Castellan

In Castellan, two players collaborate to construct an impressive castle, piece by piece. The objective is straightforward, but the strategy is where it shines: connect finely-detailed wall and tower pieces to form courtyards. The player who successfully encloses a courtyard claims it with a Keep, scoring points based on the number of tower pieces surrounding it. Each player starts with two distinct decks: a wall deck and a tower deck. Wall deck cards guarantee at least one wall piece (and possibly some towers), while tower cards always provide at least one tower (and may also include walls). The clever twist is that on your turn, you can play as many cards as you wish, but you only draw one at the end. This means hand management is crucial for planning your moves and anticipating your opponent's. The main challenge is to create courtyards and, if possible, subdivide existing ones, all while trying to prevent your adversary from doing the same. Since both players have the same types of cards in their decks, the key lies in knowing the optimal moment to use each one. The game concludes when all castle pieces have been utilized, and the player with the highest score is crowned the master builder. Interestingly, if you have two copies of the game and the right combination of bits, it's even possible to play with up to four people, utilizing the different Keep colors available.