How to Play The White Castle: Dice, Courtiers, Gardeners & Warriors
The White Castle is a compact eurogame with only nine turns per player: three turns in each of three rounds. Dice drafted from bridges determine the action values available around Himeji Castle.
Scope: Devir base game only.
Roll and sort dice onto bridges
At the start of each round, roll the dice and arrange them on the colored bridges in ascending order according to setup. Players generally take dice from exposed ends, making each draft alter later options.
Draft one die and place it on an action space
Choose an available die, place it on a legal Castle/player-board/action space and compare its value with the printed die value where required. This can generate or cost coins and determine which actions trigger.
Use resources to deploy clan members
Food, iron, mother-of-pearl and coins support different action chains. Spend them to place Gardeners, train Warriors or move Courtiers deeper into the Castle.
Courtiers
Request Audience to move a Courtier from your Domain to the Castle Gate, then spend mother-of-pearl to move Courtiers upward through the floors. Room-card effects can trigger as you climb.
Gardeners
Spend food to place a Gardener on an eligible Garden card and resolve its action. Gardeners can activate again during round-end passage/time effects when their bridge conditions are met.
Warriors
Spend iron to place Warriors in Training Yards, gaining immediate benefits and building an end-game multiplier tied to Courtiers inside the Castle.
After round 3, score
Resolve final Clan Points from resources, Passage of Time, Courtiers, Warriors and Gardeners. Highest score wins.
Publisher reference: Devir base-game rules. Checked September 21, 2026.