Kingdom Builder FAQ
275 questions players ask · Updated Nov 12, 2026 · Full rulebook
Game ComponentsExpansion
SetupExpansion
- Can you ignore the printed location tiles and place any location tiles on the boards?
- Is the two-player setup different from the three- and four-player setup?
- Can you play five players with only the base game?
- How are the Nomad tiles set up at the start of the game?
- How do you keep the Nomads expansion out of a base game?
- Can you play with only the Nomads expansion boards?
- Can you play Task cards in a game without Crossroads boards?
- Do adjacent water hexes connect across board edges?
- Can board sections be placed with some upside-down relative to others during setup?
- Is a 2x2 board layout the only legal setup, or may you use shapes such as 1x4 or L?
- Must the board sections be assembled in a random arrangement?
- If the game has duplicate scoring cards from different language sets, do you score them twice?
- Who is the starting player in Kingdom Builder?
Sequence of Play
- Can you use extra actions before and after the mandatory 3-settlement action?
- Can you use an extra action or bonus tile in the middle of placing your three mandatory settlements?
- Can you use location extra actions before the mandatory action, even if that leaves you short of settlements?
- Must you place all three mandatory settlements on your last turn?
- Can you use abilities after building your last settlement?
- On your last turn, can you use an ability instead of your mandatory placements?
- Can another extra action be started before finishing one already being resolved?
- Do you discard your terrain card each turn, or only when you skip extra actions?
- Can you look through the discard pile during play?
- Can you take more than one location tile from the same location hex?
- Does the start player change each round?
- In a two-player game, do players alternate single turns?
- What happens if the terrain on your card runs out during your turn?
Building RulesExpansion
- Can a Merchants chain connect across a river by using a bridge?
- If no empty hex of your card's terrain touches your settlements, can you build anywhere?
- When a Barn or Harbor move puts a settlement back down, does its starting hex count for adjacency?
- If you move a settlement away from one location, do you lose tiles from other locations you still touch?
- If you hold two identical location tiles, must you keep a settlement next to both locations to keep both?
- What terrain counts as suitable for building?
- Can a Warrior or other optional build be placed on farmland or marshland?
- Can Tavern and Paddock build on any empty suitable hex, whatever terrain card was drawn?
- Where can you place your first settlement at the start of the game?
- Must the three mandatory settlements touch each other or form one group?
- When a settlement must touch one of yours, does the terrain under your existing settlement matter?
- Across a joined board edge, do matching terrain hexes count as adjacent and as one area?
- Must Paddock's jump follow the usual adjacency rule for building?
- When the Tower places a settlement on the edge, must it touch your settlements, and does this apply to movement?
- Does a settlement across a river count as adjacent when placing a settlement?
- If only one eligible hex of your card's terrain touches your settlements, must the other settlements go there too?
- When a Paddock jump skips over water or mountains, do the skipped hexes count toward the distance?
- Can you connect settlements on an island with no water placement, and can you split the three placements between two areas?
- Must a Mayor marker go on a horizontal line once four of your settlements form one?
End of the Game and Final ScoringExpansion
- How many settlements do you need next to a castle to score its 3 gold, and do extra settlements add gold?
- When is scoring done in Kingdom Builder?
- Are Task cards scored at the end of the game or as soon as their requirement is met?
- Are Warriors, Wagons and Ships removed from the board before final scoring?
- After the first player places their last settlement, do the other players still get turns?
Kingdom Builder CardsExpansion
- How does Merchants score linked locations and castles, including separate groups?
- Can Merchants ever score exactly 4 points?
- How is the Hermits goal scored, and does a single settlement count?
- Do two settlements that touch the same location hex count as one group for Hermits?
- What counts as a settlement area for Citizens: shape or connection?
- Does the Citizens card care about quadrants or sectors?
- For Farmers, can one settlement area span all four quadrants?
- Does Farmers score if you have no settlements in one sector or quadrant?
- What is a sector on the Lords and Farmers cards?
- Does an empty sector or quadrant score for Lords when zero ties for most or second most?
- How are ties for most or second-most settlements scored for Lords?
- Does Lords count separate groups of settlements or only the total in each sector?
- In a two-player game, is each quadrant scored separately for Lords?
- Which direction counts as horizontal for Discoverers and Knights?
- Does a water or mountain hex break a Knights line?
- How much gold does Miners give for settlements next to mountains?
- Do settlements placed on water hexes score for Miners?
- Does a Wagon on a mountain hex score for Miners?
- Do Fishermen score for settlements placed on water hexes?
- Does a land settlement next to a water settlement, such as one placed by a Harbor, count as next to water for Fishermen?
