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| 2-4 players, 80 minutes, 12 years and older |
| Authors | Sheila Santos (io_shei)
Israel Cendrero (israc) |
| Illustrator | Joan Guardiet |
| Published by | Devir Games |
| Online since | 2025-01-19 |
| Developed by | Bart De Cock (be_com4) |
| Boardgamegeek | 371942 |
| Complexity | 3,02/5 |
| Yucata.de owns a license for the online version of this game. A big "thank you" to the copyright owners (publisher and/or author and illustrator) who make it possible to have this game for free online here! |
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 Table of Contents
The white of the plaster on the walls and the white of the feathers on the herons that
live in the area are in perfect harmony at Himeji Castle.
A game of The White Castle is divided into 3 rounds of play, during which each player takes 3 turns.
The player who is at the top of the Turn Order track is the first to take their turn. Once that
player has concluded their turn, it is the next player shown on the track. Once all the players
have played 3 turns (that is, once they have played 3 dice each and there are a total of 3 dice left
on the Bridges), then that round comes to a close
(see End of the Round) and the next
round begins. At the end of the third round, it passes on to the End of the Game.
CLANS POINTS AND CONDITIONS FOR VICTORY
When red-colored fans are collected, move the Fan token up the
corresponding number of spaces.
The golden fans are only counted at the end of
the game.
During your turn, you will choose 1 die from one of the Bridges and place it in one of the areas
marked with a die symbol, and then apply the effect of that space.
From atop the bridges of the palace, one can contemplate the koi fish swimming
below. Many take this moment of calm as they pass over these bridges to decide
which is the right path for them to take.
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Choose a die from either of the 2 ends of whichever Bridge you prefer. The dice
between the ends along the Bridge are not available.
If there are still dice on the central part of the bridge after the die is taken, the die
closest to the newly vacant spot is moved onto it without changing its value so it is
available for the next player.
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Put the die in one of the spaces on the main board or your Domain board that shows
a die icon. When placed, it will always cover another value: either the one printed on
the board or that of another die that is already in that space.
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If the value of the newly placed die is greater, gain the difference in coins from
the common reserve.
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If the value of the newly placed die is less, pay the difference in coins to the
common reserve.
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If the value of the newly placed die is the same as that below it, no coins are gained
or paid.
When the coral die showing 5 is placed on top of the 3, you get 2 coins.
Later, someone places a 1 on top of that 5, which means they must pay 4 coins.
Only a single die can be stacked
atop each die, and only on the
spaces of the main board.
In a 2-player game, dice
cannot be stacked on top of
other dice in any part of the game.
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If you choose the die on the left side of the Bridge, you gain the
Lantern Reward
from your own personal domain.
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The action or actions for the space you placed the die in are now carried out in
whatever order you choose.
When a black number appears together with an icon, you gain a quantity
of coins, Daimyo Seals, Clan Points, Resources, etc. equal to that number.
A red-colored number together with the coin icon or Daimyo Seal icon indicates that
you must pay the indicated amount in order to gain or perform what is indicated by
the arrow.
Gain 2 Daimyo Seals
Pay 3 coins to perform the Courtier action
Any money changing hands is always indicated in the game with coins of a value of 1.
The players can make change with the common reserve using the larger 5-value coins at any time.
Your Domain board has a track for each of the 3 Resources, showing values from 0 to
7. If you gain a Resource, move the cube up on the corresponding track. When you
spend those Resources, move the cube down. You can never have more than 7 of any
Resource (any extra are lost), and you can never spend Resources below 0.
The first floor of the castle is known as the “thousand-mat room” because of the
enormous quantity of tatamis that are placed on the floor for the comfort of visitors.
Dice can be placed in the Castle within any of the 5 rooms: 3 spaces are available on the
Stewards’ floor and 2 spaces are available on the Diplomats’ floor.
