TM

Rulebook
 TM

Introduction A Brief History of Citadels

In Citadels, players are vying to become
Citadels was first released in the
the kingdom’s next Master Builder, but
year 2000 and is widely revered
first they must impress the monarchy
as a modern gaming masterpiece.
with their city-building skills.
Its success led to an expansion a
During a round, each player chooses one few years later, and over the last
character, who provides a special ability decade and a half the game has
for that turn. Each player builds his own been published in 25 languages
city by playing district cards from his and packaged in boxes of all
hand, which at the end of the game are shapes and sizes.
worth points equal to their cost.
This classic edition of the game
The game ends at the end of the round is essentially Citadels as it was
in which a player has seven districts in first published back in 2000—the
his city, and the player with the most original cast of eight characters,
points will become the kingdom’s next a crown card, cardboard gold
Master Builder! tokens, and a few minor updates
to rules and cards.
2
 Components

2 Thief
5 Bishop
8 Warlord

If you choose
Call a character you wish to rob. Noble when gathering to draw cards
The Warlord
When the robbed character is cannot destroy your
Destr Military keep all draw resources,
districts.
revealed, you take all his gold.
Gain 1 gold foroy 1 distri
each
your religious districts.
of
gold than its ct by paying 1 fewer Castle Unique
n cards.
each of your
cost. Gain 1
milit ary
gold for
districts.
Watchtower
Library

8 Character 68 District
Cards Cards

Scoring
When a city has 7 districts,
† On Your Turn
the game ends after the current
round, and you score points:1) Gather Resources: You must
gather resources in 1 of 2 ways:
• 1 point/coin on your districts.
• Take 2 gold from the bank.
• 3 points for having at least
1 district of each type.
• Draw 2 district cards, choose
1 to keep, and place the other
• 4 points for the first player
at the bottom of the deck.
who completed his city.
2) Build: You may build 1
• 2 points for any other player
district by paying its cost.
who completed his city.
*) Use Character Ability:
• Any extra points from your
You may use each of your
unique districts. character’s abilities once
per
turn when specified (or, if no
time is specified, at any time).
† 8 in a 2- or 3-player game.

1 Crown 25 Gold 7 Reference

Card Coin Tokens Cards

3
Setup Playing the Game
To set up the game, follow these steps: The rules are explained for games with
4–7 players. Rule changes for 2- and
1. Shuffle the district cards and deal 3-player games can be found on pages
four cards facedown to each player. 12–13.
These cards are the players’ starting
hands. Citadels is played over a series of
rounds. Each round begins with the
2. Place the remaining district cards in selection phase, during which players
a facedown pile in the center of the pass around the character cards and
table to create the district deck; then choose one character for the round.
create the bank by placing all gold Each character card has special
coins in the center of the table. abilities, such as stealing another
player’s gold or destroying another
3. Each player takes two gold from player’s district. After the selection
the bank. This gold belongs to the phase comes the turn phase, during
player and stays in his personal which players gather resources and
stash until he uses it. build new districts in their city.
4. The oldest player takes the crown. The player who has the crown is known
as the crowned player, who makes
sure that each step is followed in order
and calls for each character to take his
turn during the turn phase.

4
 Setup Diagram (4-player game)

Bank District
Deck

Crown
Character
Deck

Starting
Gold Starting Cards
Crowned Player’s Play Area
5
 Selection Phase Next, the crowned player takes the
The crowned player gathers the deck remaining character cards, looks at
of eight character cards and shuffles it. them, and secretly chooses one to keep.
First he randomly discards a number of Then he passes the remaining cards to
them faceup in the center of the table, the player on his left, who also chooses
and then he randomly discards one a card and passes the rest of the cards to
facedown. The number of discarded his left, and so on. This continues until
faceup cards depends on the number each player has chosen one character
of players in the game (see the table card. After the last player has chosen his
below). Discarded cards are not used card, he discards the one unchosen card
this round. facedown near the other discarded cards.

