Citadels

To set up the game, first select the character tokens and unique building cards according to the provided list. Shuffle all building cards (basic and unique) together and deal four cards face down to each player to form their starting hand. Place the remaining building cards face down in the center of the table to form the draw pile. Place all gold coins in the center of the table to form the treasury, then deal two gold coins to each player to form their starting wealth. The oldest player takes the crown and the set of eight character cards, which are kept secret and face down.

The objective of Citadels is to construct the most magnificent city. Players compete to build districts, accumulate wealth, and strategically use character abilities. At the end of the game, the player whose city has the highest total value, based on district costs and bonuses, is declared the new judge for Her Majesty.

Citadels is played over several rounds. Each round begins with the selection of characters. The crowned player shuffles the character cards, discards a certain number face up and one face down (depending on the number of players), then secretly chooses a character. The remaining cards are passed to the player on their left, who also chooses a character in secret, and so on. Once all players have chosen a character, the crowned player calls out characters in ascending order of rank. When a player's chosen character is called, they reveal it, perform one of two actions (take two gold coins from the treasury or draw two building cards and keep one), and then may optionally construct one district in their city by paying its cost. Players can only build one district per turn and cannot build identical districts.

At the end of the game, players calculate their scores. Each player receives one point for each gold coin from the price of each district they have built. An additional three points are awarded if a player has built at least one district of each of the five types (noble, religious, trade, military, and unique). The first player to complete their city (build at least seven districts) receives four bonus points, while any other player who also completes their city receives two bonus points. Finally, players add any extra points from unique district abilities.

The game ends immediately after a player has built at least seven districts in their city. The current round is completed, allowing all players to take their turn. After the round concludes, players calculate their final scores. The player with the highest total score is declared the winner and becomes the new judge for Her Majesty. In case of a tie, the tied player who held the lowest-ranked character in the final round wins.