Citadels
Citadels explained: secretly draft characters, collect gold, build districts, use role powers and score a completed medieval city.
Secretly draft a character each round, then resolve turns in character-number order rather than seating order.
Characters generate gold, manipulate rivals or protect districts. Spend gold to build a city, and score districts plus completion and color bonuses at the end.
Why We Love It
Citadels makes turn order hidden and interactive. Choosing a role is partly about what you need and partly about predicting which roles opponents will choose—and which roles someone may target.
About Citadels
Secretly draft a character each round, then resolve turns in character-number order rather than seating order.
Characters generate gold, manipulate rivals or protect districts. Spend gold to build a city, and score districts plus completion and color bonuses at the end.
Game at a Glance
Draft a Role
Choose a character whose identity stays hidden until called.
Gain Gold
Use income and character powers to fund construction.
Build Districts
Add district cards to increase city value.
Read Opponents
Assassins, thieves and other roles reward accurate predictions.
Who Citadels suits
Groups that enjoy bluffing and deduction but still want a persistent city-building plan underneath the social interaction.
Rules overview
At the start of each round, players draft characters according to player count. Characters are called in numerical order. On your character turn, take income, use the character ability as allowed, and build districts by paying their gold cost. The game ends after a city reaches the required district count and the round is completed.
Key decisions
Editorial analysis: Draft roles for both utility and concealment. A powerful ability can become dangerous if everyone knows you need it. When building, balance raw district value with color diversity, character synergies and the risk of making your likely role easier to predict.
Common questions
Does seating order determine turn order?
No. Character numbers determine when turns happen after the draft.
Can the Assassin target a player by name?
No. The Assassin names a character, so predicting the role draft matters.
What scores at the end?
District values form the base score, with bonuses determined by the rulebook for completion, colors and relevant effects.
Related games
Learn Citadels in depth
Sources and edition notes
Facts checked September 16, 2026. Strategy sections are editorial analysis based on the identified rules rather than measured win-rate claims.