Points are exceeded, that player takes a +40 tile and places it next to their Domain board. If 40 points are passed again, the tile is turned over to show +80.

Gaining and Paying Coins and Daimyo Seals

When a black number appears together with an icon, you gain a quantity of coins, Daimyo Seals, Clan Points, Resources, etc. equal to that number.

A red-colored number together with a coin, Daimyo Seal, etc. icon indicates that you must pay the indicated amount into the common reserve.

• Daimyo Seal icon with a black 2 = Gain 2 Daimyo Seals.
• Red 1 coin, then a Castle icon with a red -1 Mother-of-Pearl = Pay 1 coin to perform the Courtier action for 1 Mother-of-Pearl less.

When you get coins or Daimyo Seals, they are put in your storage on your Domain board. You can never have more than 10 coins and/or Daimyo Seals combined. If your storage is already full, you can discard any elements that you do not want in order to make space for the new one.

Gaining and Paying Resources

Your Domain board has a track for each of the 3 Resources, showing values from 0 to 7. If you gain a Resource, move the cube up on the corresponding track. When you spend those Resources, move the cube down. You can never have more than 7 of any Resource (any extra are lost), and you can never spend Resources below 0.

The 3 Resources are Iron (grey cube), Food (orange cube), and Mother-of-Pearl (white cube).

At any time during the game, you may discard 2 Daimyo Seals to get 1 Resource of your choice. A reminder of this option is shown on your Domain board.

A slash indicates a choice between 2 or more options. For example, "Lantern card 1 / red fan 2" means the player can choose to either get a Lantern card of their choice or gain 2 Clan Points.

Lantern Cards

The lanterns in the garden of Himeji Castle delicately light the paths therein, creating a magical atmosphere that evokes the elegance and tranquility of the court.

There are 3 different colors of Lantern cards that are randomly available during the game. When you gain a Lantern card, put it in your Lantern Area that matches its color, placing it on top of the others but overlapping them so all the rewards they grant can be seen.

When you activate a Lantern, you get all the visible rewards it shows, including any on the cards next to that Lantern.

Example: You get a white Lantern card that has a Daimyo Seal as a reward, so you place it in your white Lantern Area so that the previous rewards remain visible, thus the Iron can still be seen. Later in the game, when that Lantern is activated, you will get 1 Mother-of-Pearl, 1 Iron, and 1 Daimyo Seal.

Purchasing Influence Cards

Clans face off in an intricate diplomatic struggle, where every word and each strategic move is key to gaining favor and a more significant presence within the palace of the Daimyo.

Anatomy of an Influence card:

• A — Cost for buying the card.
• B — Action that it provides when purchased.
• C — Indication of the icons that are shown on the other side of the card if it is improved, for use during the final scoring (see Final Scoring).

One of the main actions of the game is the purchase and collection of Influence cards. When you buy one of these cards, follow these steps:

1. Pay the cost in coins, Daimyo Seals, or a combination of the two, as shown on the card.
2. Put the card in the corresponding area of your Domain board.
3. Perform the actions shown on the scroll of this card. If you cannot or do not want to perform the action, simply skip this step. Forfeiting the scroll action does not allow you to gain one of the Well's benefits.

Each Influence card shows 1 or more icons on the back, which can award Clan Points at the end of the game, but only if the card is improved during play. These cards remain with the side showing the purchase price up until an action allows you to "improve" it — i.e., flip it over. Once flipped, those icons can be counted during the final scoring phase.

If a deck in the Castle runs out of cards, you can receive one the Well's benefits as an alternative to purchasing the card, as shown on the board.

Playing the Game

The game is split into 2 rounds, during each of which each player takes 6 turns. These 2 rounds are called the OUTGOING ROUND and the RETURN ROUND. The 2 rounds are played slightly differently when the actions are chosen.

At the end of the OUTGOING ROUND, there will be a Maintenance phase that consists of handing over the Starting Player marker, which is then placed next to the other player with their symbol facing up. After the RETURN ROUND, the final scoring is carried out.

A Player's Turn

Each round begins with the player holding the Starting Player marker. Throughout the game, during each player's turn, the following 4 steps are carried out in order:

1. Use a Change Activation tile (optional)
2. Choose actions: place or remove a token
3. Gain the Lantern reward
4. Perform 2 actions

1. Use a Change Activation Tile (Optional)

You have the option, but only at this moment and only once per turn, of discarding 1 of these tiles to switch the positions of 2 of the Activation tiles in the Castle.

Example: To exchange the Courtier and Lantern Activation tiles, you must first pay a Change Activation tile. Then you can switch their positions, putting one in the place of the other and vice versa.

2. Choose Actions

Placement of Tokens in the Outgoing Round

During the first round, players alternate turns, moving 1 of their Lantern tokens from their Domain board to the main board each turn.

