You see, the King loves castles, having built Neuschwanstein (the castle
that inspired the Disney theme park castles) and others, but now he's
commissioned you to build the biggest, best castle ever — subject, of
course, to his ever-changing whims. Each player acts as a building
contractor who is adding rooms to the castle he's building while also
selling his services to other players.
In the game, each player starts with a simple foyer. One player takes
on the role of the Master Builder, and that player sets prices for a
set of rooms that can be purchased by the other players, with him
getting to pick from the leftovers after the other players have paid him
for their rooms. When a room is added to a castle, the player who built
it gains castle points based on the size and type of room constructed,
as well as bonus points based on the location of the room. When a room
is completed, with all entranceways leading to other rooms in the
castle, the player receives one of seven special rewards.
After
each purchasing round, a new player becomes the Master Builder who sets
prices for a new set of rooms. After several rounds, the game ends, then
additional points are awarded for achieving bonus goals, having the
most popular rooms, and being the most responsive to the King's demands,
which change each game. Whoever ends up with the most castle points
wins.