* Special Rule with 7 Players: After the

Selection Phase
sixth player passes the last character card
Faceup Facedown to the seventh player, the seventh player
Players
Cards Cards also takes the character card that was
4 2 1 discarded facedown at the beginning of
the round. He chooses one of these two
5 1 1
cards and discards the other facedown.
6 0 1
7 0 1* Open Information
The amount of gold and cards each
Important: The King cannot be among
player has is open information. There
the faceup discarded cards. If the King
is an unlimited amount of gold. If
is discarded faceup, discard another
the bank runs out, players can use a
character card faceup to replace the
substitute for gold. Also, there is no
King and shuffle the King into the
limit to a player’s handsize.
character deck.
6
Turn Phase A player has a building limit of one
Unlike the selection phase, players do district per turn, and a player cannot build
not take turns in clockwise order during a district that is identical (with the same
the turn phase. Instead, they take turns name) to a district already in his city.
in ascending order of their chosen
character’s rank, which appears in the After the player with the called character
top-left corner of each character card. has taken his turn, or if no player revealed
The crowned player calls each character the called character, the crowned player
number in ascending order, continues calling the next character in
starting with the number “1” ascending order, and so on until he has
(the Assassin). If a player 1 Assassin
called all characters, after which a new
round begins with the selection phase.
has the called character card,
he reveals it by flipping it
Assassin’s Character Abilities
faceup and takes his turn.
Rank A player may use his character’s
During a turn, the player must gather abilities only once per turn at the time
resources. He can either take two gold specified. If no time is specified, the
from the bank or draw two district cards player can use the ability at any time
from the deck, choose one to keep, and during his turn. Some characters have
discard the other facedown to abilities that gain gold for districts of a
the bottom of the deck. certain type in their city. As a reminder,
these characters’ rank number appears on
After gathering resources, he a gem of the color of its corresponding
Call a character you wish to kill.
district
may build one district in his city. The killed character type.
skips Character abilities are
his turn.
To do this, he plays a card from explained in detail on pages 14–15.
his hand faceup in front of him These abilities are the heart of the game,
and pays gold to the bank equal The so be sure to familiarize yourself with
to the district’s building cost. Docks’ them before the game begins.
Cost
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 Example of a Turn
Kurt just finished his turn as the 2. Next, Ashley gathers resources.
Architect. The next character called To try and recuperate a portion
is the Warlord. Ashley chose the of her stolen coins, she chooses
Warlord during the selection phase, so to gain two gold from the bank.
she flips her character card faceup and
takes her turn. 8 Warlord

1. Earlier in the round, Anna was

the Thief and chose to rob the fewer
by paying 1 for

Warlord. Now that the Warlord

Destroy 1 district
cost. Gain 1
gold
gold than its military districts.
each of your

is revealed, Anna takes all the

gold in Ashley’s stash. 3. Kurt appears to be in the lead,
so Ashley decides to pay one
8 Warlord 2 Thief gold to destroy his Market,
which he discards facedown
to the bottom of the deck.
fewer
by paying 1 for Call a characte
Destroy 1 district
cost. Gain 1
gold When the robbedr you wish to
rob.
gold than its military districts. revealed, you character is
each of your take all his gold.

Warlord
8

fewer
by paying 1 for
Destroy 1 district
cost. Gain 1
gold
gold than its military districts.
each of your
7 Architect

T ra d e

Market
Gain 2 extra
cards. You can
build up to
3 districts.

8
 Example of a Turn (Cont’d)
4. Now she chooses to gain gold 5. She pays three gold to build a
for her military districts. She Barracks, placing it in her city
has a Prison and the School of next to her other districts. She
Magic, which she can count has already used her character
here as a military district, so ability to gain gold, so she does
she gains two more gold from not gain gold this turn for her
the bank. She now has three Barracks. Since she has used her
gold in her stash. abilities and built her one district
for the turn, her turn ends.
Warlord
8
Warlord
8

fewer
by paying 1 for
Destroy 1 district
cost. Gain 1
gold
gold than its military districts.
each of your fewer
by paying 1 for
Destroy 1 district
cost. Gain 1
gold
gold than its military districts.
each of your

For abilities that gain resources

for your districts, the School
of Magic counts as the district
type of your choice.
For abilities that gain resources
for your districts, the School
Military Unique of Magic counts as the district
type of your choice.
Prison School of Magic
Military Unique Military

Prison School of Magic Barracks

The Warlord was the last character

in the round, so this round is over.
The crowned player gathers all
character cards to shuffle them and
prepare for the next selection phase.

