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The White Castle Matcha

Shei S. & Isra C. Joan Guardiet
姫路城

The tea ceremony lies at the heart of Japanese culture, giving life the
most essential and elemental concepts of hospitality, respect, and Zen
philosophy. There, they believe that tea, which came from China in the
13th Century, resolved the health problems of the Buddhist monks who drank it.
Over the years, the tea ceremony evolved to offer the samurai a place of calm,
far from the chaos of the battlefield. Master Sen no Rikyu's influence converted
the tea ceremony into a means for showing status, and later into space for the
culture, religion, and political negotiation for the nation of Japan.

Having members of your clan in good seats within the Chashitsu (tea room)
will help you achieve a greater level of influence within the court of Himeji.

COMPONENTS

General:
1 extension for the main board
1 green Bridge
5 green dice
16 Coins (12x 1, 4x 5)
8 Water Lily tiles
10 Ceremony tiles
4 Training Yard tiles
4 Tiles worth +120/+160
Clan Points

For the Players:
4 Personal Domain boards
20 Geishas
(5 ea. of 4 different colors)
4 Chasen markers

5 Starting cards
2 Starting
Action cards

9 Castle cards
3 cards
1st floor

6 Garden cards
3 Plant Garden cards

39 expansion cards:
16 Matcha cards
8 Calligraphy
cards

8 Flower
Arrangement cards

3 Starting
Resource cards

3 cards
2nd floor

3 cards
3rd floor

3 Stone Garden cards

3 Solitaire
cards

---

GAME SETUP

The whisk, the bowls, the steaming hot water... and the tea. Above all, the tea.
Everything is ready to begin the ceremony.

Before starting the normal set up of the game, shuffle all of the expansion cards into their
respective decks.

Also, mix the 4 Training Yard tiles with those from the base game.

TIP: All of these cards and tiles are marked with so you can easily separate
them out when you prefer to play without the expansion.

TIP: If it is your first game with The White Castle: Matcha, use this
Training Yard tile in the lower Training Yard (the one with a cost of 1 Iron).

Set up the game as you would normally, but use the personal Domain boards from the
expansion instead of those in the base game, and do not choose a pair of Starting cards (yet).

EXPANSION SETUP:

1 Place the expansion board up against the
lower edge of the main board and place
on it:

A The green Bridge with the number of
players + 1 on top of it (the example shows
the case of a 2-player game).

B 3 random Water Lily tiles in the pond.

C Shuffle the Flower Arrangement and
Calligraphy decks separately and
place them face up in their respective
spaces on the board. Remember to remove
the cards marked with from the deck if
only 2 people are playing that game.

D Mix up the Ceremony tiles and
place them randomly:

D1 3 tiles in the Tea House showing
their yellow side.

D2 1 tile in the Pond Overlook showing
its blue side.

. 2 .

---

2 Mix up the remaining Ceremony tiles
and place 1 random tile below each pair
of Starting cards, showing their blue
side, as shown in the picture.
4
2
2
1
1
1
+1
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
3 Place the Geishas of your color on your
Domain board and put your Chasen
marker on 0.
4 Now, just as you do in the base game, in
the opposite order of the order of turns,
each player takes their Starting cards
along with the associated Ceremony
tile, which is placed in the space
indicated for it on their Domain board.
3
Now you are ready to play The White Castle with the Matcha expansion!
Playing the Game
The game is played over 3 rounds, just like the basic game, but now there are 4 turns in each
round. The round ends when all the players have played 4 turns each and there are 4 dice
left on the Bridges.
D1
+1
2
C
.3.

---

New Game Spaces
The White Castle: Matcha provides us with a new Bridge and green-colored dice, 2 new locations
on the extension of the main board, and an additional option on the personal Domain boards.

THE TEA FIELDS

THE OUTSKIRTS OF HIMEJI

THE GREEN BRIDGE

THE PERSONAL DOMAIN

It has been a long time since we last visited the pond. Its water is transparent
in the spring, and we can contemplate how the koi fish dance in it.

The green Bridge and dice work just like the other 3 colors. When one of the green dice is taken
from the left side, the player benefits from the Lantern as usual.

