WHITE CASTLE, THE (2023)

PLAYERS	TIME	DESIGNER	PUBLISHER
1-4	80 mins	Isra C. Shei S.	Devir

In this 1-4 player dice placement Euro style game, you’ll draft dice and use them to gain resources or move your workers to various areas of the board.

The beauty of this game (other than the absolutely gorgeous artwork) comes from the limitation of 9 turns for the entire game.

That’s right. You’ll only get to place 9 dice, which means you’ll have to be smart and maximize those turns.

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It’s not as bad as it sounds as placing a single dice doesn’t have to mean you can only do one thing.

Most spots on the board let you carry out another action. If you have the right resources, you could possibly have a quite explosive turn. Placing a Courtier, Gardener, or Warrior has the potential to let you place more if you have the resources for it.

It’s this possibility of the grandest moves that will cause long turn times for many players as you try to work out the most efficient play.

But that’s the beauty of the game. It’s like CHESS in that regard as you gaze over the board and try to see the best move.

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Another mechanism I like is the drafting itself. Taking the lower numbered dice (left end of the bridge) means you’ll probably have to pay coin to use it, but you get to fire off your lantern action. This is a set of icons below your board that grows throughout the game and can get powerful with points, resources, and minor actions.

THE WHITE CASTLE is a fantastic game. We’ve played at a variety of player counts and it works smoothly no matter which (though I’ve not tried the solo mode yet).

The quality of the components, the amount of stuff within a relatively small box, it all adds up to make one of my new favourites.

THE WHITE CASTLE is a beautiful and thinky game where the path to victory comes from maximizing your turn to get the most from one dice. Plus, the amount of variable set up means each game is a different experience.