Move 1 of the Lantern tokens belonging to one of your Lanterns to a Location tile on the main board while obeying the following conditions:

• If the Location does not yet have any tokens on it, you can only place a token that has a different color than that of the Lantern printed on the Location tile.
• If there is a token there, you can only place one that is a different color than all the other tokens that are already there. Therefore, the maximum stacking height in a single Location is 3 tokens, with each of the 3 being a different color.

Example: The yellow player wants to place a coral token. In the picture, they cannot place it in the position at the top since it is the same color as the Location tile. The player could place it in the middle, since no token with this color has been placed there yet. It could not be placed in the lower-left Location, because that color has already been placed there. However, it can be placed on the right, because the tile is black-colored and thus allows the placement of a white or a coral token.

Collection of Tokens in the Return Round

During the Return Round, the players take turns picking up 1 Lantern token from the top of any stack on the main board and putting it on their own Domain board (regardless of who placed that token during the Outgoing round), while taking into account the following rules:

• You must place the token in the area with the matching Lantern color.
• There is no stacking maximum on your Domain board (this means that you could end up with 4 Lantern tokens of the same color on your Domain board).

Example: The blue player wants to take a black token from the Location that allows the Courtier action to be performed and to buy a Weapon card (green). To do this, they take the token from that Location and put it on their Domain board in the black Lantern Area.

3. Gain the Lantern Reward

After placing the Lantern token, you receive the rewards visible in the Lantern Area of your Domain board that matches the color of the Lantern that the token covers, whether the token was placed on a Location tile, on top of a previously placed token, or on your Domain board. You gain the reward printed on your Domain board and any shown on the cards you have in that area.

Example: During the OUTGOING ROUND, placing a coral Lantern token on the left Location would grant you the black Lantern Reward. Placing it on the Location to the right would instead allow you to receive the white Lantern Reward.

Example: During the RETURN ROUND, when a black-colored token is taken, it activates the black Lantern Reward, thereby giving you 1 Iron, 1 Food, and 1 Daimyo Seal.

4. Perform 2 Actions

The 2 actions adjacent to the Location where the Lantern token was placed or collected from are now carried out. If there is an Activation tile next to it, you may perform the action on it. If there is an Influence card next to it, you may buy it. Each action must be fully completed before the other is started, but you may perform them in either order.

If you do not want to or cannot perform any of those actions, you may instead gain one of the Well's benefits for each action you have rejected.

Example: The Location where the coral token was placed permits the purchase of the Origami card to the left at a cost of 2 Daimyo Seals and the performance of the Garden action. The black token allows for the performance of the Garden action and the Trade action.

An Example of a Full Turn

The yellow player has decided to place one of their black Lantern tokens (A) on the Location that will allow them to activate 1 of their Lanterns and purchase 1 Origami card (B). They place their token on the Location, and by doing so activate their coral lantern, which provides 1 Food, 2 Coins, and 1 Clan Point (C). After deciding to purchase the Origami card (D) by paying 2 Daimyo Seals, yellow gains the reward shown, which is made up of 2 Clan Points (D1) and 1 Lantern card. Yellow chooses the black Lantern card showing the reward of 1 Clan Point (D2) and adds it to their black Lantern Area. The second action (E) is to activate 1 of their 3 Lanterns, and they choose the black one, thereby gaining 1 Iron, 1 Food, 1 Daimyo Seal, and 1 Clan Point.

Maintenance

Once both players have taken 6 turns each within the OUTGOING ROUND, the turn order is reversed and the RETURN ROUND begins.

Before starting the Return Round, the starting player gives the Starting Player marker to the other player, who flips it so their clan symbol is facing up. This means that whoever played their turn second in the Outgoing Round will play 2 turns in a row.

Details of the Actions

The 6 actions are: Garden, Training, Courtier, Trade, Lantern, and Improve.

Garden

Pay 2 or 5 Food to place 1 of your Clan Seals in an empty space of the Gardens. You gain the reward shown on the Garden tile above the column where you place your seal.

At the end of the game, each Clan Seal in the Gardens grants icons for the final scoring, shown at the bottom of the column. A single player may occupy both spaces in the same column.

Example: The yellow player paid 5 Food to place a Clan Seal in the Plant Garden, which immediately gives them 3 Clan Points. Additionally, in the final scoring, yellow will receive an additional kabuto.

Training

Pay 2 or 5 Iron to place 1 of your Clan Seals in an empty space of the Training Yards. Choose 1 of the 2 rewards shown on the tile where you place your seal.

At the end of the game, the Training Yards will grant score multipliers for the katanas and kabutos you have accumulated. The Basic Training Yard on the left multiplies the points for both katanas and kabutos, while the Elite Training Yard only does so for kabutos, but with more power.

