The White Castle - Playthrough & Review

[@bettermoodboardgames]

You both sighing at the end of the game was hilarious. I felt that too just watching! Tight game for sure! As always, thanks so much for the awesome teach and playthrough!

[@smchalk3535]

Thanks!

[@BeforeYouPlay]

Wow! Thank you so very much for your generosity! We truly appreciate it :-)

[@Blaygamez]

I was on the fence about this game, watched several top 10s, reviews and tutorials. After watching this, I bought it. Stellar explanation! Tyvm!!

[@LifeUntilLove]

Fun fact! The 'big fish' is a Japanese sea creature called a Shachihoko. There are several pairs on top of Himeji Castle (and many other older wooden structures) roof because the creature swallows large amounts water and was thought to protect buildings from fire with the water/controlling the rain. I was able to see them when I was there so I was excited to see them in the game. Thanks for the play through!

[@BeforeYouPlay]

Ahh That's a super cool fun fact. We saw them when we visited Japan as well but never knew what they represented. Thank you for sharing that!

[@zachwilliams9757]

Yall's playthrough and review videos make me so happy. Y'all rock! Best board game channel on the internet.

[@BeforeYouPlay]

Thanks you!

[@coldnuit]

You just made me put this on my wishlist. I mean almost everything from Devir immediately goes on my list.. but I already have Bitoku and Bamboo, and I almost convinced myself I've had enough of this theme/vibe. But apparently not, because this looks soooo fun! And it's so beautiful too. Thank you for another amazing video!

[@stevenamamoto585]

Wow, high scores! I have a game night this evening and I’ll just show your teach. Thanks!

[@BeforeYouPlay]

Hope we didn’t make any mistakes lol 😆. Have a blast!!

[@jeffkouba6521]

thanks much for this, this one makes SO much more sense now... btw, for those who, like me, were confused on what distinguishes between the courtiers, warriors and gardeners, as from the top down view they all look the same... the gardener is holding what looks like a rake, the warrier has a sword, and the courtier isn't holding anything... those various shapes are on the board in gray, and the warrior is depicted with the sword on the left side, and the gardener with the rake on the right side...

[@SergioGVasco]

Great playthrough as always. Thanks so much for sharing your photos in Japan too. Cheers!

[@ParlorPunch]

Great job, love the thoughtful commentary. And it was such a cool bonus to see the photo of you two at the actual White Castle!! 😯👏👏👏

[@BeforeYouPlay]

Thank you! We’d recommend the trip to Himeji Castle if you ever visit Japan too.

[@annewirth51]

Thanks a lot. It's always great to have your super explanation and than actually see the game being played. Just enough to jump in by myself. 🙂

[@bluefire700]

Have to explain this game to my work tomorrow! Really excited about it! thanks for the video :) really helps

[@elzheiz]

Game is awesome, I can't decide between this and Red Cathedral but I love both! The limited actions make it even more tense :) really hope it takes off in the bgg rankings! Great playthrough and love your energy!

[@jamesmorgan1967]

The Red Cathedral is a great game! Can you get both? 😊

[@auronmessatsu]

Thank you for the playthrough guys

[@DyonEnedi]

My copy is pre orded here in Brazil already 😊 awsome video like ever ❤

[@YesLandTravel]

Game of the year so far for me. Thank you for covering it!

[@georgeresso6835]

i believe this game to be a hidden gem...9 turns to max ur score...combos...and the actions are satisfying when u combo 1 into 2 or 3 actions...my copy arrives on friday cant wait to play....

[@zopipark]

review videos are the best videos!

[@melblack7412]

I appreciate the video - thanks :)

[@BeforeYouPlay]

Thank you for spending your time with us!!

[@quishzhu]

I decide to bring it with me for the first time Japan trip!

[@BeforeYouPlay]

Awwww have the best time ever!!

[@LaraBlancoSantos]

I have played 3 times at 4P, it is tense, but it’s also real fun. One of those times the set up was really good to advance on the influence track and we did manage to get into the third season without really making an effort. Overall I think this is a great game. I like it better than red cathedral and just can’t wait for the third game with a third color

[@starbuster0121]

Great job guys. Nice game.