Dice of any color, including green dice, can be placed in the new locations
on the board extension: the Tea Fields and The Outskirts of Himeji.

The green dice cannot go to the castle, since there are no green-colored tiles and the placement
rules must be followed. However, the green dice can go to the Well, Outside the Walls, and on
your Domain in the green line.

年
5
4
10
2
+1
33
:3
16
1
2
10
:
1+1
1+
1>

.4.

---

THE TEA FIELDS
2 PLAYERS
Its clay walls and paper windows house a haven of tranquility that
allows one to relax the mind, as well as providing a discreet place to discuss
political matters.

Dice of any color can be placed in this location, and up to 2 dice can be stacked in each of
the 2 spaces (except in 2-player games).

When you place a die here, you perform a Geisha action, which is described on page 7.

The yellow player placed a
black die, from the left side
of the Bridge, with a value
of 1 on top of a white die
with a value of 4 in the Tea
Fields. After paying 3 coins
and obtaining the Lantern
Reward, they carry out the
Geisha action.

THE OUTSKIRTS OF HIMEJI
2 PLAYERS
Beyond the walls of the castle lies the han (or "fiefdom") of the Daimyo,
in which there are two schools of Japanese arts, teaching the secrets
of flower arrangement and calligraphy.

Dice of any color can be placed in this location, and up to 2 dice can be stacked in each
of the 2 spaces (except in 2-player games).

When you place a die here, you may perform the actions on the 2 curtains aligned with
that space in any order you choose.

2
1
1
.5.
The player placed a
coral die showing a
2 on the lower action.
They paid 3 coins
(the printed value
is 5) and 1 Daimyo
Seal to take a
Gardener action and,
when finished, they
obtain 2 Iron.

---

THE PERSONAL DOMAINS
Just as there are options to place the coral, black, and white dice, there is now a fourth
option for placing a green die. The rules for placement are the same as those in the base
game. When a die is placed here, in addition to gaining the resources shown in that line,
if you pay 1 Daimyo seal, you may perform the action on the Ceremony tile you chose
during game setup.
2
落千今十二支無雨不
燕思鴻雁翅應重视
When the player places a green die with a value of 3 and pays 3 coins, they receive
3 Chasen, 2 coins, and 1 resource of their choice (which cannot be Chasen).
Additionally, by paying 1 Daimyo Seal, they can perform the Gardener action
and receive 1 Clan Point.
!
Important: This icon does NOT allow you to activate the green die line on
your Domain. If we examine the colors indicated on the dic in the picture,
they only refer to white, coral, and black dice.
Geishas and The Chasen
In The White Castle: Matcha, there is a new kind of Clan member,
the Geishas, and a new Resource, the Japanese tea whisks that are
called Chasen.
Geishas will move from your Domain to the path to the Tea House in
the Tea Garden or to the Pond Overlook. The Resource to make them
advance is the Chasen.
Daimyo Seals
There is a new way to spend the Daimyo Seals: At any time, you may pay 2 Daimyo Seals
to gain any Resource or a Chasen (just as is indicated on your personal Domain board).
21/1
!
Important: This icon never allows you to obtain Chasen (it only refers to
Food, Iron, and Mother of Pearl). The icon indicating that you gain Chasen
is this one:
.6.

