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Quick Look: CastleScape
Note: This title was originally published in 2023 and this review is based on that version of the game; however, the publisher will soon be presenting an update and expansion to the game. Some of that information is included in this review.
Designer: Josh Horsley
Artist: Traci VanWagoner
Publisher: Praetorian Board Games
Year Published: 2023
CastleScape is a deck-building area-control game set in medieval times. It is a time of Kings and Guilds, money and power, deception and influence. In CastleScape, each player represents one of four Guilds who are building a large castle, containing many Baileys, for the King. Players build Walls into Baileys, gather recruits to spread their Guild’s influence, spend gold, perform questionable deeds in the Back Alley, and complete Goals and Quests. However, they must balance their actions with how much Infamy and Corruption they will accrue from performing them. Whenever the King visits the Castle to inspect it, he will strip Influence from the Guilds based on their Infamy.
Note: This title was originally published in 2023 and this review is based on that version of the game; however, the publisher will soon be presenting an update and expansion to the game. Some of that information is included in this review.
Review:
Overview:
I like the challenges encountered in deck builders; do I add to my deck for more options, or do I keep my deck lean so I can cycle through quicker. So I was intrigued by a game that combines a deck builder with area control. It seemed like a fairly easy premise, build a bunch of walls and control areas, but it’s so much more complex than that. What areas should you control, what wall segments should you control, do you enclose an area this turn or wait to make it larger? And then you have game goals you are trying to meet, some public and some private, and how do you mix those into what you are doing. All in all, the gameplay was as simple or as complex as you want to make it. After every game I played I recognized some bit of strategy that I missed and wanted to try the next game, and I do plan to keep on playing it.
The rule book is well written and includes examples and additional clarifications for items that may need them, such as card text meaning. The rule book includes clarification for some of the cards, but not all of the cards (that would take up way too much room). Examples, hints, and notes are provided throughout the book, adding to understanding of the game play. The rule book also includes a table of contents and a glossary/index that helps to quickly find the location of information within the rule book; I found this very helpful.
Setup of the game is generally fairly simple and is based on the number of players playing (the upcoming expansions will include both solo play as well as a 5th player). Begin by setting the game board in the middle of the table (players will need to decide on whether to have the side with a starting center wall or the side where the first wall can be anywhere on the board) with its wall if the center start is chosen. Place the Quarry board next to the main board and place the number of wall segments indicated on it, as well as placing the Inspection marker. The Rotating Market cards are shuffled and 5 are placed face up in the Market. The Standard Market cards are placed face up next to the other Market cards. Four public goals are placed face up next to the game board.
Players choose a color and take the associated Guild mat, Reference card, and all pieces of that color. Place the Infamy and Corruption markers on their assigned spaces. Place 1 Recruit cube on the score track. Each player takes a Starter Deck of cards. Each player is then dealt 4 Contract cards of which they get to keep 2. A Start Player is chosen and play begins.
In CastleScape you are the leader of a Guild who is participating in building a new Castle for the King. You are battling against the other Guilds who are also building the Castle. You want to show the King that you can complete the work, not just build walls. To do so you must create and control finished Baileys (enclosed spaces). You grow your Guild by purchasing new cards from the Market. You increase your influence by sending Recruits out to build spaces. And you gain the King’s favor by building wall segments and completing portions of the new Castle. The player who has performed the work the best, met public and private goals, and won the most favor with the King will be the winner.
There are 2 main mechanics of the game, Deck Building and Area Control. You grow your Guild by buying cards from the Marketplace (Rotating and Standard) to gain additional abilities and strength. Some cards are simply better cards than the base deck, other cards provide different services (like trashing a card from your deck), and other cards can be used to affect the other players. But having a good deck isn’t enough. You also need to control areas of the board, namely completed Baileys. Completing a Bailey will earn you points during the game, but controlling a Bailey will earn you points during an Inspection. You need to balance the two to have the best chance of winning.
CastleScape is played over 3 or 4 rounds (depending on the number of players) and an indeterminate number of turns within each round. On a player’s turn, they perform the following actions: Play cards, Resolve cards, and Clean Up. The player typically has a hand of 5 cards to play, but the player may choose to not play a card and simply discard it at the end of their turn.
A player plays cards to take actions. Some cards provide benefits, like drawing an additional card or deploying an additional resource, while other cards let a player deploy walls, assign recruits, and buy more cards from the market. Players resolve the cards in the order they want, with only a single caveat, walls must be built before deploying recruits. During Clean Up, the player discards all their cards in play as well as any remaining in their hand and draws a new hand of cards. Some cards are placed in the discard pile, while others are placed in their Back Alley, which will be detrimental later on. If the player needs to shuffle their discard pile, the player adjusts their Infamy and Corruption markers based on the cards in the Back Alley and all discards are shuffled.
Empty Marketplace slots are filled. If the player has used the last wall segment in the Quarry, this triggers an Inspection (round end). The inspection is resolved and points are awarded. The Quarry is then refilled and the Inspection marker moved. If it is the last inspection, the game ends. Final scores are tallied and the player with the most points wins.
Adding depth to the cards. Players have an Infamy and Corruption track which is detrimental to keeping influence and earning points. This track is affected by the cards played. Some of the cards will increase this track after being played, which makes a player choose whether or not to play the card. Do the benefits provided by the card outweigh the harmful effects? By adding this element, the game is not about simply creating the best stack of cards to play, but creating the best stack of cards with greater rewards than detriment.
Some may find issues with how short the game rounds are, but that is variable. The more wall segments that are built, the quicker the round progresses. Some may want more rounds to build out the castle more. For some I played with, the game ended too quickly for them and they wanted to do more in the game. If you are one who likes to flesh out their gameplay and figure out when and how to end the game, you may struggle with this one.
CastleScape – 2nd Edition, Gates and Guilds Expansion, and Deluxe Components will be live on GAMEFOUND until Fri, November 22 2024, and has a funding goal of $35,000. Check it out and back it HERE!
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Thomas Shepherd- Reviewer
I grew up loving to solve puzzles, play games, and have fun. In my younger years I had fun playing pencil games, enjoyed the creativity of playing Dungeons and Dragons with my friends, and generally hanging out with others. My favorite thing to do was to make puzzles of all kinds, mazes, word games, picture games, etc.
Sadly my career took me in a different direction, solving computer problems rather than gaming problems.
Gaming came back into my life, though, in a big way about 15 years ago, and I have held onto it since. I still enjoy designing games and have 9 published titles, which I did through my own game publishing company, Toresh Games, prior to the Covid pandemic. Sadly I was not able to sustain the company through the pandemic.
I highly encourage people to play games, make friends, and have fun. As a game enthusiast, I would love to see a return to games as the best social media platform for the masses.
All of Thomas Shepherd’s reviews can be found HERE.