Castle Rampage

If you are reading these rules for the first time, ignore the text along the right hand side. These rules serve as a summary to help you quickly familiarize yourself with the game.

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→ Hints for Handling

Castle Rampage

→ Original Rules (pdf)

Finally, the day of reckoning has come!
For centuries, your noble families have been at war. Your enemy’s castle lies ahead and today, it will fall! All that is left between you and your crushing victory is his gate … and all their pesky defenders …
Castle Rampage is a duel with cards, in which you both aim to destroy your opponent’s castle, once and for all. For each card, you will have to decide if you use it to strengthen your defenses or if you will use it to attack the opposing structures.

Components

118

Action cards

Preparation

Shuffle all 118 cards into one face down draw pile.

Each player receives 5 cards from the draw pile, puts two of those under their Gate and two under their Castle. One card is kept as a hand card. This procedure is repeated once.

Shuffle all 118 cards into one face down draw pile.

Deal 5 cards from the draw deck to each player. If any player receives a purple card (i.e. Bomber, Ogre, Saboteur, Spy), discard it and replace it with a new card. Afterwards, shuffle the discarded purple cards back into the draw pile.

At Yucata, the players will automatically not receive any purple cards at the beginning of the game.

Each player places 2 of the 5 cards face down at their Gate. Then, they place 2 of the remaining cards face down at their Castle. Set aside the remaining card. Repeat this process once, so each player’s Gate and Castle consists of 4 cards. Both players add the cards set aside to their hand, so each player has a starting hand of 2 cards.

Note: Whenever you add cards to your Castle or Gate, always place them under the other cards at that structure. Neither player may look at the face down cards in any Castle or Gate. However, both player may count the number of cards in each Castle or Gate.

Due to asynchronous playing at Yucata, players are always allowed to look at all face down piles. However, they will only see those cards that they have any information about (e.g. because they have put them there).

The Cards

Each card shows a Defense Value for the Gate and one for the Castle.

Costs need to be paid before the effect of the card takes place.

Cards with a ∞-symbol stay in the player's display.

A player can attack the opponent's Gate or Castle by playing a card with an attack value.

A card with horse, sword or bow symbol is a unit. Some attack cards demand certain units to be played with them.

Each card shows 2 Defense Values in the lower corners: one for the Gate (left) and one for the Castle (right).

Example: The Dragon has a defense value of 2, when placed at the Gate. Better place it at the Castle, where it has a defense value of 3.

Some cards have costs that need to be paid in order to play them. Most commonly, you have to discard other cards from your hand to do so. In the text box, costs are always stated ahead of the effect (e.g. “Discard 2 cards.”)

Cards showing a ∞-symbol are called permanent cards. After they are played, they are put into the player's display and remain there until they are destroyed.

Many cards allow you to initiate an attack against the opponent’s Gate or Castle. This is shown by the attack value, shown in the shield icon in the center. Some of them have additional effects.

Example: The Axe Man initiates an attack with a strength of 2. Additionally, you draw 1 card, when playing it (before the attack).

An * next to the attack value indicates that the card’s effect may influence its attack value.

A card with one or more of the symbols horse, sword or bow in the top left corner, is a unit. Some attack cards demand certain units to be played with them (Fight Plan, Mercenary).

Cards with multiple symbols (Giant, Mercenary) can only be used as 1 of the indicated unit types.

Game turn

First draw 2 cards (only 1 card in the first turn of the starting player).

Play as many cards individually as you like. Always pay necessary costs. Then activate the effects/attack.

Put permanent cards into your display.

Once a turn you may strengthen your Gate or Castle with a played card.

Beginning with the starting player, take alternating turns until the game is over. At the start of your turn, draw 2 cards from the common draw deck. The starting player draws only 1 card on their first turn.

In your turn, you may play as many cards as you like. Costs have to be paid immediately.

1x during your turn, you may strengthen your defenses, i.e. use 1 card to defend. To do so, place 1 card from your hand under your Gate or Castle, i.e. on the bottom of the respective stack. Do not execute its effect and do not pay any costs (Exception: Ogre).

Even if your Gate is completely destroyed (empty), you may still strengthen and rebuild it.

Permanent cards (∞) remain in your display. All other cards are put face up onto the draw pile after they have been used.

Play your cards individually and execute their effects or carry out the attack. You may initiate any number of attacks each turn, if your cards allow you to.

If the draw pile is exhausted, shuffle the discard pile into a new draw pile.

Attacks

When you play a card with an attack value, an attack is initiated.

First the opponent's Gate is attacked by revealing the top card.

Compare the attack value A of the attack card with the defense value D of the defense card:

A<D: The defense card is put back onto the Gate, the attack card is discarded.

A=D: Both cards are discarded.