The action or actions for these locations are determined by the color of the die that
is placed there:
You can carry out the actions shown on the card next to the Die tile(s)
matching the die that was just placed.
On the Stewards’ floor, up to 2 actions can be performed in any order on the same card if
the die color used appears in that room twice. If there are no actions available for one of
the die colors, dice of that color cannot be placed in that room.
If you play this white die here,
you get 2 coins because the
die was placed on top of a 3
and shows the value 5. In this
room, the actions on the card
matching the white die can be
carried out in any order: By
paying 1 Daimyo Seal, you can
perform the Courtier action,
and furthermore, you can
move your Iron marker up
2 spaces.
The clans who come to Himeji Castle are usually made to wait at the bottom of the
hill until they are granted entrance into the domains of the Daimyo.
These 2 spaces are not restricted by color, so any color of die can be placed in them.
When you place a die Outside the Walls, you are able to perform 1 of the 2 actions
indicated by the space it is placed in. The game’s 3 principal actions are available here:
It would not be possible to
place another die in the space
on the left because it would
exceed the maximum of 2
dice placed in a single space.
So, you play a black die in the
space to the right and pay
1 coin (it was placed on top
of a 5). Then you choose to
perform the Warrior action.
The Well of Okiku is one of the most enigmatic locations of Himeji Castle,
and it hides unexpected surprises within it.
The value of this space is always 1, regardless of other dice that were placed here earlier.
There is no limit to the number of dice that can be placed in this space. If a die showing a
value greater than 1 is placed here, in addition to the Resources granted by this location,
you will also receive the corresponding coins.
When a die is placed, 1 Daimyo Seal is gained along with the benefits indicated on the
2 tiles there.
By placing a black die
showing a 3 in the Well,
you gain 2 coins, 1
Daimyo Seal, 1 Mother
of-Pearl, and 1 Resource
of your choice. The coral
die that was previously
placed there has no
effect at all.
Each clan has a council of wise men who decide what the next step is to take in
order to ensure the maximum influence in the Heron’s court.
Each die color is assigned to a space on your Domain board and corresponds to a line of
Clan members as well as certain actions and their associated rewards.
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If a coral die is taken, it can only be placed in the Courtier’s line,
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a black die with the Gardeners, and
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a white die with the Warriors.
When these dice are placed, the following steps must be
followed in the order they appear:
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Gain visible rewards: You gain the rewards (Resources, Daimyo Seals, coins, and/or
Lantern Rewards) indicated by the icons visible in the line where the die was placed;
then
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Gain the Action card reward: You can perform the action shown on the card that
corresponds to the line where the die was placed.
When this die is placed on your board, you will have to pay 3 coins, as it was placed on
the printed 6. You will gain 3 Food and 2 coins, and after that you may perform the card
action. In this case, the action is to obtain 1 Daimyo Seal and 1 Resource of your choice.
During the game, you will send members of your Clan to work in the gardens, to train in the
defense of the castle, or to climb the social ladder of the nobility. At the end of the game, these
Clan members will grant Clan Points in different ways (see "End of the Game").
This action allows you to take the Warrior piece farthest to the left in your personal domain and
assign it to any Training Yard. Each Training Yard can house any number of Warriors from all the
Clans.
Placing a Warrior has a cost in Iron that depends on which Training Yard you place them
in. When a Warrior is placed in a space, you can carry out the action or actions indicated on that
space’s Yard tile(s) in any order you choose.
The red player carries out the Warrior action, so they take the first available Warrior from
their personal domain A. They must pay 5 Iron to place it B, and then can carry out any
action that is assigned to a black Die tile, so they choose this action Cto obtain 2 Clan
Points and the benefit of the Well. In addition, they move their Influence marker
forward 2 spaces D.
This action allows you to take the Gardener piece farthest to the left in your personal domain
and assign it to a Garden card that does not already have a Gardener from your Clan.