[@Crisfmartinelli]

I love your videos because you explain so perfectly the game. Thank you very much! Nice game. I bought my copy and will try it today 😁

[@ultimate-voyage]

Thanks for the playthrough. This is a great game! Small box that packs a lot of punch. And excellent value for money too~.

[@nicholasvanaria8043]

As always...great video. I'll be buying this one for sure because of it. Thank you!!!!

[@ImaginEric]

After I had a chance to play The Red Cathedral, I knew this was one I’d be interested in as well. Have it ordered and can’t wait for it to arrive. I’ll be sure to come back and watch this video again to learn it once I have the physical copy in front of me.

[@ollieclark2808]

Looks like a great game, excited to grab this one. Loved your playthrough and love the content!

[@mariosilvasantos]

Excellent review!

[@hecatesson]

Thanks Monique and Naveen for the awesome tutorial and playthrough as always! I finally got this game to the table yesterday and played the solo mode. I definitely made a few mistakes, lost to the AI player, but had so much fun with it. I played the game today with a much bettwr under of it and I was able to pull off a win over the AI player! This game is beautiful in the mechanics and artwork on it. I put some nice Japanese ambience music in in the background while I played and it made the game relaxing, to a point, but also thinky, hahahaha. I also have The Red Cathedral as well and I find myself falling in love with Devir Games, hahaha. Happy Gaming!

[@Ranerdar]

And added to the wishlist. Looks like fun.

[@terrytoriq]

Good game guys. I am absolutely in love with this game - dice drafting / placement, excellent production,. fantastic theme, lovely iconography, quick, snappy and yet tight gameplay. Big game in a small backpack-sized box. Sign me in! Thanks for the show play. Hugs for Dexter! :)

[@markpowney2390]

How do you determine what dice get re rolled in round 2 of a 2or 3 player game?

[@kmkhr]

@46:06 i thought a dice needs to be there to take the farmer action?

[@Montag451]

At 52:00, Naveen went to the top of the castle and claimed the well spot but only processed the lantern. He forgot to get the well action, which also meant he was short 1 Daimyo seal later when he really needed that one more! For what it's worth, I've watched a handful of White Castle playthroughs to decide if it's one I want to buy, and the Heavy Cardboard 4-player game was a 2 hour stream, but the gameplay was around 1 hour and 20 minutes. Paul Grogon's 3-player game (and two of them hadn't played before) was around 1 hour for the gameplay. It seems to be a pretty quick game no matter the player count. And Naveen was right, at higher players, you're still not stacking dice too often because the costs go up when people use the 5s and 6s, but sometimes you might get lucky. Lantern actions can be very helpful and it does a really good job of making lower-value dice useful. A couple of other minor cultural notes: Japanese Clans aren't like Scottish Clans, they're not necessarily family. You could join someone else's clan and not be related by blood, for example. Many members of the clan would be family, but it's not required. Also, while it's true Himeji Castle was never attacked, that actually wasn't the main danger to it. A LOT of the castles were destroyed when the Japanese government decided they didn't need them anymore during the Meiji Restoration. Not very many castles avoided this fate, and Himeji was just lucky. They later realized destroying their historical landmarks was a bad idea. I think only some of them have been rebuilt (of those destroyed by the government).

[@baschwar]

He did the well a minute later.

[@Montag451]

@@baschwar You're right. I must have missed it (they corrected the well pretty fast).

[@nataliaweronikapetersson3425]

Love this game!

[@FilippoCampana]

Also wanna point out that in a 3/4 players game it's really interesting the opposite situation from the one Naveen described. Maybe you used a 3 in a 5 spot in order to get the lantern bonus, so the next player now using a 5 will get 2 coins which prior wouldn't be able to get. The implication in each choice are so interesting!!!

[@mikeshomegardening8150]

Cool that the upcoming expansion will give 3 more actions and another set of dice to play around with.

[@BeforeYouPlay]

Excited for the expansion!!

[@sjovlring8379]

I believe at 52:17 Nadeen forgets to do the well action, after he did his lantern action (from ascending to the highest floor). Thx for the playthrough ^^

[@DM101Halo]

I thought so too, but he did it few seconds later :)

[@tonybowers9490]

Great game. Thanks for sharing! I picked this one up and am enjoying it a lot. I really like the variability. My games are usually in the 40's. But, I have beat the automa in solo, so I felt good with my low score.