---

GEISHAS
2/5>»/»
Just like for the Courtier, a Geisha action allows you to perform 2 different actions, only 1 of
them, or both actions once each, possibly using different Geisha pieces.
A 20
AND/OR
B >/»
Gain Entrance to the Tea Garden: Take the Geisha piece that is
farthest to the left on your Domain board and place it in the space
at the entrance to the Tea Garden, after paying 2 coins.
The entrance to the Tea Garden may contain any number of
Geishas from all of the Clans.
Walk the Path of Tea: Take 1 of your Geishas who is in the Tea Garden
and pay 2 or 5 Chasen to advance 1 or 2 steps in the Tea Garden. This
movement cannot be split between different Geishas and must be
applied all at once.
• From the entrance, Geishas can advance towards the Tea House or towards the Pond
Overlook. Once a direction is chosen, they cannot change to the other direction.
• Each space on the Path of Tea can hold any number of Geishas from all of the Clans.
• On the other hand, only 1 Geisha from each Clan can be at the Pond Overlook.
• Only 2 Geishas from each Clan can fit in each of the 3 rooms in the
Tea House.
After moving, the Geisha can do the following things, as indicated in the space where their
movement ends:
POND OVERLOOK
A
OVERLOOK
:2
By opting to move a Geisha to the
left, her journey will end here A.
Upon arrival, she may carry out
the Pond action, which grants 3
Water Lily rewards, OR pay 3
coins to perform the action on the
Ceremony tile.
OUTSKIRTS OF HIMEJI
+
Take the top Flower Arrangement card or Calligraphy card from
the Outskirts of Himeji, of your choice. Perform the action on the
yellow curtain on that card and place it directly in your
Lantern Area (on the corresponding side).
The Flower Arrangement and Calligraphy cards never go to the actions area of the
Domain boards.
!
Important: If it is the last card in the deck, you still carry out the yellow curtain
action but you do not take the card and the rest of the steps are ignored.
.7.

---

OUTSKIRTS OF HIMEJI
Carry out the action shown on the blue curtain on either the top
Flower Arrangement or Calligraphy card in the Outskirts of Himeji.

TEA HOUSE
If your Geisha completes her
journey to the Tea House, you
choose 1 of the 3 rooms to place
her in and then carry out the
action on the Ceremony tile in that
room. It is not possible to have
more than 2 Geishas belonging to
the same player in the same room
of the Tea House. Each room has a
different reward at the end of the
game (see page 11).

A

B

D
C
The green player performs the Geisha action by taking the first available Geisha from their
Domain board A and paying 2 coins to move her to the entrance of the Tea Garden, where
they already have a Geisha B. Then, the green player pays 2 Chasen to move her to the Pond
Overlook C. When she arrives there, the player gains 2 coins, 1 Chasen, and 1 Iron, since
they do not have the 3 coins required to perform the action on the Ceremony tile
at that moment D.

. 8 .

---

A
15
C
1
2
B
04
Later, the green player takes the action again, but this time does not pay the 2 coins.
They decide to just pay 2 Chasen to advance 1 step on the Path of Tea (going to the Pond
Overlook is not an option since there is already a green Geisha there) A.
Upon reaching the first step, the player gets a Flower Arrangement card that awards
4 Coins B. Then the card is placed directly in the green player's Lantern Area C.

15
A
B
C
At another time during the game, the yellow player pays 5 Chasen to move 2 steps on the Path
of Tea A and into the room that grants points for Gardeners, thereby obtaining 2 different
rewards with the light background on the cards in the Castle B. Yellow could not have
moved to the room that grants points for Courtiers C because they have already placed the
maximum possible number of Geishas there.

.9.

---

END OF THE ROUND

Now, the end of the round is triggered when, after any player's turn, there are only
4 dice in total on all the Bridges together, including the green Bridge.

1 New order of turns: This is determined in the same way as in the base game.
2 Gardens: This is resolved in the same way as in the base game with the only
difference being that the green Bridge must also be taken into account.

THE POND

If there are green dice left, any player who has a Geisha at the Pond Overlook may take the
3 Water Lily rewards or, by paying 3 coins, the benefit of the Ceremony tile.

The actions from the Gardens and from the Pond can be done in any order. In short, the
Pond acts like a Garden.

At the end of the round, the green player and the red player can each take 3 Water Lily
rewards or, by paying 3 coins, perform the action on the Ceremony tile, which allows them
to move a Geisha forward on the Path of Tea without paying any Chasen. The red player
also gets the benefit of a light-background Castle action, since there is a red Gardener
in the Garden of the black Bridge. The yellow player will only gain 3 coins.

3 Prepare the following round: This is resolved in the same way as the base game,
taking into account that there are also green dice.

END OF THE GAME

Once again, the winter court meets to discuss plans for the coming year,
but first, they sit around a cup of tea to show their respect for the Daimyo.

