Instructions Kingdom Builder

Objective of the Game

Kingdom Builder is a strategic board game where players act as rulers setting up their kingdoms on a modular game board. The primary goal of the game is to have the most victory points (VP) at the end of the last round. Points are mainly collected by fulfilling specific conditions set by special scoring cards.

Components

• 8 square board sections
• 25 terrain tokens
• 4 scoring cards
• 28 terrain cards
• 160 settlements (40 in each of four player colors)
• 8 summary cards
• Various terrain types: Grassland, Forest, Canyon, Desert, Flower Field (Water and Mountain are non-navigable).

Setup

1. Randomly select and assemble 4 out of the 8 board sections to create a large game board.
2. Shuffle the terrain tokens and place one face-up in each of the 10 marked spaces on the board.
3. Draw three of the ten scoring cards and place them face-up – these define the strategies for the game.
4. Each player chooses a color and takes the corresponding 40 settlements.
5. Shuffle the terrain cards and distribute them evenly to the players.

Game Play

The game runs over an indefinite number of rounds until a player places their last settlement. Each player executes their turn in the following sequence:

1. Draw Terrain Card: From the drawn cards, a player reveals one, indicating which terrain type they must build on in that turn.

2. Build Settlements: The player must place three of their settlements on the terrain type shown on their open terrain card, following these rules:

3. Settlements must be placed on free, unoccupied fields.

4. If a settlement can be adjacent to an existing network, it must be placed there (placement constraint).

5. Use Special Tokens: If a player claims a location token during their turn, they can subsequently use its special ability to gain additional actions.

6. Discard and Draw Terrain Card: At the end of the turn, the player draws a new terrain card so they have a choice of cards next round.

End and Scoring

The game ends when a player places their last settlement. Scoring then takes place based on the three visible scoring cards. Scoring criteria can include placing settlements in specific terrains, proximity to water or castles, etc.

The player with the most victory points becomes the ruler of Kingdom Builder.

Strategic Tips

• Focus early on fulfilling scoring criteria.
• Cleverly use the location abilities to gain extra moves or placement options.
• Strategically place your settlements to score as many valuable points as possible.

Strategy and adaptability are key to winning in Kingdom Builder. The modular board ensures high replayability and continually new challenges.