83

In the tile-laying game Castles of Mad King Ludwig, players are tasked with building an amazing, extravagant castle for King Ludwig II of Bavaria. Players take turns setting prices for various rooms, allowing opponents to purchase them to add to their growing estates while scoring points based on room layouts and royal decrees.

83

The Verdict

based on 24 reviews

Positive 0%
Mixed 0%
Clever master-builder pricing/auction mechanic
Satisfying, varied castle building and theme
Easy to learn yet strategically deep
High replayability
Can cause analysis paralysis
Flat, utilitarian art and confusing icons
Swingy/luck-dependent at fewer players
Some find it too easy or endgame scoring fiddly
90
InferredThis reviewer didn't give a numbered score. We read the review and inferred a 0–100 score from what they said. Did we get it wrong? Please report it, we'll fix it.
GreyElephant Gaming, GreyElephant Gaming Video

“And I agree 100% with with Carmen said I think this game is fantastic it's one of the best games of the year the thing about it is is it's very easy to learn it's easy to teach and it's just a lot of fun building a castle”(5:46)

90
InferredThis reviewer didn't give a numbered score. We read the review and inferred a 0–100 score from what they said. Did we get it wrong? Please report it, we'll fix it.
Bower's Game Corner, Bower's Game CornerVideo

“Castles of Mad King Ludwig is one of my favorite games of 2014, and I found myself saying that a lot this year, 2015, as I'm going back and playing all these great games from 2014.”(10:45)

90
InferredThis reviewer didn't give a numbered score. We read the review and inferred a 0–100 score from what they said. Did we get it wrong? Please report it, we'll fix it.
The Dice Tower, The Dice TowerVideo

“Very very enthusiastic thumbs up on me on this one I was bias towards it when I heard about it and I am so glad that it met my expectations”(14:03)

90
InferredThis reviewer didn't give a numbered score. We read the review and inferred a 0–100 score from what they said. Did we get it wrong? Please report it, we'll fix it.
ProZD, ProZDVideo

“Overall, I thought this was a fantastic game. It's just so satisfying as a castle builder, and as a strategy game it's great. Good.”(10:31)

90
InferredThis reviewer didn't give a numbered score. We read the review and inferred a 0–100 score from what they said. Did we get it wrong? Please report it, we'll fix it.
Chairman of the Board, Chairman of the BoardVideo

“The Castles of Mad King Ludwig is an absolutely phenomenal game. I absolutely love it, my gaming group loves it, and we would never turn a game of this down. The master builder mechanic is ingenious.”(8:01)

90
InferredThis reviewer didn't give a numbered score. We read the review and inferred a 0–100 score from what they said. Did we get it wrong? Please report it, we'll fix it.
Ryan and Bethany Board Game Reviews, Ryan and Bethany Board Game ReviewsVideo

“It's still good buy I would I'd say go for it yeah well with that said we give it our two thumbs up”(7:43)

90
InferredThis reviewer didn't give a numbered score. We read the review and inferred a 0–100 score from what they said. Did we get it wrong? Please report it, we'll fix it.
Drive Thru Games, Drive Thru GamesVideo

“I want to go out on a limb and say that this is my favorite of the trilogy now I've uh reviewed Suburban expansion and sub subdivision recently just before Gen Con actually and I like all both those games and this one has a lot going for it”(10:29)

90
InferredThis reviewer didn't give a numbered score. We read the review and inferred a 0–100 score from what they said. Did we get it wrong? Please report it, we'll fix it.
Zen Of Design, Damion SchubertArticleTop List – #47

“Castles of Mad King Ludwig is a tidy little building game that usually elicits a few laughs. It does get a little repetitious and players with fat fingers are less enamored with manipulating some tiny pieces, but it's a good game for 'just beyond gateway' level gamers.”

See list
90
InferredThis reviewer didn't give a numbered score. We read the review and inferred a 0–100 score from what they said. Did we get it wrong? Please report it, we'll fix it.
Meeple and the Moose, Alex McKenzieArticle

“It's hard to say much more about The Castles of Mad King Ludwig, because the summary of my experience is "it's good! Real good!"”

90
InferredThis reviewer didn't give a numbered score. We read the review and inferred a 0–100 score from what they said. Did we get it wrong? Please report it, we'll fix it.
Tabletop Dungeon, Tabletop DungeonVideo

“Even with the complex end game scoring, Castles is one of my all-time top 10 favorite games, possibly even top five. It's a tile placement puzzle game at heart. So, if you enjoy those, you'll probably like Castles of Mad King Ludwig, too. Highly recommend it.”(9:30)

88
StatedThis reviewer gave their own score. We only converted it to our 0–100 scale.
What's Eric Playing?Article

“If you're looking for your perfect castle, you want to pretend you work for the imminently-deceased King Ludwig, or you just enjoy strategy and tile-laying (two great tastes that taste great together), I'd definitely recommend you take Castles of Mad King Ludwig for a spin!”

85
StatedThis reviewer gave their own score. We only converted it to our 0–100 scale.
Zatu GamesArticle

“Overall, Castles of Mad King Ludwig is a game that combines tile placement, strategy and player interaction in a way that gives you plenty of choices without making the game feel overwhelming.”

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