- With Fishermen and Miners both in play, how much gold does a settlement next to both water and a mountain score?
- How is the Workers example scored when three settlements sit next to a castle?
- Do Capitol hexes count as locations for Workers, Merchants and Place of Refuge, and do they score as castles?
- Does Place of Refuge count a location next to water or mountain hexes as surrounded?
- Do Shepherds or Ambassadors score when a settlement is moved instead of built?
- Can you move a settlement off a scoring spot and place a new one there to score again?
- Does a Silo placement score Shepherds, Ambassadors, Families or Rovers?
Extra Location Tile ActionsExpansion
- What shape of line does the Tavern need, and can the line be longer than three?
- Which hexes can the Tavern build on, and must the settlement match your played terrain card?
- Where must the Tower settlement go?
- Do location actions have to match the terrain on your played card?
- Can an Oracle or Barn action be used when no empty hex matches the played card?
- How does the Oracle work, given its pictogram?
- Where can a Paddock move a settlement?
- Can you move the same settlement twice in one turn, with two Paddock tiles or two movement actions?
- How does Harbor move a settlement onto water?
- Can Harbor move a settlement onto water when another of your settlements already touches water?
- Does a settlement that Harbor moved onto water still count as a settlement?
- Can you hold two identical location tiles, and can you take a second one from the same location?
- What happens to a location tile when your last settlement next to it leaves?
- If a settlement moves but stays next to the same location, do you keep its tile?
- Do you seize a location tile by moving a settlement next to a location, and does passing a location count?
- When can you first use a location tile's action, and how many can you use in one turn?
- Can you combine two location abilities on one settlement in a single action?
- Can movement abilities move other players' settlements, or place a settlement anywhere on the board?
- With Barn, can you lift a settlement that then has no adjacent matching terrain, and place it in a new area?
- Can a Caravan move a settlement that sits on water, such as one placed by Harbor?
- If you lose a Temple tile after activating it, does its effect still finish on your next turn?
- Where does the settlement set aside by the Temple go, and must you build it next turn?
- With the Temple bonus action, which settlement may skip the adjacency rule?
- What can a Bazaar repeat?
- Does Resettlement let you claim the Nomad tile next to the settlement's new location?
Kingdom Builder: CavesExpansion
- Where is the Caves tile placed at setup?
- Should the Caves tile be used only with the Tavern board?
- Do pieces standing on a Cave hex get the Cave's movement ability?
- Does a Cave hex count as a location for Merchants, Workers or Miners?
- Can Merchants join two locations through a Cave route?
- Can a Cave move a Wagon or Ship onto mountain or water hexes?
- Where can a settlement moved through a Cave be placed?
- Does a board with no mountains still get a Cave?
- Can Caves be placed next to other Caves?
- If a Warrior sits next to a Cave, can you still use the Cave and move through it?
- How do Caves work in the Caves expansion?
- Can you use Caves on your first turn of the game?
Kingdom Builder: CrossroadsExpansion
- Do task cards or card conditions pay again if you meet the requirement more than once?
- What does the Compass Points task need, and can one corner settlement count for two edges?
- Do the seven settlements for the Advance task have to be connected, or spread across edges?
- Does a Quarry stone wall count toward the Home Country task?
- Can one settlement on a water or mountain hex complete a Home Country terrain area?
- Does City Hall change which terrain counts for Home Country?
- Does placing City Hall next to your settlements meet the Fortress task right away?
- How does Shepherds score when City Hall fills a terrain area?
- Where can the City Hall tile go?
- Can the Sword or any other effect move or remove City Hall's settlements?
- Can Nomads' Outpost be used to place a City Hall?
- Can a City Hall claim a location's ability, and does it score for castles and capitals?
- Can a Warrior, Wagon or Ship claim a location's ability?
- Does City Hall score for Ambassadors when its hexes touch an opponent's settlement?
- Do Warriors, Wagons, Ships and City Hall count for Ambassadors?
- If City Hall is placed next to a location, do you gain that location's tile?
- Can the Sword remove a Warrior, Wagon or Ship?
- Can you place a second Warrior while your first is still on the board, and can the place action target a Warrior already out?
- Does a Warrior block the empty hexes next to it for building and movement, including water hexes?
- Can pieces move into, through or out of a Warrior's blocked hexes?
- Can Wagons or Ships be placed or move next to a Warrior?
- If you lose the ability that placed a Warrior, Wagon, Ship or Barracks piece, is the piece removed?
- Do Warriors, Wagons and Ships placed by their own abilities count toward your three mandatory settlements?
- Must an optional Warrior or Wagon go on the terrain of the card you drew?
- Where do placed Warriors, Wagons and Ships go, and does the played card decide it?