At the end of the third round, after establishing the new order of turns, the final points are
counted up. The following changes are added to the scoring of the base game. To avoid having
to keep checking 2 sets of rules, we have included the basic steps here, with the new elements
added in (indicated with this icon ):

· 10 ·

---

1 Score Remaining Resources:
A. For every 5 coins and/or Daimyo Seals you have, 1 Clan Point is granted (rounded down).
B. For each Resource (Food, Iron, Mother-of-Pearl, and Chasen) that you have between 3 and
6 units remaining, 1 Clan Point is granted. If you have 7 units of a Resource left, you get 2
Clan Points.
2 Score the Passage of Time:
A. If your Influence marker has reached the second season, you get 3 Clan Points. If it ends up
in the third season, then you get 6 Clan Points. Once you reach the fourth season, you are
granted the score indicated on the space that your token occupies (which is between 10
and 15 Clan Points).
3 Score Clan Members:
A. : X In the Castle: Each Courtier that is in the Castle grants Clan Points
depending on the location they are in:
• 1 Clan Point at the Gate.
• 3 Clan Points if they are on the first floor (Stewards).
• 6 Clan Points if they are on the second floor (Diplomats).
• 10 Clan Points if they are on the third floor (Daimyo).
B. : 1/2x In the Training Yards: You gain Clan Points for the Yard
by multiplying the total value of your Warriors in this
location by the number of Courtiers that you have inside the Castle (not at the Gate): Each
Warrior has the value indicated in the Yard they occupy based on these icons.
C. : X In the Gardens: Each Gardener grants their Clan as many Clan Points as
is shown on the card they are on.
D. : X 2x / / In the Tea Garden: Geishas can score in several
different ways:
• 2 Clan Points if she is at the Pond Overlook.
• 1 Clan Point if she is at the entrance to the Tea Garden.
• 2 Clan Points for each Geisha that ends up on the first step of the Path of Tea.
• 3 Clan Points for each Geisha that ends up on the second step of the Path of Tea.
• 2 Clan Points for each Gardener, Warrior, or Courtier (including those at the Gate) you
have on the board for each of your Geishas in the corresponding room of the Tea House.
Geishas at the Pond Overlook or on the Path of Tea are not taken into account when
scoring the rooms.

The scoring of the red
player's Geishas would
be as follows: 2 points
for the Geisha at the
Pond Overlook + 2 points
for the Geisha on the
first step +12 points (as
there are 3 Gardeners),
+ 8 points (there are 3
Courtiers in the Castle
and 1 at the Gate).
Whoever obtains the most Clan Points wins the game! If there is a
tie, whoever is higher in the order of turns wins. If players exceed the
amount of 120 Clan Points, put the +40/+80 piece back and take the
+120/+160 piece.
• 11 •

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THE TOKUGAWA CLAN'S VISIT – SOLITAIRE MODE

Changes in the Game Setup

When setting up the game, do so just as you would for the solitaire mode of the base game, but
with the following changes:

1. Draw 2 Starting Resource cards, 2 Starting Action cards, and 2 Ceremony tiles
(blue side up) and choose 1 of each.

[Image of cards and tiles]

2. Add the 3 new Solitaire cards to the other cards and shuffle them well.

[Image of Solitaire cards]

Gameplay

The solitaire game is played in the same way as for the base game, except that the expansion
version also brings the Geisha pieces and green dice into play.

If the rival Clan has to lose money, points, and/or move back on the Passage of Time track and is
not able to do so, it simply loses all that is possible, even if this amount is 0.

The Path of Tea

[Image of cards]
If a Geisha reaches this position and there are enough cards,
discard the top Flower Arrangement or Calligraphy card of
your choice from the board.

[Image of a building]
If a Geisha reaches the Tea House, choose the room
that would grant her the most Clan Points at that
moment. If there were several options, choose one
among them.

Regardless, if it is not possible to perform any of the
Geisha movement actions, the rival Clan will get
points equal to the round of play, as usual.

• 12 •

---

The Solitaire Icons

1
2
> When placing a green die in the Tea Fields, first place the die in the space
on the left, or if it is occupied, in the right space. If neither of them are
available, move the die to the Well as usual.

➤ Move a Geisha from the supply to the Tea Garden entrance.
> In this order:
• The rival Clan loses 3 Clan Points.
• 1 of your rival's Geisha of your choice, but one that is
different from the one placed in the previous step, moves
forward 1 step on the Path of Tea (you can choose the Pond Overlook if
that is possible).