[@nickgiannini8860]

Something I noticed the last time I played I thought was interesting and ties into courtiers giving food on the domain board, etc. in addition to that, the actions on the cards themselves are in such a way that there are no garden actions at the top of the cards, no training grounds in the middle, and no castle on the bottom. Which mean even though you could do your personal domain action to get a bunch of food that spot will never let you take the garden action. The next time I play I am going to try to build up resources for maybe the whole first round, then see if I can place at least one of each type every turn after that!

[@MarcelDes]

Well done! Merci. I received the game for XMas.

[@leandropolus]

Had the chance to try this game with 4 at Essen and it was a very enjoyable experience, but it sold out too fast so I could not get it. I liked how "simple" you action is (pick a die, place it somewhere) but how complex it becomes as you trigger chain reactions. And I like when games leave you wanting to do more and try more things. Thanks for the play-through and review!

[@BeforeYouPlay]

Too bad it sold out! Was it all gone on Day 1? Hopefully you can get a copy soon!

[@leandropolus]

@@BeforeYouPlay Oh no, I got to play it day 2 and then after checking I had enough space left in the bag went first thing in the morning to get it and it was too late. I even tried to buy the German version but it also sold out. It will come to a FLGS soon I'm sure. Plus was able to get the promo cards for the game at Essen so now I have no option but to get it :)

[@Cissewis]

Thanks for the review lovely people!

[@BeforeYouPlay]

Thanks Cis!!

[@KuroRyuu86]

So I played this last weekend. A friend of mine just came back from Speil. It took us about 2-3hrs for 4 players on our first game. It's a Fantastic game, but to get to +40/80 points is a struggle. That top part of the track where you pay demio to earn more points was very scarce in our game. I think the biggest advice to make is to invest some time in the gardens and the training grounds, because thats where all the end game points come from. I'm going to play it again next week to try a different strategy, as my current one was just the training grounds and the castle grounds.

[@_p2bg]

Amazing game! 👏🏼👏🏼

[@DM101Halo]

Great game! Thanks to you I've learned how to play, and now it's my favourite boardgame :) I have a question. If there was a possibility (when you made an action in approx. 38:15) that first you will do the action related to the white parts of card, and then you take the lanthern bonus? If so, you could grab the 2 seals first and then paid for moving influence marker, right?

[@MarkusKraus]

This game is so good! It's interesting that Monique mentioned The Magnificent, because we pulled that off our shelf to make room for the White Castle. It feels better and plays faster with two.

[@AlbertoSaldivia]

Hey, I have the same problem with the influence track. Can see how it could advance haha.

[@kmkhr]

if you take the starting resource card that shows 3 with all 3 resources does that mean you get to pick 1 of each or any combination of resources that add up to 3?

[@AdahyCseti]

Do you must take the lantern action first? If not, Naveen could progress on top track after getting the two seals from the gardening action..

[@DM101Halo]

I'm curious about it too :)

[@johnathanrhoades7751]

This looks really great. So many games I already own to get to, but..well I do have some guilt free spending money. We’ll see 😊

[@jedisparky]

This seems like a great Euro, I'm in on this. It's also priced nicely, great value.

[@jamesmorgan1967]

Thanks for the playthrough. I love The Red Cathedral and I am eagerly awaiting my delivery of The White Castle (along with The Magnificent)! I wonder if the way you score closer to 80 points is by getting a running start: that is, by accruing points throughout the game (from the board and from running your lantern action) before you get to final scoring. (P.S. Himeji-jo is my favorite castle in Japan and we're lucky to still have it. It was slated for demolition at different times in history and was also bombed in WWII and survived the Great Hanshin Earthquake. So happy that you guys got to visit it!)

[@Thesussysuscat]

One of the most entertaining pair too watche play games.

[@DM101Halo]

at the final scoring you should add all your money and seals left, divide into 5 and get extra points :)

[@miguelviamonte8041]

Amazing video! I enjoy a lot your reviews and the PT. I think that you missed the Lantern bonus of 2 Clan points, the food and 1 space forward on the Passage of time track (Page 12), also I think you can't climb to the Daimyo's room from the first floor (Page 10) It happens to me that my wife and I made a mistake and played extra rounds, isn't that fun 😆it feels repetitive and not as fun IMO. Again, great video!!