- Which terrain can a Wagon move across or stop on?
- Must a Wagon or Ship stay next to your other settlements while it moves, and can it pass through settlements?
- Does the Crossroads ability or the Wagon ability bring a Wagon into play?
- How does a Ship's own Lighthouse move work?
- How do Harbor, Paddock and Caravan affect Ships and Wagons?
- Can a Ship cross water between two boards even where the artwork shows a land edge?
- Can Barn, Harbor or Paddock move a Warrior, Wagon or Ship?
- Can a Caravan move a Warrior?
- When do you choose which Crossroads card to use, and can you split the two cards?
- If the terrain on your chosen Crossroads card is fully occupied, can you swap it for a replacement?
- What happens to the Crossroads ability when you lose it, and does it keep giving two cards?
- If both your terrain cards are the same, can Crossroads let you choose any terrain?
- What does the Fort ability do?
- What happens if the Fort's drawn terrain has no empty space?
- Once you use the Fort, must you place its settlement even if you do not like the drawn card?
- When is the Fort's terrain card drawn, and in what order does it go with Outpost?
- If the Fort draws a card showing two terrains, can you pick either?
- Why are task cards only used with the Crossroads boards, and can I use them with other boards?
- Should players without the matching tile receive Warriors, Wagons and Ships at setup?
- Do Warriors, Wagons and Ships trigger the end of the game, and do they score?
- Do Warriors, Wagons and Ships count as settlements for scoring, and are they removed before final scoring?
- Can Nomads boards be mixed into a Crossroads game, and does the combination allow six players?
- Do placing or moving Warriors, Wagons and Ships score for Shepherds?
- Does Harbor let City Hall or other abilities place pieces on water?
- Do hexes blocked by a Warrior count as occupied for Shepherds?
Kingdom Builder: HarvestExpansion
- Do Wagons and Ships count as settlements for Mayors (four in a row)?
- Can a moving Wagon or Ship claim Mayors when it passes through a row of four during its move?
- Can Palisade be used to split a settlement apart?
- In what order are Silo actions resolved at game end?
- Can a settlement moved by one Silo's action make a second Silo usable at game end?
- Can Bazaar repeat the Crossroads token's extra card action at the end of the turn?
- If you lose the Cathedral tile, can you still spend the numbers you already collected?
- Can you claim Mayors lines when you have no settlements left in your supply?
- If your last settlement would complete a Mayors line, do you claim the line before placing that last settlement?
- Do Mayors settlements have to be adjacent to each other?
- With Silos, do you pick up three settlements and then place them, or move each one in turn?
- Can Silos move a settlement onto terrain removed by the Scouts scoring card?
- Do you keep a Mayors row claim if you later move your settlements off that row?
- Do Scout tokens count as your settlements for the Tavern action?
- Can you build a settlement on a hex covered by a Scout tile?
- Does Bazaar let you get around the limited supply of tokens, such as Quarry or warriors?
- Is the Harvest farm action once per game round or once per turn?
- Do Silos count for Workers, Merchants and Noblewomen?
- Can Palisade move a single cube that is not connected to your other cubes?
- Does a ship or harbour count as part of a connected settlement set, so you can move a settlement across water to join it?
- Do Scout tokens affect Shepherds or other scoring, either by generating points or by filling a space?
- Do the two Scouts have to stay adjacent to each other?
- Can you build a settlement on farmland with the Water Mill?
- Where can the Scout Cabin's scouts be placed, and must the houses you build follow the terrain card?
- How do the Rovers summary location tiles track gold each turn?
- How does the Watchtower adjacency requirement work?
- How does the Cathedral action work with tokens?
- Do Rovers score gold for settlements placed during the Silo phase at game end?
- Do Cathedral tiles gained through the Bazaar go into the same pile as the Cathedral's own tiles?
- Must you make the same choices each time you repeat an ability with the Bazaar?
Kingdom Builder: MarshlandsExpansion
- Do Marshlands bonus abilities add an extra action or change the base ability?
- How many times per turn can the Canoe ability be used?
- When does the Canoe trigger during a mandatory settlement placement?
- Can you use a Canoe you just picked up on the same turn?
- Does the extra settlement a Temple places count toward the Families scoring card?
- For Families, must all three mandatory settlements form a line, or can the extra Temple settlement join the line?
- Can you use a Fountain bonus tile on the same turn you obtain it?
- Can the Canoe's base reaction build a settlement when another player empties a location on the turn after you take the Canoe?
- When does a Canoe bonus action tile become usable on your own turn?
- Is the Canoe reaction mandatory when another player empties a location?
- Does a Warrior block the spaces adjacent to it for placing and moving?