Example: The blue player paid 2 Iron to place their third Clan Seal in the Training Yard on the left. As an immediate reward, blue decides to gain a Lantern card. At the end of the game, blue player's katanas is worth 3 Clan points (1 for each left seal), and each of their kabutos is worth 5 Clan points (1 for each left seal, 2 for each right seal).

Courtier

Pay 2 or 5 Mother-of-Pearl to move your Courtier 1 or 2 spaces up the Social Climbing path. Each Social Climbing path consist of the 2 Social Climbing tiles on one side of the Castle and the space above them printed on the board. If this is the first time this action has been performed in the entire game, you choose 1 of the 2 sides (paths) to follow for the rest of the game. The other player must use the other path when they first move their Courtier.

Example: The yellow player pays 2 Mother-of-Pearl to advance 1 space. They choose the left path and immediately gain a Lantern card of their choice.

As you advance along the path, you will encounter spaces that show different rewards. You gain the reward shown in each space your Courtier lands on. You do not receive any rewards you pass over when you move 2 spaces at a time.

Example: The blue player pays 5 Mother-of-Pearl to move forward 2 spaces. Since the left path is already taken, blue must go on the right-side path. The 2 coins are not gained by the player since they did not stop on that space.

Example: Later, the yellow player pays 5 Mother-of-Pearl to move forward 2 spaces. Yellow only gains the reward that allows the purchase of a card for the execution of their action.

The Social Climbing paths are divided into 3 levels. At the end of the game, you will earn Clan Points equal to the number of flags you have collected multiplied by the value shown for the level your Courtier has reached: 1, 2, or 3.

Trade

When performing the Trade with the Portuguese action, choose 1 of these options:

• Pay any 1 Resource to buy the top Influence card from 1 of the 3 decks on the main board (paying the cost as normal) and perform its action.
• Pay any 2 resources to take the top tile from the stack of Common Merchandise.
• Pay any 5 resources to take the top tile from the stack of Luxury Items.

Example: To purchase the Common Merchandise tile that grants a white origami crane, the yellow player pays 1 Iron and 1 Mother-of-Pearl. Then they put the tile in their playing area.

If either Merchandise type runs out, that option simply cannot be selected any more. At the end of the game, the Merchandise you have purchased will grant you icons for the final scoring.

Lantern

Activate any 1 of your 3 Lanterns of your choice and receive all the visible rewards it shows.

Example: The player chooses to activate their white Lantern, obtaining 1 Mother-of-Pearl, 1 Daimyo Seal, and 1 Coin.

Improve

Improve up to 2 Influence cards that you already possess: choose any 2 Influence cards in your playing area and flip them over. This will allow their icons to be counted in the final scoring.

Example: The blue player decides to improve the cards that provide 2 katanas and 2 blue origami cranes.

Well

The Well's benefit action allows you to choose between receiving 1 Resource of your choice, 1 Daimyo Seal, 1 coin, 1 Change Activation tile, or 1 Clan Point.

Final Scoring

At the end of the Return Round, when the last Lantern token has been taken from the board and the last player's turn has been completed, it is time for the final scoring.

The players now take into account the flags, katanas, kabutos, and origami cranes they have accumulated, which can be found on improved Influence cards, in the Gardens marked with their Clan Seals, and on the Merchandise they have bought.

In addition to the score gained from red fans during the game, the following will be added:

1. Remaining Resources

• A. For every 5 coins and/or Daimyo Seals you have, 1 Clan Point is granted (rounded down).
• B. For each Resource that you have between 3 and 6 units remaining, 1 Clan Point is granted. If you have 7 units of a Resource left, you get 2 Clan Points.

2. Nobori Flags

• A. A multiplier of 1, 2, or 3 Clan Points per Nobori flag is granted depending on what level of the Castle your Courtier has reached, with your total number of Nobori flag icons being multiplied by the number of the level achieved.

3. Katanas and Kabutos

• A. Katanas: 1 Clan Point is granted for each Clan Seal you have in the Basic Training Yard, multiplied by your total number of katana icons.
• B. Kabutos: 1 Clan Point is granted for each Clan Seal you have in the Basic Training Yard and 2 points for each Clan Seal you have in the Elite Training Yard, multiplied by your total number of Kabuto icons.

4. Origami

• A. Multiply your total number of blue origami cranes by your total number of white origami cranes.

The player who has earned more Clan Points is the winner! If there is a tie, the winner will be the one who placed more Clan Seals. If there is still a tie, whoever got higher on their Social Climbing path wins. If there is still a tie after that, the players share the victory.

