Castles of Mad King Ludwig: Secrets

Bézier Games · Board game · 2015

7.5 Ludopedia 7.3 BGG 1–4 · best 4 Solo 45–90 min Weight 2.7/5

7.5 rating Ludopedia

7.3 rating BGG

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Ask anything about Castles of Mad King Ludwig: Secrets: rules, setup, components, complexity, price, or whether it fits your group.

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Learn to play Step by step, manual and videos

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Our Verdict

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

If you've already built crazy castles and want more options to make King Ludwig even happier (and score more!), this expansion is for you. More rooms, more ways to earn cash and points!

Highlights

More rooms and options
Valuable new swans
Moats and secret passages
Expands base strategy

Keep in mind

Relies on base game
Increases complexity
More pieces to manage

Learn How to Play Step by Step Check out our complete step-by-step rules guide.

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About the game

What you do in a play session

Get ready to expand the architectural madness! Castles of Mad King Ludwig: Secrets brings 30 new rooms for you to fit into your crazy castle, each with a special touch. The novelty is the swans, scattered throughout these new spaces: they can give you extra cash on the spot or yield hefty bonuses at the end of the game if you collect a bunch. Oh, and there's more: moats to protect your constructions and make everything more valuable, new favor options from the King (including one for creating charming courtyards!), and secret passages that connect everything and also muffle noise. This expansion doesn't change the essence of the base game, which is to build a fun and unpredictable castle, but it adds more variety and strategies for those who already master the art of pleasing King Ludwig. If you enjoy the original game and want more options to make your castle even more eccentric and point-scoring, this expansion is a perfect fit. It's like upgrading your private amusement park, with more attractions and challenges to keep the fun going longer. Prepare to face more auctions, more difficult choices, and, of course, more swans to collect!

Expansion for

Published additional content

1 items

Castles of Mad King Ludwig

Gallery

Box and component photos

11 photos · from the community

01 / 11

Tap any photo to open fullscreen. Photos submitted by the community or publisher.

Rules videos

Learn by watching before you open the box

2 videos

In English

Rules manual

Official PDF file

Rules manual — Castles of Mad King Ludwig: Secrets English · PDF

Download Manual

Best player count

BGG community vote

1–4 players

1 OK

2 REC

3 REC

4 BEST

Where to Buy

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Game details

Mechanics, categories, families and credits

Publisher Bézier Games

Designer Ted Alspach

Artist Keith Curtis, Ollin Timm, Ted Alspach

Community

Data from BoardGameGeek

6,444owners

545wishlist

87want to play

Frequently Asked Questions

Quick answers before you buy

6 questions

Do I need the base game to play?

Absolutely! Castles of Mad King Ludwig: Secrets is an expansion and requires the base game Castles of Mad King Ludwig to be played.

How many players does this expansion support?

Just like the base game, the expansion maintains support for 1 to 4 players.

Does the game become much more complicated with this expansion?

It adds more options and a bit more complexity, but the learning curve isn't daunting, especially if you're already familiar with the base game.

How much time does the expansion add to the game session?

The game session length might increase slightly due to the new options and the need to plan with the new elements, but it generally stays within the 45-90 minute range.

What are the main new elements introduced?

The highlights are the 30 new rooms, the collectible swans, the moats, and the secret passages, which add new layers of strategy and scoring.

Is this expansion worth it for those who already enjoy the base game?

If you're looking for more variety and want to explore new strategies for building your castle, yes! It brings a good amount of new content without altering the original game's feel.