- Do Shepherd and Ambassador trigger when a Temple places a settlement?
- With Noblewomen in play, does the castle majority holder score 8 points?
- Can you use the Outpost nomad action together with City Hall?
- Does a settlement set aside on the Temple tile count toward ending the game when you play Temple with your last settlements?
- Are the Marshlands terrain cards added to the base deck, or do they replace base cards?
- Should the Marshlands terrain cards be included when no Marshlands board is in play?
- How do you measure the distance for Messengers when scoring gold between your connected settlements?
- When a Swamp terrain card is drawn, can you choose a terrain you are not adjacent to?
- Does the Canoe trigger if the last location tile of that location was already gone before you got the Canoe?
- Do mountains that connect across board sections count as one range or several for Geologists?
- Do Scouts score pieces that are on grass, or only pieces next to grass?
- When do the red Nomad cards and Crossroads task cards score?
- Can you use a Temple bonus action on the same turn you gain it, before your mandatory action?
- Do Refuge and Caravan move settlements already on the board, or do they add new ones?
Kingdom Builder: The IslandExpansion
- Can the Tower place a settlement on the Island's edge?
- Can Harbor move a settlement onto the water around the Island's edge?
- Do Fishermen score for settlements on the Island's shore?
- Does the Island count as a fifth sector or quadrant for Lords and Farmers?
- Is the Island board placed on top of the four main boards, or set apart?
- When should you add The Island to a game?
- On the Island, how do you place a settlement when you must build on desert?
- Do the horizontal lines on the Island score for Rangers and Mayors?
- Do the Island's lines count for Knights and Explorers, and do they add to the main board's lines?
Kingdom Builder: NomadsExpansion
- Does Shepherds score when a settlement is moved onto a lone water or mountain hex, such as with the Harbor?
- Can the Resettlement Nomad tile move another player's settlements?
- Do Donation settlements have to be built adjacent to your existing settlements?
- Do Shepherds score again when you are forced to build more settlements on the same terrain?
- Can a Paddock jump over Quarry stone walls?
- Can a Caravan move a settlement onto a hex on the outer edge of the board?
- Do Nomad spaces replace castles on older boards?
- Can you split a Quarry's placements across turns or intermix them with other actions?
- Can a Quarry be used every turn once you have obtained it?
- Does touching a Nomad space give its action tile every time you connect to it?
- Can a Resettlement move carry a settlement over mountains, water or other obstacles?
- Do moved settlements count for Shepherds and Ambassadors?
- Does a settlement placed by the Caravan ability have to end next to your other settlements?
- Does the Tower placement require choosing a terrain type?
- Does moving a settlement next to a location or Nomad tile let you claim it?
- Does the Outpost ability let you place a moved settlement without adjacency?
- Does Outpost remove other placement requirements, such as terrain or line rules?
- Does Outpost change the Village's adjacency requirement?
- Must the Village tile's extra settlement match your terrain card?
- Do you lose a Nomad tile if you move your last settlement away from the Nomad space?
- Can a settlement on water be moved by a Caravan onto an adjacent water hex?
- Can you use a Caravan to move your only settlement away from a location so that you lose that location's ability?
- Can Resettlement stop on a Nomad space partway through a move and claim its tile?
- Does a Caravan move collect a Nomad tile or location tile from hexes it passes over?
- Can a Wagon or Ship claim a Nomad tent ability and then move away from it in the same movement?
- If the last settlement is built and a Sword makes a player return one to supply, does the game continue?
- Can you use a Nomad tile and a location tile extra action in the same turn?
- Do settlements on water or mountain hexes score for Fishermen and Miners, for example when built by the Donation tile?
- Can a Quarry stone be placed on a hex blocked by a Warrior?
- Does moving a ship or wagon next to another player's settlements score Ambassadors?
- For Families, must the three settlements from your mandatory action be built in order to score a straight line?
- Do Quarry stones have to be placed next to your settlements, and must both stones be next to them?
- If an opponent's Sword removes your last settlement next to a location, where does the location tile go?
- Does the Donation tile let you build fewer than 3 additional settlements?
- Does Resettlement require using all four movement points?
- When you use the Sword, must you remove a settlement from every other player?
- Can a Garden extra action build on any empty flower field if none is adjacent to your settlements?
- Are board edges and Quarry stone walls obstacles for the Caravan?
- Do Nomad locations give the three-point castle bonus at the end of the game?
- Does Shepherds score when a settlement is built on a lone water or mountain hex with a Nomad tent?
- If you claim a Nomad Treasure on the last round, do you still get the gold?
- When a Nomad tile is claimed, is it replaced?
- When can you use a Nomad tile's action?