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Citadels is a non-collectable card game for 2-8 players where the skills of bluffing, deduction, and city building are necessary to win. The premise of the game is that you are a medieval ruler trying to complete your city before your opponents can build theirs. To help in your endeavor, you secretly take on the roles of certain characters such as the king, bishop, and assassin each round. The basic game allows you to take on any one of the 8 roles, each with their powers.

There are 2 types of cards: Character cards and District cards. Each character card has a number on the top left hand corner which indicates the order in which the players will be able to perform their action. For example, one player chooses to take on the role of assassin (has a number of 1), another player chooses the merchant (#6), and the third player chooses the bishop (#5). The order in which a player will take an action is the player with the assassin, followed by the bishop, and finally, the merchant. The District cards are further divided into 5 different colors indicated on the lower left hand corner and the amount of gold necessary to bring that card inot play on the top left hand corner. The game ends in the round with the first player to bring 8 District cards into play. All but one color provides a boost in income depending on the character role that player has taken. For example, having 2 red districts while taking on the role of a warlord will net you an extra 2 gold on your turn. The last color provides special benefits described on the cards themselves.

GAME MECHANICS

The oldest player starts the game (and later, the person with the crown begins the round). He first places a certain number of Character cards face down on the table depending on the number of players. He then gets the first choice of which character he will take the role of. He passes the remaining Character cards to the player to his left who also chooses and passes the remaining Character cards to the next person to his left. When your turn comes up, you either have the choice of receiving 2 gold or drawing 2 cards (the District cards) and putting one of the 2 cards back into the deck of District cards. Furthermore, you can choose to put a district card into play by paying its cost. At anytime during your turn, you may also use your character's special ability. The game ends on the turn in which a player is the first to put 8 districts into play. At the end of the game, each player adds up the total cost of their districts plus any bonuses such as having all 5 district colors in play. The player with the most point wins.

THE GOOD

1. For such a simple game, there is so much depth. When should you build? What should you build? What character role should I play this round? Should I go for the gold or the District cards? Each decision can bring you closer to vistory or give you a setback. No game is certain until the very end.

2. The artwork is very good overall.

3. Rules are very simple. I had no trouble starting the game immediately.

4. A couple of friends who were hesitant to play the game in the beginning got very much into the game after a couple of rounds.

5. Basically, the replayability and fun factor is very high.

6. The English version comes with an expansion of 10 new characters to add more spice to an already rich game.

THE BAD

1.I wish they would have included a small plastic bag to keep all the tokens in.

CONCLUSION

The atmosphere that this game puts you in is amazing. One of the players likened this game to Clue with multiple personalities (the disorder that is!). Each round keeps you guessing as to which characters the other players are portraying and the affect it will have on you. I highly recommend this game.

Citadel
Citadel Playtest Review by Oni no Won on 01/05/02 Style: 5 (Excellent!) Substance: 4 (Meaty) Build the most glorious city as you take on different character roles. Product: Citadel Author: Bruno Faidutti Category: Card Game Company/Publisher: Fantasy Flight Games Line: Cost: $19.95 Page count: Year published: 2002 ISBN: SKU: Comp copy?: no Playtest Review by Oni no Won on 01/05/02 Genre tags:	Citadels is a non-collectable card game for 2-8 players where the skills of bluffing, deduction, and city building are necessary to win. The premise of the game is that you are a medieval ruler trying to complete your city before your opponents can build theirs. To help in your endeavor, you secretly take on the roles of certain characters such as the king, bishop, and assassin each round. The basic game allows you to take on any one of the 8 roles, each with their powers. There are 2 types of cards: Character cards and District cards. Each character card has a number on the top left hand corner which indicates the order in which the players will be able to perform their action. For example, one player chooses to take on the role of assassin (has a number of 1), another player chooses the merchant (#6), and the third player chooses the bishop (#5). The order in which a player will take an action is the player with the assassin, followed by the bishop, and finally, the merchant. The District cards are further divided into 5 different colors indicated on the lower left hand corner and the amount of gold necessary to bring that card inot play on the top left hand corner. The game ends in the round with the first player to bring 8 District cards into play. All but one color provides a boost in income depending on the character role that player has taken. For example, having 2 red districts while taking on the role of a warlord will net you an extra 2 gold on your turn. The last color provides special benefits described on the cards themselves. GAME MECHANICS The oldest player starts the game (and later, the person with the crown begins the round). He first places a certain number of Character cards face down on the table depending on the number of players. He then gets the first choice of which character he will take the role of. He passes the remaining Character cards to the player to his left who also chooses and passes the remaining Character cards to the next person to his left. When your turn comes up, you either have the choice of receiving 2 gold or drawing 2 cards (the District cards) and putting one of the 2 cards back into the deck of District cards. Furthermore, you can choose to put a district card into play by paying its cost. At anytime during your turn, you may also use your character's special ability. The game ends on the turn in which a player is the first to put 8 districts into play. At the end of the game, each player adds up the total cost of their districts plus any bonuses such as having all 5 district colors in play. The player with the most point wins. THE GOOD 1. For such a simple game, there is so much depth. When should you build? What should you build? What character role should I play this round? Should I go for the gold or the District cards? Each decision can bring you closer to vistory or give you a setback. No game is certain until the very end. 2. The artwork is very good overall. 3. Rules are very simple. I had no trouble starting the game immediately. 4. A couple of friends who were hesitant to play the game in the beginning got very much into the game after a couple of rounds. 5. Basically, the replayability and fun factor is very high. 6. The English version comes with an expansion of 10 new characters to add more spice to an already rich game. THE BAD 1.I wish they would have included a small plastic bag to keep all the tokens in. CONCLUSION The atmosphere that this game puts you in is amazing. One of the players likened this game to Clue with multiple personalities (the disorder that is!). Each round keeps you guessing as to which characters the other players are portraying and the affect it will have on you. I highly recommend this game.