The White Castle
The heron flies over the Himeji sky while the Daimyo; from the top of the castle; watches his servants move. Gardeners tend the pond; where the koi carp live; warriors stand guard on the walls; and courtiers crowd the gates; pining for an audience that brings them closer to the innermost circles of the court. When night falls; the lanterns are lit and the workers return to their clan.
In The White Castle; players will control one of these clans in order to score more victory points than the rest. To do so; they must amass influence in the court; manage resources boldly; and place their workers in the right place at the right time. The authors are Sheila Santos and Israel Cendrero; the duo known as Llama Dice who also designed the successful The Red Cathedral with Devir. In this case; we leave the Moscow of Ivan the Terrible behind to explore the most imposing fortress in modern Japan; Himeji Castle; where the banner of the Sakai clan flies under the orders of Daimyo Sakai Tadakiyo.
The White Castle is a Euro type game with mechanics of resource management; worker placement and dice placement to carry out actions. During the game; over three rounds; players will send members of their clan to tend the gardens; defend the castle or progress up the social ladder of the nobility. At the end of the match; these will award players victory points in a variety of ways.
The central panel shows Himeji Castle in all its splendor; divided into several zones. The largest is inside the castle; with the Room of the Thousand Carpets; where the courtiers must ascend socially until they reach the circle closest to the Daimyo to enjoy his favor. There is also the pond and the gardens; patiently tended by the gardeners where everyone can relax and contemplate its beauty without restriction. Another important area is the wall and the outside of the castle; where the warriors patrol and stand guard. Finally; we find the area of the three bridges; where the three types of dice that can be used to carry out actions are accumulated; and the personal domain of each player; where they will keep track of their resources and where they will have the reserve of workers.
With accessible rules and a very careful setting; The White Castle is a very versatile title that will fit in with different gaming groups. As is tradition with Llama Dice titles; its sleek and simple design belies a great deal of strategic depth within the grasp of players.