Castles of Mad King Ludwig

To set up the game, each player receives 15,000 coins and draws three bonus cards, choosing two to keep and discarding one. Players place their score markers on the main scoreboard, with the player designated as the 'master builder' starting at zero points and all other players starting at one point. Room tiles are drawn from the room deck and placed face-up on the auction floor, filling the available slots. King's Favor tokens, which represent end-game scoring conditions, are placed on their designated spots on the main board.

The objective of Castles of Mad King Ludwig is to construct the most magnificent and high-scoring castle. Players achieve this by strategically purchasing and placing various room tiles, aiming to create synergistic combinations that trigger immediate room bonuses, complete rooms for additional rewards, and fulfill end-game scoring conditions from King's Favors and personal bonus cards. The player with the highest total score at the end of the game is declared the winner.

Each round begins with the master builder pricing the available room tiles on the auction floor by assigning them to different price slots. After pricing, players, starting with the player to the master builder's left and proceeding clockwise, take turns either purchasing one of the priced room tiles or passing to collect 5,000 coins. When a player purchases a room, they pay the master builder the assigned price. Once all other players have taken their turn, the master builder gets the final opportunity to purchase one of the remaining rooms, paying the bank, or pass for 5,000 coins. After all rooms are purchased or passed on, the master builder token passes to the next player in clockwise order.

Points are scored immediately when a player places a new room tile in their castle. This includes the base points indicated on the top-left corner of the tile and any applicable room bonuses shown in the center of the tile. Some room bonuses provide positive points based on connected or adjacent room types, while others may deduct points. Completing a room (by connecting all its entrances to other rooms or walls) grants a room completion reward specific to that room type. Utility rooms allow drawing bonus cards, living rooms allow re-scoring a completed room, corridors grant a free hallway or staircase, sleeping rooms allow manipulating the room deck, and outdoor rooms provide coins. At the end of the game, additional points are awarded for King's Favors (based on player rankings for specific castle features) and personal bonus cards, and one point is scored for every 10,000 coins remaining.

The game concludes when the room deck is depleted and the last room tile is drawn. This signals the final round of play. After this final round is completed, players proceed to the end-game scoring phase. During end-game scoring, players calculate points from depleted room size stacks, King's Favor tokens, and their personal bonus cards. Finally, players add one point for every 10,000 coins they possess. The player with the highest cumulative score wins the game.