Objective of the Game

Citadels is a strategic card game where players take on various character roles to collect gold and build city districts. The aim is to construct the most magnificent city before any player completes eight districts.

Components

• 8 Character cards
• 68 District cards divided into different colors/categories (Yellow - Nobility, Blue - Church, Red - Military, Green - Trade, Purple - Special)
• 30 Gold coins
• 1 Crown marker

Setup

1. Each player receives 2 gold coins.
2. Each player draws four district cards.
3. The Crown marker is randomly given to a player.
4. The character cards are shuffled and placed facedown.

Gameplay

Each round consists of three phases:

1. Character Selection

• The player with the Crown shuffles the character cards and lays them facedown.
• Depending on the number of players, one or more cards are set aside unseen.
• The player with the Crown selects a character card and passes the deck on. Players take turns choosing a card until each has one.

2. Character Actions

Characters are called in a fixed order:

1. Assassin: Can eliminate another character so they do not act this round.
2. Thief: Can steal the collected gold from another player before they act.
3. Magician: Can exchange hand cards with another player.
4. King: Receives the Crown, meaning they choose first in the next round.
5. Bishop: Is safe from the Warlord and receives gold for church districts.
6. Merchant: Receives extra gold and benefits from trade districts.
7. Architect: Can build up to three districts and draws extra cards.
8. Warlord: Can destroy districts belonging to other players.

3. Building Phase

Each player may build a district by paying the corresponding gold cost. Some actions or effects may allow building multiple districts in a single turn.

Special Features and Strategies

• Aim to build a variety of districts to achieve higher bonuses.
• Observe other players' actions to guess their character choice.
• Character selection should consider both personal building plans and opponent strategy.
• It may be strategically advantageous to take less gold/cards to divert attention from the Thief or Assassin.

End of Game

The game ends when a player constructs eight districts. This round completes, and scores are calculated.

Scoring

• Total value of all built districts (sum of card costs).
• 3 points if a player completes 8 districts.
• Bonus for districts in all five colors.

The player with the highest score wins the game.