Placing Gardeners has a cost in Food that depends on the Garden card. When your Gardener is placed on
a card, you carry out the indicated action.
The yellow player performs the Gardener action: They take the first available Gardener from
the row on their Domain board (in this case, it is the second one that the player places).
After paying the 4 Food it costs to place it, the player pays 3 coins to perform the Courtier
action (with its own usual cost). It was not possible to place the Gardener on the card that
grants 2 Daimyo Seals since there was already a Gardener from their Clan on it.
Courtiers allow you to carry out up to 2 of these different actions: either just one of them, or both
once each, even using different Courtier pieces:
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Request an audience: Take the Courtier piece that is farthest to the left on your
Domain board and place it in the Gates of the Castle space by paying 2 coins.
The Gates of the Castle can hold any number of Courtiers from all the Clans.
AND / OR
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Social Climbing: Take 1 of your Courtiers that is in the Castle and pay 2 or
5 Mother-of-Pearl to move up 1 or 2 levels in the Castle. The Courtiers at
the Gate can access any of the first-floor rooms. The Courtiers that are on
the first floor can move to any room on the second floor. Courtiers can get to the Daimyo’s
room from any room on the second floor.
This movement cannot be divvied up among
different Courtiers and must be done all at one time.
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If the Courtier ends their movement on the first or second floor of the Castle, you must carry
out the following steps in the order they appear:
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If the Courtier’s move ends on the third floor of the Castle, in the Daimyo’s room, you must
carry out these steps in the following order:
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Gain the Lantern Reward
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Place the Courtier in any available position on the Daimyo’s favor card if there are any
available, and gain the indicated benefit. If there are no available spaces left, simply leave
the Courtier in that room and do nothing more.
The blue player performs the Courtier action, taking the first available Courtier from their
personal domain Aand paying 2 coins to move it to the Gate, where they already have 1 Courtier B. After that, they pay 2 Mother-of-Pearl to move 1 of their Courtiers. They opt
for the one that is already on the first floor of the Castle C and move it up to a room on the
second floor D. Once this is done, they move the card from their Domain board to their
Lantern Area and turn it face down E. Then they take the card that is in the room they
just moved the Courtier to and place it on their Domain board before executing the light
background action: in this case, the action is to obtain 3 Resources of their choice F.
T
he green player carries out the
Courtier action but, this time,
chooses not to pay the 2 coins to
place their Courtier at the Gate.
Instead, they opt to pay 5 Mother
of-Pearl to move a Courtier they
have on the first floor all the way up
to the third floor. Once the Courtier
arrives, they obtain the Lantern
Reward and 1 of the rewards
available on the Daimyo card,
choosing the 2 Daimyo Seals.
The Regent having a good opinion of you is essential for achieving your goals at court.
Daimyo Seals represent vouchers from the clan of the Regent, which you can accumulate during
the game. Up to 5 of them can be stored in your personal domain. They can be used to move into
the next season of the Passage of Time track as well as to perform certain actions on the cards
of the first floor.
Additionally, at any moment during the game, you can exchange 2 Daimyo
Seals for 1 Resource of your choice (Food, Iron, or Mother-of-Pearl) or exchange 1 Daimyo Seal
for 1 coin. You may do this as many times as you wish. A reminder of this rule is shown on your
Domain board with these icons:
The entire castle is illuminated with light from the lanterns, their glow guides
the steps of those who visit.
Every time you activate a Lantern icon, you receive the benefits of all the icons that are visible in
the Lantern Area of your personal Domain, in the order you choose. If you wish to get more cards
to add to your Lantern Area, you can do so through social climbing in the Castle on the 1st and
2nd floors.
Every time this player gets a Lantern Reward, they gain 2 Clan Points right away, 1
Food, 1 coin, and move 1 space forward on the Passage of Time track. If more cards
are added later, the reward becomes more significant.
Herons are the symbol of Himeji castle, and their behavior over the course of the year
marks the arrival of the most important events at court.
