King's Gate
King's Gate Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Object of the Game
King's Gate is a game for two to four players in which you and your opponents play feuding lords trying to control the most important locations in the capital. Each round, a location is placed on the table. Players take turns placing their district tiles adjacent to the location until it is completely surrounded by ten tiles. The location is then scored, the players receive victory points, and a new location is placed. The player with the most victory points at the end of the game wins.
Components
- Locations: These represent the 10 key locations in the capital city.
- District Tiles: These tiles represent districts of the city that each player controls. There are 88 tiles in total, 22 in each of four colors.
- Character Counters: These six counters represent the influential people who live in the city.
- Victory Point Tokens: These 30 tokens are used to keep track of the players' victory points.
Setup
This is the setup for three or four players. See below for the rules for the two-player game.
- Sort the locations into a face-up stack, in order from 1 to 10, with the first location on the top of the stack, and the tenth on the bottom.
- The first location (the Palace) is placed in the center of the table. (During the game, the most recently placed location is always called the current location.)
- The character counters and victory point tokens are placed near the playing area.
- Each player chooses a color, then takes all the district tiles of his color and shuffles them into a random face-down stack.
- Each player draws six district tiles to form his opening hand.
Playing the Game
Randomly choose one player to take the first turn. When that player's turn is over, the player to his left takes a turn. In this manner, play rotates clockwise.
On your turn, you must play at least one tile from your hand, then draw back up to six tiles at the end of your turn.
District Tiles
Each district tile has a value from 0 to 5. By placing a tile adjacent to a location, you can exert influence over that location and win victory points. Each player also has one dragon tile. You can place your dragon tile on top of an opponent's district tile to discard that tile.
Placing District Tiles
District tiles are placed in any space adjacent to the current location. When placing district tiles with values of 0 (the pub) to 5, the following rules apply:
- Tiles may only be placed adjacent to the current location.
- Players must place at least one tile.
- You may either place any number of value 1 tiles, or place one tile with a value greater than 1. (Value 1 tiles are marked with stars.)
- The pub (the tile with the mug instead of a number) may be placed instead of, or in addition to other tiles. The pub is value 0.
- If you place more than one tile, you may place them in any order.
For example, you may place a value 3 tile and a pub (in any order), or three value 1 tiles, or a value 2 tile by itself.
When placing a dragon tile, the following additional rules apply:
- The dragon tile may be placed instead of, or in addition to other tiles (just like the pub tile).
- The dragon tile may only be placed on an opponent's district tile at the current location. When you place the dragon tile on an opponent's tile, both the dragon and your opponent's tile are discarded from the game, thus freeing the district's space adjacent to the current location.
- If the dragon tile is played in a free space, it is discarded.
Locations
Each location card shows the following information:
- Location Number: Locations are numbered from 1 to 10, and this is the order in which they are placed. If the background of this number is white, the location is safe. If it is black, the location is dangerous.
- Victory Points: These numbers indicate how many victory points are given to the players with the highest, second-highest, and third-highest total value at this location.
- Character: The player with the highest value at this location receives the character counter indicated here.
Locations
Some parts of the capital city are more perilous than others. Half the locations are dangerous, and have black backgrounds on their location numbers. The other locations are safe, and have white backgrounds on their numbers.
When the current location is safe (white), tiles may only be placed in free spaces. That is, if an opponent's tile is already in a space, you may not place one of your tiles in that space.
When the current location is dangerous (black), a tile may be placed on top of an opponent's tile. You may only place your tile on top of an opponent's tile, however, if the value of your tile is greater than the value of your opponent's tile. For example, you may place your value 4 tile on top of an opponent's value 2 tile, but not on top of an opponent's value 4 or value 5 tile.
Exception: Even at dangerous (black) locations, you may not place your tile (even if it is the dragon tile) on top of an opponent's value 3 tile (the Barracks, marked with a sword).
Special Locations
The Graveyard, Garrison, and Tourney Grounds are special locations. When one of these is the current location, the following rules are in effect:
- Graveyard (4): When the Graveyard is the current location, you may place one or two tiles on your turn, but never more than two tiles (including tiles with value 0, value 1, or the dragon).
- Garrison (6): When the Garrison is the current location, you may not place more than one value 1 tile during your turn.
- Tourney Grounds (8): When the Tourney Grounds is scored, the player who has the smallest total value here loses 3 victory points.
Scoring Locations
When a player places a district tile in the last free space adjacent to the current location (the location is completely surrounded by 10 tiles) the location is scored immediately (before that player's turn ends).
Each player adds the values of his tiles adjacent to the current location. The player with the highest total value receives the first number of victory points listed on the location. The player with the second-highest total value receives the second number, and the player with the third-highest total value receives the third number. The player with the lowest value receives no victory points. (In a three-player game, only the first two players receive victory points).
A player must have at least one tile (even if it is a value 0 tile) at a location in order to receive victory points for that location. If there is a tie, the player to the left of the player who placed the last tile wins all ties. If this player is not involved, the next involved player in clockwise order wins the tie. The player who played the last tile loses all ties.
