How to Play

The White Castle

1-4 players 80-80 min 8.0 Board Game Geek Rating

Players control clans competing for victory points in feudal Japan's Himeji Castle. Using dice and worker placement mechanics, they position clan members across three rounds to tend gardens, defend walls, or climb court hierarchies. Strategic resource management and tactical positioning determine success in this accessible Euro game with hidden depth.

Published 2023

The White Castle

Get Ready

Setup the game with these step-by-step instructions before diving into your turn.

1
Place the main board
Position the board so it can be reached by all players
2
Adjust for 2 players
Leave Steward and Diplomat cards marked with a diamond in the lower left corner back in the box
3
Prepare castle cards
Shuffle the Steward level (ochre) and Diplomat level (indigo) decks separately, then place 1 card face up in each space of the corresponding level
4
Place Daimyo card
Draw 1 grey Daimyo card and place it on the last level, returning the rest to the box
5
Set up Die tiles
Mix tiles with dice icons face up, randomly place one of each color in the 3 marked spaces, then fill remaining rooms in numerical order ensuring each room has at least 2 different dice colors
6
Position Round marker
Put it in the first space of its track
7
Create common reserve
Place coins, Daimyo Seals, and the four +40/+80 Clan Point tiles to one side of the board
8
Set up Bridges
Put the 3 Bridges in their river spaces, take 3/4/5 dice of each color based on player count
9
Prepare Gardens
Shuffle each Garden card deck separately, randomly draw 1 Plant Garden card and 1 Stone Garden card, place them below each Bridge
10
Place Yard tiles
Put 4 randomly selected Yard tiles in the corresponding board spaces with the indicated side up
11
Distribute player components
Each player takes 1 personal Domain board, 5 Courtiers, 5 Gardeners, 5 Warriors, and 3 Resource cubes placed at the 0 space for each Resource
12
Place Fan token
Position it next to the Clan Points track
13
Set turn order
Put each player's Influence marker on top of the Heron next to the Passage of Time track in random stacking order, then place Heron tokens on the Turn Order track in the same order
14
Reveal Starting cards
Draw and place Starting Resource cards (orange deck) equal to players +1, place a random Starting Action card (yellow deck) below each
15
Choose starting pairs
In reverse turn order, each player chooses 1 pair of Starting cards, placing the Action card on their Domain board and gaining the Resource shown, then placing the Resource card in their Lantern Area

On Your Turn

What you can do during your turn.

1
Select a die
Choose a die from either end of any Bridge (dice in the center are not available)
2
Place the die
Put the die in a space on the main board or your Domain board showing a die icon
3
Collect Lantern Reward
If you chose the die on the left side of the Bridge, gain all benefits from icons visible in your Lantern Area in any order
4
Resolve the space action
Perform the action(s) for the space where you placed the die in any order you choose
5
Match die color to tiles
Perform actions shown on the card next to Die tiles matching your placed die's color
6
Choose one action
When placing a die here, perform 1 of the 2 actions indicated (Gardener, Courtier, or Warrior)
7
Gain base rewards
The Well always has a value of 1, with no limit on dice placed there
8
Collect Well benefits
Gain 1 Daimyo Seal plus the benefits indicated on the 2 tiles there
9
Place matching die color
Coral dice go in the Courtier line, black dice with Gardeners, white dice with Warriors
10
Gain visible rewards
Collect Resources, Daimyo Seals, coins, and/or Lantern Rewards shown in the row where the die was placed
11
Perform card action
Execute the action shown on the card that corresponds to your die's row
12
Deploy a Warrior
Take the Warrior piece farthest left on your Domain and place it in any Training Yard
13
Deploy a Gardener
Take the Gardener piece farthest left on your Domain and place it on a Garden card that doesn't already have your Gardener
14
Request an audience
Take the Courtier farthest left on your Domain and place it at the Castle Gates by paying 2 coins
15
Social climbing
Pay 2 or 5 Mother-of-Pearl to move a Courtier already in the Castle up 1 or 2 levels respectively
16
Reaching floors 1 or 2
When ending movement here:
17
Reaching the Daimyo (floor 3)
Gain the Lantern Reward, then place your Courtier on an available Daimyo favor position to gain the indicated benefit
18
Stack only on main board
Only a single die can be stacked atop another die, and only on main board spaces
19
Track resources
Move cubes up when gaining Resources and down when spending (maximum 7, minimum 0 per Resource)
20
Exchange Daimyo Seals
At any time, exchange 2 Daimyo Seals for 1 Resource of your choice, or 1 Daimyo Seal for 1 coin
21
Determine new turn order
The player whose Influence marker is farthest on the Passage of Time track plays first next round (ties go to the token on top)
22
Activate Gardens
If a Bridge has at least 1 die remaining, players with Gardeners on that Bridge's Garden cards use each action once in turn order
23
Prepare next round
Re-roll all dice and place them on Bridges in ascending order, then move the Round marker forward 1 space

Winning

How to claim victory.

1
End the game
After the third round ends and new turn order is established, proceed to final scoring
2
Score remaining resources
Gain 1 Clan Point for every 5 coins and/or Daimyo Seals you have (rounded down)
3
Score Passage of Time
Gain 3 Clan Points if in the second season, 6 if in the third season, or 10-15 points based on your space if in the fourth season
4
Score Courtiers in Castle
Gain 1 point at the Gate, 3 points on the first floor, 6 points on the second floor, or 10 points on the third floor per Courtier
5
Score Warriors
Multiply the total value of your Warriors in Training Yards by the number of Courtiers you have inside the Castle (not at the Gate)
6
Score Gardeners
Each Gardener grants Clan Points equal to the value shown on their Garden card
7
Determine the winner
The player with the most Clan Points wins

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FULL rules

Looking for the full details? Grab the complete rulebook as a downloadable PDF.

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