Complete Guide to Catapult Kingdoms: Siege (Expansion)

Hello, board game enthusiasts! Today we're diving into the Siege mode of the Catapult Kingdoms expansion. Prepare your catapults and crossbows, because the battle for the fortress is about to begin!

Game Objective

In Siege mode, the objective is to be the player who most efficiently knocks down the troops of your personal rival team. The theme is a siege battle where players build fortresses and attack each other's pieces. The game ends when a player manages to knock down all the troops of their personal rival team. The final score will determine the winner.

Setup

To start your game of Siege, follow these steps:

• Combine the contents of the Catapult Kingdoms base game with the Siege expansion.
• Place 2 player boards adjacent to each other.
• Starting with the youngest player, each player, in turn, places a block, building a massive fortress. All blocks must be placed within the borders of both combined player boards, following the block placement rules.
• Starting with the youngest player, each player chooses a weapon (Catapult or Crossbow), takes 3 stones, and chooses their personal rival team (5 miniatures). These are the miniatures you want to knock out! The selection of miniatures will be determined by the number of players (mix and match families or 5 of each miniature type per player).
• Each player sits 1.5 meters away from the fortress.
• Each player places 4 troops in the fortress, following the troop placement rules. Keep 1 troop next to your weapon (this area is called the reserve) to remember which miniatures are your target.
• Each player takes one card of each type of Action Card.

Note: Any rules affecting blocks also apply to gates and crenellations.

Game Flow

Siege mode has a simplified turn structure:

• Player Turn: Starting with the youngest player and proceeding clockwise, players take their turns.
• Shooting Phase: The active player uses their weapon (Catapult or Crossbow) to shoot stones at the rival fortress.
• Cleanup Phase: At the end of each player's turn, the following actions occur:
  • All removed blocks and troops that belong to your personal rival team go to your Reserve.
  • If you knock down a rival troop of your opponent, the troop goes to their reserve.
  • If you knock down a block that is not your team's color, that block goes back into the game box. As a penalty for your sloppy aim, you place one of the blocks in your Reserve (if any) back onto the fortress, following the block placement rules.

Important: In Siege mode, there is no Tactical Phase, and players do not use cards (except for the Action Cards described below).

Actions and How to Play

In Siege mode, the main action is shooting with your weapon:

• Shooting Phase: The active player uses their weapon (Catapult or Crossbow) to shoot stones at the fortress. The goal is to knock down the troops and blocks of your personal rival team.

Action Cards: Although Siege mode generally does not use cards, you start with one of each type of Action Card. They can be used as described below:

• Sabotage: Place this card in front of one of your opponent's weapons. This weapon cannot fire during the opponent's next turn. Discard the card at the end of the opponent's turn.
• Reinforcements: Take one of your troops from the box and place it in the fortress following the placement rules.
• Repair: If there is a Sabotage card in front of your weapon, discard it. From now on, the weapon can fire normally.
• Long Shot: After finishing your Shooting Phase this turn, move your weapon to a distance of 1 behind your player board and shoot again!
• Just a Scratch: Place this card face up in front of you. The next time one of your troops goes to the box, place it back in the fortress in a new position, following the Troop Placement Rules, and discard this card.
• Diplomacy: Discard this card to take a card from your discard pile and place it into your hand. You may play an action card immediately from your hand.

End of Game and Scoring

The game ends immediately when a player knocks down all the troops of their personal rival team.

After the end-game trigger, scoring is calculated as follows:

• In your Reserve, each troop is worth 2 points.
• In your Reserve, each block is worth 1 point.

The player with the highest score is the winner.

Tips for Winning

Here are some tips to help you dominate Siege mode:

• Focus on your target: Remember that the main objective is to knock down the troops of your personal rival team. Concentrate your shots to achieve this goal as quickly as possible.
• Manage your Reserve: The pieces in your Reserve are worth points at the end of the game. Try to knock down your rival's blocks and troops to increase your score, but beware of penalties for sloppy aiming.
• Use Action Cards strategically: Although limited, Action Cards can turn the tide of the game. Use Sabotage to slow down your opponents or Reinforcements to maintain your presence in the fortress.