Victory points are paid out with victory point tokens. Players display their tokens face-up. Alternately, players may agree to keep their victory point tokens hidden.
Special District Tiles
- Pub: The pub has value 0. You may place the pub alone, or in addition to any other tile.
- House: The house tile has value 1 and a star. You may place any number of house tiles during your turn.
- Barracks: The barracks tile has value 3 and a sword. Opponents may never place their tiles on top of your barracks.
- Dragon: The dragon tile has no value. You may play the dragon tile on an opponent's tile to discard that tile.
Character Counters
Some locations have character illustrations on them. When one of these locations is scored, the player with the highest total value not only receives the most victory points, but also receives the character counter associated with that location, which must be openly displayed. For example, the player with the highest total value at the Palace (1), receives two victory points and the King character counter.
Note that at the Marketplace (5), the player with the second-highest total value also receives a character counter.
If you receive a character counter, you may use it during one of your future turns according to the following rules:
- You may only play a character counter at the same time that you place a tile, and you may only play it onto the tile you are placing.
- You may play a character counter onto any tile you are playing except the dragon tile.
- No more than one character counter may be played onto a tile.
- A character counter protects the tile it has been played on. Your opponents may not place their tiles (not even dragon tiles) on top of the protected tile.
- You may play more than one character counter per turn. For example, if you place two value 1 tiles at a location, you may play a character counter onto each of them as they are placed.
Character counters and their abilities are described later in these rules.
Placing the Next Location
After the current location has been scored, the player who placed the last tile determines the position of the new current location. This ends the turn for that player, who now fills his hand back up to six tiles.
The new current location must be placed adjacent to at least one other tile already in play, with at least one edge in common. Locations may not be placed only diagonally from other tiles. (See the diagram on the back of these rules for examples of legal and illegal location placement.)
The values of all district tiles adjacent to the new location count for scoring the new location (just as they did for scoring any previous locations). If a district tile is adjacent to two or more locations, its value counts for the scoring of all those locations. If there is a character counter on such a tile, the effects of the character counter affect all adjacent locations.
Tip: It is often beneficial to place the last district tile at a location, even if you get few or no victory points, so that you may place the new location adjacent to your high-value district tiles already in play.
Game End
If a player has no more tiles to draw, he cannot fill his hand for the rest of the game. The player continues to play until he places his last tile. After this, the game continues without him. Any unplayed character counters are discarded without effect.
The game ends if:
- No players have any district tiles left. If this is the case, score the current location, even if less than all ten spaces are filled.
- After a location is scored, only one player has any district tiles left. If this is the case, then the next location is not placed.
- The tenth location is scored.
At the end of the game, the player with the most victory points wins. If there is a tie, the player who won the most victory points at the last location wins.
Character Counter Effects
Character counters protect the tiles on which they are played. With the exception of the Merchant (the character for the second-place winner of the Marketplace), each character has an additional effect:
- King: Playing the King changes the current location's color. A white (safe) location becomes a black (dangerous) location, and vice versa. This counter will have the same effect on any additional locations that are placed adjacent to its tile.
- Bishop: When the current location is scored, only the number of adjacent district tiles count for each player. Each district tile therefore counts as value 1, regardless of the tile's actual value. (The tiles retain their actual values while being placed, however, which is important while placing at a black location.) This counter will have the same effect on any additional locations that are placed adjacent to its tile.
- Wizard: After you place a tile of any value, you may place a second tile of the same value if you play the Wizard onto it. This counter affects only the tile on which it is played.
- Guildmaster: The value of the tile on which you play the Guildmaster increases by 2. For example, at a black location, you can play this character with a value 4 tile on top of an opponent's value 5 tile (since your tile is now value 6). This counter affects only the tile on which it is played.
- Merchant: The Merchant protects the tile on which it is played. It has no other effect.
- Sorceress: When you play the Sorceress, you do not place a tile from your hand. Instead, you may choose one of your district tiles already in play (with no character counter on it), play the Sorceress onto it, then move it adjacent to the current location.
Two-Player Game
The rules for a two-player game differ from those for a three- or four-player game.
Setup
One player takes all the yellow and green district tiles, while the other takes all the red and blue district tiles. Each player shuffles all his tiles (of both colors) together into a single stack, then draws an opening hand of six tiles.
Playing and Scoring
On your turn, you may place tiles according to the normal rules regardless of their colors. For example, you may place a value 1 green tile and two value 1 yellow tiles, or you may place a value 4 green tile and a yellow dragon.
When a location is scored, the two colors are scored separately, and you receive all the victory points for both colors.
Example: Scoring at the Graveyard (5-4-3), Andrea has total values of 10 and 5 with her colors, while John has 7 and 6. Andrea receives 5 victory points because she has the highest total with 10. John receives 7 victory points (4 and 3) because he has the second- and third-highest totals with 7 and 6. Andrea does not receive any victory points for her 5, since the color with the lowest total value does not receive any victory points.