The White Castle reference sheet

Overview

• 1–4 players compete as minor clans vying for influence at Himeji Castle [p.1 — Introduction]
• 3 rounds; each player takes 3 turns per round (9 turns total) [p.4 — Playing the Game]
• Each turn: pick 1 die from a Bridge end, place it on a board space, pay/gain coins for value difference, take the action [p.4 — A Player's Turn]
• Send Courtiers, Warriors, and Gardeners to score points in different ways [p.9 — Sending Clan Members]
• Most Clan Points at game end wins; tiebreak: higher turn order [p.14 — End of Game]

Setup

1. Place main board within reach of all players [p.2 — Castle Setup]
2. Shuffle Steward (ochre) and Diplomat (indigo) card decks separately; fill castle rooms face up. Remove ↑-marked cards in 2-player games [p.2 — Castle Setup]
3. Draw 1 Daimyo card (grey); place on top floor [p.2 — Castle Setup]
4. Place Die tiles face-up randomly in rooms; tiles in the Well go face-down [p.2 — Castle Setup]
5. Place Round marker on space 1 [p.2 — Castle Setup]
6. Create common reserve of coins, Daimyo Seals, and +40/+80 tiles [p.2 — Castle Setup]
7. Place Bridges; take 3/4/5 dice per color for 2/3/4 players; roll and place on Bridges ascending left→right [p.2 — Bridges]
8. Draw 1 Plant + 1 Stone Garden card per Bridge; place below [p.2 — Gardens]
9. Place 4 random Yard tiles in Training Yards [p.3 — Training Yards]
10. Each player takes Domain board, 5 Courtiers + 5 Gardeners + 5 Warriors, 3 Resource cubes at 0 [p.3 — Player Setup]
11. Stack Influence markers randomly on Heron; set Turn Order track to match [p.3 — Player Setup]
12. Reveal (players+1) Starting Resource cards each paired with a Starting Action card; in reverse turn order each player picks a pair [p.3 — Player Setup]

Turn structure

1. Choose 1 die from either end of any Bridge (center dice unavailable) [p.4 — Procedure for Using the Dice]
2. Place die on any die-icon space (main board or Domain board); pay/gain coins equal to value difference vs. what's beneath [p.5 — Procedure]
3. If die taken from left end of Bridge, gain your Lantern Reward [p.5 — Procedure]
4. Carry out the action(s) of the space in any order [p.5 — Procedure]

Coin rule: placed die > value below → gain difference; placed die < value below → pay difference; equal → no exchange [p.5 — Procedure]

Actions

Warrior action: Pay Iron → place leftmost Warrior in any Training Yard; carry out Yard tile action(s) [p.9]

Gardener action: Pay Food → place leftmost Gardener on a Garden card (max 1 per clan per card); carry out card action [p.10]

Courtier action (up to 2 sub-actions):

• Request Audience: Pay 2 coins → move leftmost Courtier from Domain to Castle Gate [p.10]
• Social Climbing: Pay 2 MoP (1 level) or 5 MoP (2 levels) → move a Courtier already in Castle upward; take room card to Domain, execute light-background action, replace card from deck [p.10–11]

Scoring

End-of-game scoring (after round 3):

• Coins + Seals: every 5 combined = 1 CP (rounded down) [p.14]
• Resources: 3–6 units of one type = 1 CP; 7 units = 2 CP [p.14]
• Passage of Time: season 2 = 3 CP; season 3 = 6 CP; season 4 = 10–15 CP (space value) [p.14]
• Courtiers in Castle: Gate = 1 CP; Floor 1 = 3 CP; Floor 2 = 6 CP; Floor 3 (Daimyo) = 10 CP [p.14]
• Warriors: (sum of Warrior values in each Yard) × (# Courtiers inside Castle, not Gate) = CP [p.14]
• Gardeners: CP shown on each Garden card they occupy [p.14]
• Red fans scored immediately during play; golden fans counted at end [p.4 — Clan Points]

End of game

• Game ends after 3 rounds (9 turns per player) [p.4 — Playing the Game]
• Round ends when only 3 dice total remain on all Bridges [p.13 — End of the Round]
• After round 3, skip garden/reset steps; go straight to final scoring [p.13 — End of the Round]
• Most Clan Points wins; tiebreak: higher position in turn order [p.14 — End of Game]
• Exceed 40 CP during play → take +40 tile; exceed again → flip to +80 [p.4 — Clan Points]

Glossary

• Lantern Reward: gain all benefits visible in your Lantern Area simultaneously; triggered by left-end die or Courtier reaching Daimyo floor [p.12 — Lantern Rewards]
• Lantern Area: row of cards below your Domain board; cards added face-down when Courtier climbs floors 1–2 [p.10 — Courtier]
• Daimyo Seal: currency stored up to 5 on Domain board; used to pass Checkpoints; 2 Seals = 1 Resource, 1 Seal = 1 coin [p.12 — Daimyo Seals]
• Passage of Time track: Influence track; determines turn order each round; 3 Checkpoints cost 1/2/3 Seals to pass [p.12–13]
• Checkpoint: barrier on Passage of Time track requiring Seal payment to advance to next season [p.13]
• Social Climbing: Courtier sub-action; pay 2 or 5 Mother-of-Pearl to move Courtier 1 or 2 castle floors up [p.10]
• Die tile: tile in castle rooms showing die color icons; determines which die colors can act in that room [p.6 — The Castle]
• Training Yard: board area where Warriors are placed; Iron cost varies by Yard [p.9 — Warrior Action]
• Mother-of-Pearl (MoP): resource required for Social Climbing (2 MoP = 1 level, 5 MoP = 2 levels) [p.10]
• Outside the Walls: 2 board spaces accepting any die color; choose 1 of 2 actions shown [p.7]

FAQ

• Q: Can you stack dice on Domain board spaces? — A: No, stacking is only allowed on main board spaces (and never in 1- or 2-player games) [p.5 — Stacking Dice]
• Q: What if the castle card cannot be replaced from its deck during Social Climbing? — A: Still perform the light-background action, but do not take the card; remaining steps are ignored [p.10 — Courtier]
• Q: What if all castle cards on a floor show the same dark-background action during setup? — A: Return those cards to their decks, reshuffle, and redo Step 2 [p.2 — Castle Setup]
• Q: Can a Gardener be placed on a Garden card that already has your Gardener? — A: No, max 1 Gardener per clan per Garden card [p.10 — Gardener]
• Q: Are Gardeners activated at end of round 3? — A: No; after round 3 skip garden and reset steps entirely [p.13 — End of the Round]