# Castle Combo

## General Info
- **Year Published**: 2024
- **BGG Rating**: 7.7
- **BGG Rank**: #226
- **Players**: 2-5 (Best with: 2)
- **Duration**: 10-25 min
- **Weight**: 1.74 / 5
- **Designers**: Grégory Grard, Mathieu Roussel
- **Artists**: Stéphane Escapa
- **Publishers**: Catch Up Games, asmodee, Engames, Evrikus, Feelindigo, GateOnGames
- **Categories**: Card Game, Medieval
- **Mechanics**: End Game Bonuses, Multi-Use Cards, Open Drafting, Set Collection, Tags, Tile Placement

## Verdict
If you enjoy quick games with strategic decisions that fit in the palm of your hand and a touch of combo action, Castle Combo is for you! It's a fun puzzle with great replayability.Engaging drafting mechanicSatisfying combosQuick to playMeaningful tactical decisionsHigh replayabilityIndirect interactionMild AP possibleHIGHLY RECOMMENDED

## Description
Hey board game enthusiasts! Check out Castle Combo, a game that proves simplicity and depth can go hand in hand, delivering a super satisfying experience. The goal is to build a castle of people on a 3x3 grid, where each character you recruit plays a crucial role. Each round, you'll spend your coins to draft one of nine available cards from two open markets, the 'lower city' and the 'upper city'.

The cool thing is that each character you add to your 3x3 tableau will interact with its neighbors, triggering immediate effects and end-game bonuses. Sounds easy, right? But the decision of which card to pick and where to place it carries a lot of strategic weight. You'll need to wisely manage your Keys to influence the Messenger pawn, which determines which characters (peasants or nobles) are available for recruitment. And of course, Gold is essential to ensure you can afford the characters that best fit your strategy.

Choosing the right characters is vital to maximize both their immediate effects and the points they'll yield at the end. And the cherry on top? The arrangement of these characters on your 3x3 board is key to unlocking the full potential of your combos. After nine rounds, when everyone has their 3x3 castle complete, the player with the most points in their construction takes the victory. It's fast, fun, and makes you think!

## How to Play
Game Objective: The Great Combo Party!
Get ready for the Great Combo Party, summoned by our kind King! In Castle Combo, you and your friends will compete to recruit the best characters and build the most impressive game area. Your goal is simple, yet challenging: at the end of 9 turns, when everyone has a 3x3 card game area, the player with the highest score in their game area will be the grand winner!
Each character you recruit grants an immediate ability and, most importantly, points at the end of the game, depending on their conditions. Can you assemble the best combinations and impress the royalty?

Setup: Assembling the Board for the Party
Let's set the table for the fun to begin! Follow these steps to prepare your Castle Combo game:

    Separate the Castle cards (gray background) and the Village cards (brown background). Shuffle each type of card separately to form two distinct decks.
    Place the Castle deck in the center of the table. Next to it, reveal the top 3 cards in a row. This is the Castle display.
    Do the same with the Village deck. Place it, along with the 3 revealed cards, below the Castle cards. This is the Village display.
    Place the Messenger token next to the revealed Village cards.
    Each player takes 2 Keys and 15 Gold.
    Place all remaining Keys and Gold within reach of all players; this is the reserve. (Don't worry, Gold and Keys are not limited; use substitutes if necessary!)
    Randomly select the starting player. The game can begin!


Game Turn: Recruiting and Combining
The game proceeds clockwise, starting with the initial player. Each player performs their turn by following 4 mandatory steps (and one optional) in this order:

1. Buy a card (mandatory)
You must choose one of the 3 face-up cards at the location where the Messenger token is. Pay the Gold Cost of the card (top-left corner) and add it to your game area.

    Discounts: Some cards grant permanent discounts when buying characters from a specific location (Castle, Village, or both). Add up all applicable discounts! Remember: a card cannot cost less than 0 Gold, and the discount ability of a newly acquired card only applies to your next purchases.
    Buying Face-Down: If you don't want to pay the cost or use the ability of a card, you can take it and place it face-down in your game area. By doing so, you ignore its ability and end-game points, but you immediately gain 6 Gold and 2 Keys as compensation.