A>D: The defense card is discarded. Then the new attack value is calculated as A-D. With that, the next card of the Gate is attacked. If the Gate is empty, the remainder of the attack is directed at the Castle.

If, during an attack, a purple card is destroyed, its effect influences the attack.

Whenever you play a card with an attack value, it initiates an attack against your opponent’s structures. If there are cards in the opposing Gate, the attack targets the Gate.

If there are no cards in the Gate, the attack targets the Castle, directly.

Note: Several cards, e.g. Digger, may change these rules.

To resolve an attack, reveal the top card of the attacked structure. Compare the Attack Strength to the corresponding Defense Value:

If the Defense Value is higher than the Attack Strength:

Destroy the attacking card. Place it into the discard pile (Exception: Veteran). Return the defending card to the top of the structure, face down. The attack has no further effect. Damage is not “remembered”.

If the Defense Value is equal to the Attack Strength:

Destroy both, the attacking and the defending card. (Place them into the discard pile in any order.) Do not reveal another card from the attacked structure.

If the Defense Value is lower than the Attack Strength:

Destroy the defending card. (Place it into the discard pile.) Subtract its Defense Value from the Attack Strength. Then, reveal the next card from the attacked structure and continue the attack with the remaining strength, until the attacking card is destroyed or the game ends (see below).

If the last card of the Gate is destroyed in this way, continue with the attack by revealing cards from the Castle.

Note: Some purple cards (Bomber, Saboteur, Spy) have a specific effect, when they are destroyed during an attack. Their effect is not triggered if the card is revealed in any other way or when it is discarded.

Example: It’s Anton’s turn. He plays a card and initiates an Attack with Strength 9 against Beatrix’ Gate. She reveals a Defense Value of 4 and discards that card. The remaining Attack Strength is 5 (9-4). As this was the last card at her Gate, Beatrix now reveals a card from the Castle, an Ogre, with a defense value of 6. The remaining Attack Strength is lower and thus the attacking card is destroyed. Then, Beatrix places her defending Ogre face down back on top of her Castle.

End of the Game

The game ends, as soon as the last card of any Castle is destroyed. The owner of that Castle loses the game (even if they still have cards at their Gate).

Note: The Jester might also cause you to lose the game during your turn. Summoner and Earthquake might destroy both Castles simultaneously. In this case, the active player loses.

Appendix

All cards and additional clarifications

Archer (5x)

Archer (5x)
The Gate MUST BE ignored. You may not choose (as the card seems to indicate).

Axe Man (5x)
The card is drawn before the attack.

Axe Man (5x)
If no more attack is initiated after that of the Axe Man, the bonus expires.

Breakout (3x)

Hail of Arrows (3x)
If the Gate is destroyed during the attack, remaining attack points are forfeited. If the Gate is already destroyed before the attack, there is only an attack on the Castle with attack value 3. Otherwise, playing a Hail of Arrows counts as two separate attacks. If the player previously played an Axe Man (attack value +2), only the first attack on the Gate is enhanced. If the opponent reacts to the Hail of Arrows by playing a Last Resort, again only the attack on the Gate is affected. The attack on the Castle is still carried out with 3 attack points.

Giant (5x)

Knight (5x)

Knight (5x)
If this Knight is played, one hand card has to be paid as costs. After that the player may decide to discard another card to increase the attack value by 1 (to 6).

Mercenary (3 different ones, each 3x)
The basic attack value is 3. It can be increased by 3 if the player discards a unit of the given type.

Robber (3x)

Summoner (2x)
If the attack value is altered by other cards (e.g. Cook, Squire), the new value counts for both parts of the attack. If the attacker's Castle is destroyed during the fight, the defender automatically wins the game.

Fight Plan (9 different ones, each 1x)
The Fight Plan may only be played if the requested units can be discarded with it. The attack value can be increased by discarding another unit of the mentioned type.

Advisor (2x)
The Advisor may not be played if there are no cards in the Gate. If a player has two Advisors, they will draw 4 cards each turn.

Digger (2x)
Before each attack, the player may decide whether to attack the opponent's Gate or Castle. Only after that, the opponent may play a Last Resort. If the player decides to attack the Gate and the Gate is destroyed during the attack, surplus attack points are directed at the Castle, as usual.

Squire (2x)
If a player has two Squires, each will increase the attack value by +1.

Veteran (2x)
The Veteran's attack value may be increased by a Squire or Cook. If a player has two Veterans, the second one does not have any effect.

Catapult (3x)

Cook (3x)
If more than one Cook is played, each will increase the attack value by 2. An Axe Man or Squire will further increase the value.

Diplomat (3x)
In the next turn, the opponent may not play a new Veteran; however, a Veteran that is already in the opponent's display will still attack. A Jester may be played as usual.