This track symbolizes the Influence that each Clan has at court, and at the end of each round of
the game is used to determine the order of the players’ turns in the following round.
When your Clan gains Influence, move your Influence marker forward on the track. If you land
on a space occupied by another player’s token, place your token on top of the stack.
There are 3 Checkpoints along the Passage of Time track that divide the year into the 4 seasons.
In order to move past each Checkpoint, you must pay the cost of 1, 2, or 3 Daimyo Seals as
shown. If you do not want to or are unable to pay the cost, you cannot move your Influence
marker into the next season.
Also, you will get points at the end of the game depending on the position you have obtained
on this track.
When there are only 3 dice in total left on all of the Bridges, the end of the round is activated.
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New order of turns:
Whoever ‘s Influence marker is the farthest along the Passage of
Time track will have the first turn in the next round. If there are ties, the player whose
token is on top goes first. Arrange the Heron tokens accordingly.
When you finish the third round of the game, after updating the turn order, go
directly to the End of the Game section without applying the following steps.
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Gardens:
At the end of each round, there will always be some dice on some
of the Bridges. When the round is over, Gardeners are activated if the Bridge
above them has at least 1 die on it. The actions on the Garden cards beside the Bridges that
still have dice on them are now applied in turn order: The players use each of the actions
where they have Gardeners just once each, but in whatever order they prefer.
At the end of each round, there will always be some dice on some
of the Bridges. When the round is over, Gardeners are activated if the Bridge
above them has at least 1 die on it. The actions on the Garden cards beside the Bridges that
still have dice on them are now applied in turn order: The players use each of the actions
where they have Gardeners just once each, but in whatever order they prefer.
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Prepare the following round:: At the end of the first and the second round,
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Take all the dice of each color, roll them, and then place them on the Bridges
again in ascending order from left to right as you did during the game setup.
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Move the Round marker forward 1 space.
When the year comes to a close, the clans come together in the winter court
and bow in respect to the clan that is the best among them.
At the end of the third round, after establishing the new order of turns, the final points are
counted up. In addition to the points collected during the game, players also get Clan Points by
carrying out these steps:
1
Score Remaining Resources
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For every 5 coins and/or Daimyo Seals you have, 1 Clan Point is granted (rounded down).
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For each Resource that you have between 3 and 6 units remaining, 1 Clan Point is granted.
If you have 7 units of a Resource left, you get 2 Clan Points.
2
Score the Passage of Time
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If your Influence marker has reached the second season, you get 3 Clan Points. If it ends up
in the third season, then you get 6 Clan Points. Once you reach the fourth season, you are
granted the score indicated on the space that your token occupies (which is between 10
and 15 Clan Points).
Gain this number of
Clan Points.
Gain this amount of Food by
moving your marker up (max.
7 — any amount beyond this
is ignored).
Gain this amount of Iron by
moving your marker up (max. 7 — any amount beyond this is
ignored).
Gain your choice of 1 Resource
by moving your marker up. If the
icon shows a number, you can
opt for the same Resources or for
different Resources to reach the
total number.
Gain the indicated number
of coins from the common
reserve.
Gain this amount of Mother
of-Pearl by moving your
marker up (max. 7 — any
amount beyond this is
ignored).
Pay the indicated number
of coins into the common
reserve.
Perform the Well action, as
if you had placed a die of
value 1.
Perform a
Personal Domain
action
, as if you had placed a die
of value 6 in one of your 3 die
spaces. You cannot trigger the
exact same line more than once in
a single turn.
Perform any action associated
with a black Die tile in the
Castle on the main board.
Perform any action associated
with a white Die tile in the
Castle on the main board.
Perform any action associated
with a coral Die tile in the
Castle on the main board.
Perform any action associated
with a Die tile that is in the
Castle on the main board.
Perform a light-background
action from any card
in the
Castle
on the main board.
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