[@adriang6259]

Okay, so the game looks great but I was probably too sleepy through the video to catch on everything that was happening, did have to rewatch some parts. But I caught the review and after Ganz schon Clever I was used to feeling like I always needed one more roll. I believe that aspect is the hook. The frustration keeps you coming back. I finally got a copy now so I'm grateful for videos about it.

[@fmoros]

Are you allowed to see what is on the back of the cards before you decide to take that card?

[@pilotboba]

Looks like the back of the cards are all the same in each row. The face down deck to the left shows what's no the back.

[@fmoros]

Gotcha, thanks. I like that. Orderly.

[@zivpesso3226]

Monique and Naveen, I know you are both divided on your opinion of whether this or red cathedral is better. Which one do you prefer mainly at 2? Which one would you purchase first? Also, you mentioned satisfying dice drafting Euros, any examples on those? (I only own GAH)

[@BeforeYouPlay]

Hi! At 2-P, we both agree that we'd go with The White Castle. The Red Cathedral shines much more at higher player counts due to the area majority aspect. As for dice drafters, Naveen is a big fan of GAH and also loves Troyes and Panamax, though the latter might be out-of-print. I (Monique) enjoy Pulsar 2849. Coimbra is another one but we've only played it once.

[@alicia1465]

@@BeforeYouPlayfunny, because my husband (who I mentioned in my other comment was very turned off of this game after our first play) said “I would rather play Grand Austria Hotel because it’s way more fun”

[@J-Wheeler-G]

​@@alicia1465Grand Austria Hotel is my second favorite dice drafting game. Can't go wrong with it.

[@alicia1465]

@@J-Wheeler-G it is so fun! I think it is in his top 5, for sure. One of my favorites, too. I think he is theme over mechanisms. What is your top one?

[@J-Wheeler-G]

@@alicia1465 It is not for everyone but Trismegistus is my favorite one.

[@alicia1465]

Played again today and got 14 points on the track! I think it just depends on the cards that come out and your lighthouse card actions. So many variables, that sone actions sone resources will be plentiful, while in other okays, you can’t find them.

[@lorizen1]

We have played this 5 times at 2 players and finally scored 90. I believe the first time we played the score was something like 21-14 and the 4th time it was 69-64. There is definitely a learning curve to being able to link everything together and a first time player probably doesn't stand a chance against someone who has play it before. I think for us it also took 4 plays to make sure we were constantly giving ourselves everything we were supposed to, be it taking a white action from the card when moving up in the castle, taking the lantern action, or the action on the farmer card. It is so satisfying when you can start by placing a warrior and then end up be able to also get a guy in the castle and pick up a bunch of other resources along the way.

[@markpowney2390]

Hi I have ordered this game, looks really good fun, but all the videos I have watched the dice get re rolled at start of next round, how do you decide what dice get rolled ? If the game comes with 5 dice of each colour then in a 4 player game what's the point of re rolling ?, great video as always thankyou

[@SteelBreeze021]

All the dice (for your player count) get re-rolled each round (i.e. all the dice on the main board, the bridges, and your player board).

[@markpowney2390]

@@SteelBreeze021 thankyou for reply wad wanting to know about a 2 or 3 player game as reviews I've seen the dice a different to first round ? Thankyou

[@SteelBreeze021]

@@markpowney2390 For a 2-player game, remove 2 dice of each color to the box. Roll 9 dice each round. For a 3-player game, remove 1 die of each color to the box. Roll 12 dice each round. The dice (and your choices) will be different in each round. Happy gaming!

[@markpowney2390]

@@SteelBreeze021 many thanks 👍🍺

[@MarsRoverly]

Was Naveen supposed to take a well action when he advanced his courtier to the top spot at 52:39? I think he just took his lantern action

[@thepresteign8427]

He catches it shortly after

[@pdv457]

Seems the first action Monique took was very impactful in the rest of the game, seems Naveen had no comeback chance... Thanks for the review! I got it for christmas and are now about to go for the first game!

[@hiho8084]

Thank you for another impeccable teach and playthrough. It looks like this game will be quite challenging. I was lucky to buy a copy on-line before they ran out of stock, so I am grateful to have the game in hand. Now I feel more comfortable with playing. The Red Cathedral is definitely not similar in play to this game. I enjoy the Red Cathedral, so it will be interesting to see where The White Castle falls.

