Castle Combo

Overview

Recruit characters from the Castle and Village to build a nine-card tableau. Abilities provide resources during play; scoring scrolls reward combinations at the end.

Edition scope. Catch Up Games 2024 English base game. Use the cards and icon reference supplied with the shop’s copy for individual abilities.

Objective

Build a 3×3 tableau with the highest total score.

Setup

• Shuffle Castle and Village separately. Reveal 3 cards from each deck to form two market rows.
• Place the Messenger beside the Village row. Give each player 15 Gold and 2 Keys.
• Leave room for a 3×3 tableau. Choose a starting player at random and play clockwise.

How to play

Optional 1 Key → recruit and place → resolve ability → Messenger / refill. Score after everyone has 9 cards.

1. Optional Key

   Before recruiting, spend at most 1 Key: either move the Messenger to the other market OR discard and replace all cards in its current market. Choose one.

2. Recruit and place

   Take 1 card from the Messenger’s market. Pay its Gold cost, reduced by applicable existing discounts. Place it orthogonally adjacent to your tableau, staying within 3×3. Do not rearrange placed cards.

3. Resolve the ability

   Resolve the ability after placing the card; it usually counts itself. A new discount applies only to future purchases, not to its own cost.

4. Messenger and refill

   Move the Messenger as indicated by the bought card’s icon; without an icon, it stays. Finally refill both markets to 3 cards each.

Worked example

You already have a 1-Gold Village discount. A Village card costs 4 Gold, so you pay 3 Gold. Even if the new card also grants a discount, you still pay 3 this time.

Point to the cost, then the ability, then the scoring scroll. Teach these as three separate pieces of information.

Ending & scoring

Finish when everyone has 9 cards. Allocate leftover Gold to purse cards without exceeding their capacities, then score each scroll. Each remaining Key is worth 1 point; face-down cards score 0. Gold outside purses scores nothing. Highest score wins; break ties with Gold remaining outside purses, then share the win if still tied.

Rules to double-check

• You may take a card for free and place it face down instead. Gain 6 Gold and 2 Keys, ignore all front-side information, and do not move the Messenger for that card.
• Cards must share an edge, not just a corner. Your first card’s final position within the grid need not be decided immediately.
• Resolve immediate rewards now; score scrolls only at the end.
• Purses score according to their printed rate. Gold does not automatically become 1 point each.

Player tips / 玩家建议

Beginner suggestions based on the rules, not guaranteed winning moves. DMs can share these with the whole table before play.

• Build around cards you already have. Choose cards whose scoring conditions (得分条件) work with your current grid. Avoid relying on one exact card appearing later.
• Check the position before buying. Some cards score by row (行) or column (列). Leave useful spaces open: once placed, a card cannot move.
• Get resources early, points late. Early discounts (折扣) and Gold can help several later purchases. Near the end, check what a card will actually score in your finished grid.
• Use Keys when they improve your choice. A Key can change the market or refresh it. Compare that benefit with keeping it for 1 point. If short of Gold, taking a face-down card can fund later turns, but uses one of your nine spaces.

Sources & edition notes

Catch Up Games · English rulebook (mirror) ↗

Chinese name reference ↗. Chinese names help identify the game; edition details may differ.

Box artwork: Catch Up Games · via Athena Games. Image source ↗. Artwork belongs to its respective rights holders; packaging may vary by edition.

Rules sources checked on 13 November 2026. Teaching scripts and practice tasks are suggested hosting aids. The publisher’s rules and the edition in the box remain the reference for exceptions.