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 Districts Game End
There are five district types, which are As soon as a city has seven districts, it
indicated by the different colored gems. has been completed; the game will end
District types are referenced by some after the current round is finished. A
character abilities. city can have more than seven districts.

Each unique district has an effect, When the game ends, players score
which is described on its card. These points as follows:
effects can do a variety of things,
such as gain you more resources of a • Score points equal to the building
certain type or provide extra points at cost of each of your districts.
the end of the game. District effects • If your city has at least one district
are optional unless the word “must” or of each type, score 3 points.
“cannot” is used.
• The player who first completed his
city scores 4 points.
Rules Text on Cards • Any other player who completed
his city scores 2 points.
Rules text that appears on cards
is a brief summary of the card’s • Score any extra points from your
effect. For the complete rules of a unique districts.
character’s ability, see “Character
Abilities in Detail” on pages 14–15. Players compare point totals, and
If text on a card seems to conflict the player with the most points wins.
with text on pages 14–15, the text If there is a tie, the tied player who
in the rulebook takes precedence. revealed the character with the highest-
numbered rank in the last round wins.

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 Endgame Scoring Example
4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 5 + 4 + 2…

If you choose to draw cards At the end of the game,

when gathering resources, the Haunted Quarter counts as
draw 3 cards instead of 2. any 1 district type of your choice.

Noble T ra d e T ra d e gi o
Reli us
gi o
Reli us Unique Unique

Castle Tavern Trading Post Monastery Cathedral Observatory Haunted Quarter

Kurt’s City

…+ 4 … … + 3 = 28
First to complete city 1 district of each type (Haunted
Quarter counts as military district)

3 + 2 + 3 + 2 + 3 + 6 + 6…

For abilities that gain resources

for your districts, the School
of Magic counts as the district
type of your choice.
At the end of the game,
score 2 extra points.

T ra d e T ra d e Military Military Noble Unique Unique

Docks Trading Post Barracks Prison Manor School of Magic Dragon Gate

Ashley’s City

…+ 2 … … + 2 = 29 – Ashley Wins!
Completed city, but not first Extra points from Dragon Gate

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 Playing with 2 2-Player Selection Phase
The crowned player gathers the deck
or 3 Players of character cards and shuffles it. He
In 2- or 3-player games, each player randomly discards one card facedown in
plays with two characters. The game is the center of the table. Then he takes the
played normally, except that each player remaining seven cards, secretly chooses
takes two turns each round (one turn for one to keep for himself, and passes the
each character). Each player has only remaining six cards to his opponent.
one stash of gold and one city, and each
character’s ability applies only during For the remaining selections this round,
its own turn. each player chooses two character cards:
one he keeps, the other he discards
For example, a player with both the facedown near the other discarded cards,
Architect and the Warlord can save and then he passes the remaining cards
a district drawn during his Architect to his opponent. This continues until
turn to build later that round during there are no more characters remaining.
his Warlord turn. Also, the Architect’s
ability to build more than one district
does not apply during his Warlord turn.

Also, a completed city requires at least

eight districts; the game will end after
the current round is finished.

The rules for the selection phase slightly

differ between the 2- and 3-player
games, as explained here:

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3-Player Selection Phase
The crowned player gathers the deck
of character cards and shuffles it. He
randomly discards one card facedown in
the center of the table. Then he takes the
remaining seven cards, secretly chooses
one to keep for himself, and passes the
remaining six cards to the player on his
left, who also chooses a card and passes
the rest of the cards to his left, and so
on. This continues until each player
has chosen two character cards. After
the last player has chosen his second
card, the one unchosen card is discarded
facedown near the other discarded card.