[@carlosd.7208]

First play at 4P took us about 85min the board did feel crowded, looking to try it at 3p.

[@soucaco]

I would highly recommend aligning on turn time with the players before the game starts. This game has always a best action, so you could spend half an hour just calculating all the possibilities to arrive at the optimal play. In my opinion, making the best decision in a limited amount of time is also part of the gameplay. On one of my games one player took more than 20 minutes just on their last move. If your table is highly competitive you could use a timer. Otherwise just use common sense

[@FelipeRodrigues-vj1zb]

I really enjoy Red Cathedral. Didn't care for Bamboo. Now this one... May be the best of the series yet. I don't know if it will top Red, but it's definitely going on my collection.

[@frottlbottl200]

One play with three on friday night. Great game, ordered it the next day. I think the dice stacking really adds something to the game so three players is probably better than two. We had two players who tend to AP so I am not sure if I want to play it with four players. We scored 38, 47 and 51 points. I got into the fourth season. Great review.

[@branboom3342]

How long was your play with 3p and some AP-prone people?

[@amethystwolf24572]

"Not enough turns" is a feeling I have with a lot of games, lol. But I noticed things like this seem to be a trend in games. I played both Everdell and Lost Ruins of Arnak recently, and both definitely found like the number of turns would be too small when reading the rulebook and the first round or two. But by the final rounds of both, turns are much longer and you get so much going that it works pretty well. Its actually a really satisfying arc, I think.

[@garylangford6755]

I don't like the arc in lost ruins. Feels like turns last longer therefore more ap inducing and slow finish.

[@kelbertozini]

How would you compare this to Woodcraft?

[@BeforeYouPlay]

We unfortunately haven’t tried Woodcraft yet 😢.

[@Watdee]

In the very last action when you both place courtiers, were you supposed to collect from the courtier track on the player card? You were both very focused on other things, and it looked like you missed that. Maybe I have the rules wrong -- I've never played. But if I'm right, Naveen would have had that second daimyo token he so desperately needed.

[@n1kolakis28]

We've played our first 2 player game tonight and the score was 35-23. We did something wrong?

[@susanoerter1419]

good game

[@smilingbadger6209]

End of first round He took an orange dice action with a black die.

[@smilingbadger6209]

just woke up I was wrong. he played it right

[@BeforeYouPlay]

@@smilingbadger6209 Haha that's funny!!!

[@fireshrine77]

Looks good and plays pretty well but the lack of player interaction is a no for me. Lorenzo il Magnifico seems like a better and satisfying dice placement game for me. Thanks for the playthrough and review BYP.

[@Big_Dai]

Interesting they didn't add an Action that rolled a dice! Just for the random chance of making a winning move.

[@gabrielamilanes5105]

Just wanna let you guys know I scored 83 in a 3 player game so it’s possible! I don’t think you get there without moving up the influence track almost to the max.

[@zhivik]

I like the tightness, but I feel detached from the theme. As far as actions are concerned, there is the usual fare, nothing exceptional or unseen before in euro games. I suppose I would love some more variety in the lantern action bonuses. I do think that the game is better at a higher player count, as you have more action variety (as more cards get taken), and you have more interaction with the dice, as they tend to change more often. Also, it makes it more likely that you will get your gardener bonuses, making that action more important. Overall, I would probably have no issue if someone on the table proposes to play this, but I will most likely not get it myself.

[@mauriciodantas5676]

36:15 he forgot to take the 2 birds steps?

[@pilotboba]

I think he didn't have the dino shield, or whatever word they were saying, to move into the next section.

[@coreynoemif3j29]

Imagine playing this before or after Tikal. Given Tikal’s 10 action point system.

[@mattball6136]

My favorite part of all your videos is the corny smiles when you ask viewers to subscribe, it makes me smile 😆

[@alicia1465]

My husband and I played this once a couple of nights ago, and he was so disengaged that he doesn’t want to try it again, sadly. He didn’t find the actions interesting, missed some sense of progress or satisfaction in building something up, and felt no thematic connection. I didn’t love it, but I liked it better than he did. I think the small box, low price point and fast play time are very appealing. Sadly, considering the person I play games with is really not into it, I think it will leave the collection soon. A well-designed game that just isn’t for us.