➤ Move a Geisha from the supply directly to the first space on the Path of Tea.
As usual, eliminate 1 Flower Arrangement or Calligraphy card of your
choosing.
> In this order:
• The rival Clan loses all the coins it has accumulated up to that moment.
• 1 of your rival's Geisha of your choice, but one that is
different from the one placed in the previous step, moves
forward 1 step on the Path of Tea (you can choose the Pond Overlook if
that is possible).

➤ Move a Geisha from the supply directly to the second space on the Path
of Tea.
> The rival Clan moves back 2 spaces on the Passage of Time track. If this
coincides with your position, leave your rival's marker on top.

· 13 ·

---

Appendix: Ceremony Tiles

Perform the Geisha action and receive
1 Resource of your choice (that is not
Chasen) in the order that you prefer.

Perform the Courtier action and move
your marker forward 1 space on the
Passage of Time track, in the order
that you prefer.

Perform an action with a dark
background from any card in the
Castle on the main board and receive
1 coin in the order that you prefer.

Perform 1 of the 2 blue-background
actions on the Training Yard tiles.

Perform the Gardener action and
gain 1 Clan Point.

Get the rewards from 2 different
Stone Garden cards, even without
having Gardeners on them.

Gain the Lantern Rewards and
1 Daimyo Seal, in the order you prefer.

Receive the reward from
2 light-background actions from any
(different) cards in the Castle on the
main board.

Gain both rewards visible on the yellow
backgrounds of the Training Yard tiles.

Gain 4 Clan Points.

· 14 ·

---

Appendix: Ceremony Tiles

Perform the Warrior action and gain
2 coins in the order that you prefer.

Move 1 of your Geishas that is already on
the Path of Tea forward 1 single step
without paying any Chasen.

Perform the Courtier's "Social Climbing"
action for just 1 floor without
paying any Mother-of-Pearl.

Perform any action from any dice
tile on the cards in the Castle on
the main board.

Perform the blue-curtain action on a
card from the Outskirts of Himeji
without paying a Daimyo Seal.

Gain 7 coins.

Carry out the Well action 2 times
as though you had placed a die with
a value of 1 there.

Gain 4 Daimyo Seals.

Gain all 3 Water Lily rewards from
the Pond 2 times.

Gain both rewards visible on the
yellow curtains of the
Outskirts of Himeji cards.

- 15 -

---

Appendix: Matcha icons

Perform a Geisha action
(see page 7).

Receive the 3 Water Lily
rewards from the Pond.
This icon does not allow
you to perform the Pond
Overlook action.

X
Gain this number of Chasen
by moving your marker up
(max. 7—any amount
beyond this is ignored).

Perform a dark-background
action from any card in the
Castle on the main board.

Perform both actions on 1 of the 2 cards from the
Outskirts of Himeji in the order of your choice.

Perform an action from the yellow curtain on one of the cards
from the Outskirts of Himeji.

Perform an action on a blue curtain in the Outskirts of Himeji
without paying a Daimyo Seal.

Perform the depicted action OR the Geisha action.

Credits
Authors: Sheila Santos and Israel Cendrero
Illustration: Joan Guardiet
Editor: David Esbrí
Wooden and cardboard components, 3D renderings: BG FX
Proofreader: Jaume Muñoz
English language translation: Andrew Campbell
English language revision: William Niebling
Cultural advisor: Nobuaki Takerube
Graphic Design and Layout: Meeple Foundry

Authors' acknowledgements

DEVIR
www.devirgames.com
DEVIR CONTENIDOS S.L.
Via Augusta 153-157
Entl. Local 4
08021 Barcelona

We wish to say thank you to everybody spread all over the world who has enjoyed, played,
shared, and taught The White Castle, because without your enthusiasm, this expansion
would not exist. We also want to thank our beloved testers, who are always so willing, since
without them it would not have been possible to have this expansion full of whisks, even
though they had to bring them in through the two gates into the garden. And we wish to
express our special appreciation to David, Joan, and Samu (Meeple Foundry) for once again
making this very complicated job so much easier. It is a pleasure, an honor, and a privilege to
work with you.

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