What is Castles?
Castles is a turn-based strategy and resource management board game.
It is hex-based and uses the tiles, edges, and corners to build structures and move units.
You manage your population to build larger armies, but this population needs to be fed.
Every 3 rounds, a new season starts: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. While the summer provides you with tons of food, the winter is harsh, and thus, food will be scarcer.
At the start of every new season, a random event can occur. These can be neutral, positive, or negative; these force you to sometimes adjust your current strategy to current happenstances.
Specialties
Playtesting at BasGames
The specialty of castles does not lie purely with its mechanics, but also its customizable playstyles. Only a handful of the many possible games are covered in the rulebook. The length of a game can be adjusted, but generally, it is a long game; expect at least two to three hours of playtime for a normal-sized board.
Because of its degree of complexity in construction and recruitment, a game with beginners usually takes more time than one with veterans.
This game can be played in an evening or across multiple sessions as a Legacy game.
Since it’s a hex-based board, the game board can be adjusted to any player's liking. Some standard versions are presented, but you are encouraged to make up your own boards, share them with others, or play on completely random boards.
While not endless, the possibilities are great, with small or large boards possible.
The standard game is a balanced free-for-all, where all players start equally with the same number of resources. The goal is to control three of the seven capture points.
Standard
Difficult
The difficult game has a more difficult start with fewer resources.
Scenario is one of many scenarios where one player starts with a prebuilt castle and some buildings. They must hold their own against the alliance of the other three players while they must conquer the capture points or the castle itself.
Scenario
Similar to the standard game in starting conditions, the game's goal is to control the capture point in the centre of the board for the longest or a pre-determined amount of rounds.