[@aliaxandrk7791]

Finally!❤🎉

[@KurdtW94]

I have to try it again. I've only played at 4 and from the second age onward I played always as the last turn and my choises were really difficult, making me dislike the game at that player count. I didn't felt I was having a good game, or playing good combos and for 9 turns, half of them felt wasted. Curiosly enough, I didn't end with a bad score (still dind't win), but at 4 players, kind of sucked.

[@Cornchps827]

Just watching this playthrough without playing it myself it reminds me of maybe tekhenu meets Targi? Is this any truth to that or am I off?

[@BeforeYouPlay]

That's a really interesting comparison! What aspects of each game remind you of this one?

[@Scott-bf4xd]

I was able to flip the scoring marker to 80+ (86 points) and get all the warriors and gardeners out on my first playthrough 😁 thanks for the video!

[@NS-mm6jq]

Yeah sure lol 😂

[@scylor1993]

Interesting you felt that the game would go over 80 mins. Played it 3 times so far with 4,4 and 3p and we always ended up around 1h

[@BeforeYouPlay]

That’s great to hear! Our plays have been 60-70 mins 2Player.

[@pilotboba]

@@BeforeYouPlayDo you narrate each turn that you are taking when you aren't recording? lol?

[@marcussousa1308]

@@pilotboba don't we all?

[@pilotboba]

@@marcussousa1308Not everyone does, no. lol... but this was a tongue in cheek comment.

[@damaddestgamer]

If I get a chance to play this, I will tell you how to score 80 points ;)

[@ETrantina]

Is it just me, or does it kind of feel like a bigger / bloated Roll & Write? With the dice and combos and points?

[@dramajoe]

My dude. Relaaax. 😬

[@maheshalur6361]

So this game is not about cheap poor quality burgers?!😂

[@BeforeYouPlay]

LOL!!

[@dnmessias]

Smells like brain burning 😂

[@WhatsDaveUpTo]

the red cathedral was okay. This looks fiddly as all get-out. This honestly looks like a much worse version of Troyes. Just play Troyes folks. Its an "oldie" but still amazing game.

[@reed4764]

Thanks. You've convinced me not to buy this game.

[@BeforeYouPlay]

Lol, our pleasure. 🥸

[@fmoros]

What you dont like? Thanks.

[@LaraBlancoSantos]

this game is soo amazing! spanish gamee 🇪🇸 let’s go Isra & Shei!

[@lou19]

I played with a friend's copy and i thought it was one of the most boring games of the year.

[@keith2570]

They sound like they're scrambling to not offend. I don't think they really like it. Want a good 2p game from 2023? Try Galileo Project

[@Darkhan9]

The problem I have with this game is that the farmers are way more overpowered than everything else, so there's no point in doing anything than just placing farmers on all cards and you'll win. Might as well just play Bitoku, from the same publisher, and the same all over the place point salad style game, but more balanced and similar theme.

[@rudidesancic5345]

So basically this is zero interaction game. When i am done my turn i can easily go to local pub, have a beer and when i come back, continue what i was planning to do since no one can prevent/block me from placing/doing my actions. There is a reason worker placing games have some kind of blocking/restricting/stealing mechanics. But this looks like free for all game, competing against highscore. Although i liked dice placing idea. Nice. I think paying/stealin from /to another player when stacking dice instead to bank would make a lot of difference and more dynamic game. But now really looks like solitary game. Same as Wingspan, solitary game playing against highscore.

[@danielepriore3183]

it seems a little boring, and i love euro games.

[@BeforeYouPlay]

That’s fair, hope the video was helpful!

[@vladycavret2886]

It seems it is just another euro game without any originality unlike red cathedral. Probably will skip my turn.

[@pilotboba]

Really? I guess I like trying to find paths and logistics. And this game is going to be different on every play based on the setup of the little dice color tokens and the order the cards come out. At least that's my take from just watching it.

[@organiccardboard]

The Red Cathedral was a little basic for me.. The theme was the worst part for me because I never felt like I was really being an "architect" and was instead just playing with the mechanics that otherwise made no thematic sense.. The market wheel was definitely the best part but I ended up selling it just because the wheel wasn't enough to connect me into what the rest of the game was. This looks like a lot more complicated and interesting choices with a better theme. I don't know how it will do, though I plan to get it soon and give it a try!