Example of Final Scoring

The yellow player just finished the game with the following score. In addition to 6 Clan Points gained during the game, add:

• A. 6 nobori flags x 2 points each = 12 points
• B. 2 katanas x 2 points each = 4 points
• C. 2 kabutos x 4 points each = 8 points
• D. 5 blue cranes x 5 white cranes = 25 points
• E. 1 point for the 3 coins and 2 seals
• F. 1 point for the 3 Mother-of-Pearl.

Final score: 57 Clan Points

Actions Appendix

• Multicolored Lantern: Gain all visible rewards from 1 of your Lanterns of your choice.
• Coral Lantern: Gain all visible rewards from your coral Lantern.
• Black Lantern: Gain all visible rewards from your black Lantern.
• White Lantern: Gain all visible rewards from your white Lantern.
• Lantern card: Gain 1 of the Lantern cards from among those face-up in the supply. Replace the card immediately from the deck. If there are no more cards in the supply, this action has no effect.
• Lantern card 1 + Lantern: Gain a Lantern card (as above) and then activate your Lantern that is the same color as that card (including the new card). If there are no more cards in the supply, this action has no effect.
• Castle with -1 Mother-of-Pearl: Perform the Courtier action for 1 Mother-of-Pearl less.
• Training Yard with -1 Iron: Perform the Training action for 1 Iron less.
• Garden with -1 Food: Perform the Garden action for 1 Food less.
• Ship with -1 Resource: Perform the Trade action for 1 less Resource.
• Improve x1: Improve (flip over) the indicated number of Influence cards that you have in your playing area.
• Well with X: Choose and gain one of the Well's benefits. If there is a number with this icon, you can activate the Well as many times as the number shown, choosing the same benefit or different one.
• Red fan with X: Gain this number of Clan Points.
• Food with X: Gain this amount of Food by moving your marker up (to a maximum of 7 — any number above this is ignored).
• Iron with X: Gain this amount of Iron by moving your marker up (to a maximum of 7 — any number above this is ignored).
• Mother-of-Pearl with X: Gain this amount of Mother-of-Pearl by moving your marker up (to a maximum of 7 — any number above this is ignored).
• Any Resource with X: Gain a resource of your choice by moving your marker up. If the icon shows a number, you gain that amount of the same resource or different resources that together equal that number.
• Change Activation tile: Gain a Change Activation tile and put it on your Domain board. You can never have more than 2 of these at a time.
• Daimyo Seal with X: Gain this amount of Daimyo Seals from the common reserve and put them in your storage.
• Coin with X: Gain this amount of coins from the common reserve and put them in your storage.
• Coin/Daimyo Seal with X: Gain this amount of coins and/or Daimyo Seals in any combination you choose from the common reserve and put them in your storage.
• Red X with coin/Daimyo Seal: Pay this amount, in any combination that reaches the sum, of coins and/or Daimyo Seals.
• Influence card: Purchase an Influence card from any of the 3 decks (at the normal cost) and perform its action.
• Influence card 1 (with cost crossed out): Take an Influence card from any of the 3 decks (without paying any costs) and perform its action.

Turn Sequence

1. (Optional) Use a Change Activation tile

You have the option, but only at this moment and only once per turn, of discarding 1 of these tiles to switch the positions of 2 of the Activation tiles in the Castle.

2. Choose actions: place or remove a token

Outgoing Round: During the first round, players alternate turns, moving 1 of their Lantern tokens from their Domain board to the main board each turn.

Return Round: During the Return Round, the players take turns picking up 1 Lantern token from the main board and putting it on their own Domain board.

3. Gain the Lantern reward

The rewards shown in the Lantern Area that matches the color that was just covered, including the rewards shown on the cards to its right, are now obtained.

4. Perform 2 actions

The 2 actions adjacent to the Location where the Lantern token was placed or collected from are now carried out (Activation tiles or cards). If you do not want to or cannot perform any of those actions, you may instead gain one of the Well's benefits for each action you have rejected.

Credits

• Authors: Sheila Santos and Israel Cendrero
• Illustration: Joan Guardiet
• Editor: David Esbrí
• 3D renderings: David González
• English language translation: Andrew Campbell
• English language revision: William Niebling
• Cultural advisor: Nobuaki Takerube
• Graphic Design and Layout: Meeple Foundry

Devir Contenidos S.L., Via Augusta 153, Entl. 4, 08021 - Barcelona — www.devirgames.com

Authors' Acknowledgements

We would like to offer our thanks to Fabio, for being the best baby in the world and letting us design this game; to all our beloved testers who collected sandals, added up fans of all different colors, restored vases, and even watched flying herons on the scoring track; to the whole Devir family, especially David, Samu, and Joan, for still being the best team possible with whom to work. And naturally, we'd also like to thank you, for coming back to Himeji with us one more time.