Placement Rules:

    Your game area must form a 3x3 card grid by the end of the game.
    Each card after the first must be placed adjacent (orthogonally) to at least one other card in your game area.
    You can never add a fourth card to a row or column.
    The position of cards is important for final scoring, but it's only fixed when your rows and columns are filled.


2. Apply the card's ability (mandatory)
After placing the card in your game area, activate its ability. The card is considered for the resolution of its own ability (except if it's a discount). Abilities are generally gains for you and consider only what's in your game area. Take the Gold and/or Keys gained from the reserve.
Example: If an ability says "Gain 1 Key for each Village Emblem in YOUR game area", you count the emblem of the card you just bought too!

3. Move the Messenger token and refill the display for both locations (mandatory)

    If the card you bought has a Messenger Icon printed on its emblem, move the Messenger token to the indicated location (brown/down = Village; gray/up = Castle).
    If the card doesn't have the icon or was bought face-down, the Messenger doesn't move.
    Then, reveal cards from the corresponding decks so that each display (Castle and Village) has 3 visible cards again.
    Discarding: Discarded cards are placed in a visible pile to the left of the corresponding deck. If a deck runs out, shuffle the discard pile to form a new deck.


4. Spend a key (optional)
You can spend 1 (and only 1) of your Keys to perform one of the two actions below:

    Move the Messenger token to the other location (Castle or Village).
    Discard all 3 cards at the location where the Messenger is and reveal 3 new cards from the corresponding deck.

After completing these 4 steps, the turn passes to the player on your left.

Game End and Scoring: Counting Fame and Fortune
The game ends as soon as all players have built their game areas with 9 cards (a 3x3 grid).

Final Scoring
It's time to count the points! Use the scoring block to record:

    Card Points: Count the points of each Score Parchment shown on your cards. Each parchment refers only to the elements in YOUR OWN game area. Face-down cards are worth no points.
    Gold Pouches: If you have cards with "pouch scoring", place your remaining Gold in them. Each pouch can hold the amount of Gold printed in black on it (e.g., 4 Gold). The Gold stored in pouches is worth points as indicated on the card.
    Remaining Keys: Each Key you have is worth 1 point.

The player with the most points wins the game! In case of a tie, the tied player with the most Gold left over (not stored in pouches) wins. If the tie persists, the tied players share the victory.

Tips to Win: Strategies for the Combo Party!
To stand out in the Combo Party, consider these tips:

    Plan your 3x3 Grid: From the start, think about how your cards will fit into the grid. Some cards score based on their position (row, column), so having an idea of where you want them to go is crucial to maximizing your points.
    Take Advantage of Discounts and Immediate Abilities: Keep an eye on cards that offer discounts on future purchases. Accumulating these discounts can allow you to acquire more expensive characters at a much lower cost. Additionally, immediate abilities can generate essential Gold and Keys for your next moves.
    Manage the Messenger and Displays: The Messenger token determines which location you can buy cards from. Use your Keys strategically to move the Messenger or refresh the displays, ensuring you always have access to the cards you need or to deny valuable options to your opponents.

## FAQ
### What's the average playtime for a game of Castle Combo?
A game is super quick, perfect for multiple rounds! It usually takes between 10 and 25 minutes, depending on the number of players and each person's decision-making speed.

### How many players is Castle Combo ideal for?
It works really well with 2 to 5 players. The dynamic changes a bit with more people, but the experience of building your character castle remains fun and strategic at any player count.

### What's the complexity level of the game? Is it easy to learn?
Castle Combo has a BGG weight of 1.7378/5, which indicates it's a light to medium game. The basic rules are very easy to pick up, but the strategic depth emerges over several plays, with combos and optimizing your 3x3 tableau.

### Are the components just cards? What comes in the box?
The game is card-focused, yes! You'll have character cards, coins to spend, keys to manipulate the messenger, and the messenger pawn. It's a very compact and portable game.

### Does Castle Combo have a lot of player interaction?
Interaction is primarily indirect, through card drafting. You'll always be keeping an eye on what your opponents are taking (or not taking) from the open markets, which can influence your own choices. There's no direct attacking, but the competition for the best characters is fierce!

### Who would you recommend Castle Combo to?
I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a smart, fast-paced card game with high replayability. It's great for those who enjoy building 'engines' or 'tableaus' and seeing their combos activate, but without the complexity of heavier games. Perfect for a casual game night or as a filler between larger titles.

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