Classic Variant
If players wish to play Citadels with
4–7 players in its original form, they
may choose to use the classic variant.
In this variant, a city is not considered
completed until it has eight districts in
it (instead of seven).

13
 Character Abilities 2) Thief
in Detail
Call the name of another
This section explains each character’s
character whom you wish to
abilities in full detail. Remember,
rob. When a player reveals that character
character abilities are optional (unless
to take his turn, you immediately take all
the word “must” or “cannot” is used),
of his gold. You cannot rob the Assassin
and each ability can be used only once
or the killed character.
per turn at the time specified; if no time
is specified, the ability can be used at
any time during the turn. This includes
abilities that gain resources for districts 3) Magician
in your city as well. For example, if you
You can do one of the
are the Bishop, you might choose to
following:
gain gold before building a new district
(if you need the gold to build that • Exchange your entire hand of cards
district) or after building (to gain gold with another player’s hand of cards; if
from a newly built religious district). you have zero cards in your hand, you
simply take the other player’s cards.
• Discard any number of cards from
1) Assassin your hand facedown to the bottom
Call the name of another of the district deck to gain an equal
character whom you wish to number of cards from the district deck.
kill. When the killed character is called
to take his turn, he must remain silent
and skip his entire turn for this round
without revealing his character card.
14
 6) Merchant
4) King You gain one gold for each
trade district in your city.
You gain one gold for each
noble district in your city. You gain one extra gold. You can use
this ability regardless of what resource
At some point during your turn, you must
you gathered this turn.
take the crown. You are now the crowned
player, so you call characters for the rest
7) Architect
of the round, and you will be the first to
choose a character during the next round Gain two extra cards. You can
(until another player chooses the King). use this ability regardless of
If you are killed, you skip your turn like what resource you gathered this turn.
any other character. At the end of the You can build up to three districts.
round, reveal the King’s character card
and take the crown as the King’s heir. 8) Warlord
You gain one gold for each
military district in your city.
5) Bishop You can destroy one district of your choice
by paying one fewer gold than its building
You gain one gold for each cost. So, you can destroy a 1-cost district
religious district in your city. for free, a 2-cost district for 1 gold, a 3-cost
During this round, the Warlord cannot district for 2 gold, and so on.
destroy your districts. If you are killed, You cannot destroy a district in a
your districts can be destroyed by the completed city, but you can destroy
Warlord. one of your own districts. Destroyed
districts are discarded facedown to
the bottom of the district deck.
15
 Credits Quick Reference
Game Design: Bruno Faidutti Cast of Characters
Producer: Steven Kimball 1. Assassin
Character Art: Jean-Louis Mourier 2. Thief
3. Magician
District Art: Julien Delval, Didier 4. King
Graffet, Bjarne Hansen, and Florence 5. Bishop
Magnin 6. Merchant
Interior Art: Florence Magnin 7. Architect
8. Warlord
Original Graphic Design: Cyrille
Daujean and Brian Schomburg Selection Phase
Windrider Senior Graphic Designer: Faceup Facedown
Players
Samuel R. Shimota Cards Cards
Publisher: Steven Kimball 4 2 1
5 1 1
6 0 1
7 0 1*

* After the 6th player passes the last

character card to the 7th player, that
© 2016 Windrider Games. Citadels, Windrider Games, and the player also takes the character card
Windrider logo are TM of Windrider Games. Windrider Games,
1995 West County Road B2, Roseville, Minnesota, 55113,
that was discarded facedown at the
USA, 651-639-1905. Windrider Games is a division of Asmodee beginning of this round. He chooses
North America, Inc. Actual components may vary from those
shown. Made in China. NOT INTENDED FOR USE BY
1 of these two characters and discards
PERSONS 9 YEARS OF AGE OR YOUNGER. the other 1 facedown.
16