Double Agent (3x)
The stolen cards may not be looked at. If the opponent's Gate consists of only one card, only that one is taken and put under the active player's Gate.

Dragon (3x)
If the opponent's Gate is empty, only the top card of the Castle is discarded.

Earthquake (2x)
If one of the Gates is empty, only the top card of the corresponding Castle is discarded. If both castles are destroyed by an Earthquake, the active player loses the game.

Medic (2x)
When, after a Medic has been played, a second Medic or a Reinforcement is played, no other cards may be played after that.

Jester (2x)
After a Jester has been played, any number of attack cards may be played along with it. For each attack card, its costs have to be paid immediately. Other effects (e.g. drawing extra cards) are not activated. Finally, all attack values are summed up. If the attacker has a Digger or previously played an Axe Man or Cook, their bonus points are added once. The Jester will then attack the opponent's Castle with the total attack value. If the Castle gets destroyed, the attacking player automatically wins the game. If the Castle does not get destroyed, the defender wins the game.

Last Resort (3x)
A player who has a Last Resort may decide to play it right before the opponent's attack, i.e. when it is already certain what the attack value will be and whether the Gate or the Castle is attacked. It is possible to play more than one Last Resort. If an attack is reduced to a value of 0 or less, no attack will take place. Possible card effects of the attack card (e.g. increasing the attack value of the next attack) will still take place.

Since the active player's turn has to be interrupted for the opponent to decide whether to play a Last Resort, Yucata reveals to the attacker that the opponent has such a card. In the real card game, the attacker would not notice that the opponent has a Last Resort if the latter decides not to play it.

Priest (2x)
Both players have to discard all hand cards that show a horse, sword or bow symbol in the top left corner.

Reinforcement (2x)
When, after a Reinforcement has been played, a second Reinforcement or a Medic is played, no other cards may be played after that.

Thief (2x)

Traitor (2x) The Gate cards may not be looked at.

Trickster (2x)

Worker (3x)

Ogre (2x)
Playing an Ogre counts like a regular strengthening of Gate or Castle, i.e. in this turn, no other card may be used to strengthen the defenses.

Saboteur (2x)
Saboteurs are played hidden. The opponent cannot be sure which card is placed under their Gate. (However, the only other possible card is a Spy, see Hints for Handling.) A Saboteur might also appear in a Castle, e.g. through a Worker. It has the same effect there as in the Gate. If a Saboteur appears during an attack by a Summoner, it only increases the attack value on the respective player.

Bomber (2x)
At Yucata, first the complete attack is evaluated. Then the active player has to discard for one or more destroyed Bombers.

Spy (3x)
Spies are played hidden. The opponent cannot be sure which card is placed under their Gate. (However, the only other possible card is a Saboteur, see Hints for Handling.) A Spy might also appear in a Castle, e.g. through a Worker. It has the same effect there as in the Gate. At Yucata, first the complete attack is evaluated. Then the opponent has to discard for one or more destroyed Spies.

To simplify attack procedures, at Yucata cards for destroyed Bombers or Spies are discarded after the complete attack has been carried out.

Due to this, it might happen that the active player defeats a Bomber with a Robber, takes the Bomber into their hand and may/must discard it after the attack, which is different from the original rules.

After the attack, first the attacker discards two cards for each destroyed Bomber, then the opponent discards two cards for each Spy.

Hints for Handling

The active player's own display is shown to the right of the own Castle, the opponent's display is to the left of their Castle. If a display holds 2 cards of the same kind, this is indicated by a little "2x" symbol on top of that card.

Single cards may be magnified by clicking on their text.

A click on Gate or Castle of a player will show all cards in that pile. The top card is shown on the left, the bottom card on the right. Only those cards are shown face up that are known to the viewing player. All others are displayed face down. A little red eye on a card indicates that the opponent knows what the corresponding card is.

Clicking the little eye next to the opponent's name will show their hand cards. Again, only those cards are shown face up that are known to the viewing player.

A little red eye on an own hand card indicates that the opponent knows of that card. A player "forgets" everything they know about the opponent's hand cards as soon as the opponent uses a card to fortify Gate or Castle, because at that point the player cannot be sure anymore which cards are left in the opponent's hand.

Clicking the discard pile shows all cards in it. Clicking the draw pile shows all cards that could be in it, i.e. those that are actually in the draw pile and those that are unknown in the Gates, the Castles and the opponent's hand.

When a player plays a Spy or a Saboteur, they place it face-down under the opponent's Gate. To the opponent, this card is shows as "Spy or Saboteur", since they cannot know which of the two possible cards it really is. Depending on which part of that card is clicked, either a magnification of the Spy or of the Saboteur is shown. As soon as it becomes clear which of the two cards it actually is (e. g. because all cards of the other type have already been played), the correct card is shown.