# Castles of Mad King Ludwig

Castles of Mad King Ludwig is a board game for 1–4 players. It plays in 90 minutes and is meant for ages 13 and up. Ludoya players call it best with 4. It is rated 7.1 out of 10 by 89 Ludoya reviewers. The cheapest copy in stock is $45.24 (United States).

- **Players:** 1–4 (best with 4)
- **Playing time:** 90 minutes
- **Minimum age:** 13+
- **Complexity:** 2.6 out of 5
- **Year published:** 2014
- **Categories:** Puzzle, Post-Napoleonic
- **Mechanics:** End Game Bonuses, Tile Placement, Set Collection, I Cut, You Choose, Increase Value of Unchosen Resources, Turn Order: Progressive, Pattern Building, Hidden Victory Points
- **Ludoya rating:** 7.1 out of 10, from 89 reviews
- **Owned by:** 154 Ludoya players
- **Plays logged on Ludoya:** 793
- **Unique players:** 536

**Designers:** Ted Alspach

**Artists:** Keith Curtis, Ted Alspach, Agnieszka Dabrowiecka, Ollin Timm

**Publishers:** Bézier Games

## Where to buy in United States

| Shop | Price | Link |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Gamers Guild AZ | 45.24 $ | https://gamersguildaz.com/products/castles-of-mad-king-ludwig-board-games |
| Miniature Market | 55.99 $ | https://www.miniaturemarket.com/castles-mad-king-ludwig-2e-bezcas2.html |
| Atomic Empire | 55.99 $ | https://www.atomicempire.com/Item/339784 |
| Board Game Bliss | 73.95 $ | https://www.boardgamebliss.com/products/castles-of-mad-king-ludwig |
| TLAMA games | 1119 Kč | https://www.tlamagames.com/strategicke/zamky-sileneho-krale-ludvika-2/ |
| Svet deskovych her | 1150 Kč | https://www.svet-deskovych-her.cz/produkty/12339/zamky-sileneho-krale-ludvika |
| Ludifolie | 53.9 € | https://www.ludifolie.com/7295-castles-of-mad-king-ludwig.html |
| Philibert | 53.95 € | https://philibertnet.com/fr/lucky-duck-games/126429-castles-of-mad-king-ludwig-769293746285.html |
| Homoludicus Granollers | 55 € | https://homoludicus-granollers.org/castillos-del-rey-loco-ludwig |
| Zatu Games | 51.09 £ | https://zatu.com/products/castles-of-mad-king-ludwig |
| Gamers@Hart | 51.21 £ | https://gamersathart.co.uk/product/castles-of-mad-king-ludwig-2nd-edition/ |
| Uplay | 75.95 € | https://www.uplay.it/it/gioco-da-tavolo-castles-of-mad-king-ludwig.html |
| Alphaspel | 899 kr | https://alphaspel.se/491-bradspel/205103-castles-of-mad-king-ludwig-2nd-ed |

## Expansions

- [Castles of Mad King Ludwig: Secrets](https://www.ludoya.com/games/castles-of-mad-king-ludwig-secrets)
- [Castles of Mad King Ludwig: Expansions](https://www.ludoya.com/games/castles-of-mad-king-ludwig-expansions)
- [Castles of Mad King Ludwig: Renovations](https://www.ludoya.com/games/castles-of-mad-king-ludwig-renovations)
- [Zamki szalonego króla Ludwika: Polskie zamki](https://www.ludoya.com/games/zamki-szalonego-krola-ludwika-polskie-zamki)
- [Castles of Mad King Ludwig: Dice Tower 2025 Promo Card](https://www.ludoya.com/games/castles-of-mad-king-ludwig-dice-tower-2025-promo-card)
- [Castles of Mad King Ludwig: Game Boy Geek 2025 Royal Decree Promo Card](https://www.ludoya.com/games/castles-of-mad-king-ludwig-game-boy-geek-2025-royal-decree-promo-card)
- [Castles of Mad King Ludwig: Katie's Ko-Opt Bonus Card](https://www.ludoya.com/games/castles-of-mad-king-ludwig-katies-ko-opt-bonus-card)
- [Castles of Mad King Ludwig: Melissa's Markup Royal Decree Promo Card](https://www.ludoya.com/games/castles-of-mad-king-ludwig-melissas-markup-royal-decree-promo-card)

## Similar games

- [Castles of Mad King Ludwig: Collector's Edition](https://www.ludoya.com/games/castles-of-mad-king-ludwig-collectors-edition)
- [Puerto Rico 1897: Special Edition](https://www.ludoya.com/games/puerto-rico-1897-special-edition)
- [The Castles of Burgundy: Special Edition](https://www.ludoya.com/games/castles-of-burgundy-special-edition)
- [Puerto Rico](https://www.ludoya.com/games/puerto-rico-3)
- [Puerto Rico 1897](https://www.ludoya.com/games/puerto-rico-1897)
- [The Castles of Burgundy](https://www.ludoya.com/games/the-castles-of-burgundy-2)
- [Puerto Rico](https://www.ludoya.com/games/puerto-rico-2)
- [Blueprints of Mad King Ludwig](https://www.ludoya.com/games/blueprints-of-mad-king-ludwig)
- [Ofrenda](https://www.ludoya.com/games/ofrenda)
- [Puerto Rico](https://www.ludoya.com/games/puerto-rico)
- [The Palaces of Carrara (Second Edition)](https://www.ludoya.com/games/the-palaces-of-carrara-second-edition)
- [Grand Austria Hotel](https://www.ludoya.com/games/grand-austria-hotel)

## Rules questions

### Can I place a room diagonally or with entrances that don't line up?

No — a new Room must connect at least one entrance to an entrance on an already placed Room, may be rotated in 90° increments, may not overlap other Rooms, and you must keep at least one external entrance open (see placement rules) (page 9).

### When do connection bonuses and adjacency penalties apply?

You resolve bonuses/penalties immediately when you place a Room — you score the new Room's bonus/penalty and any effects triggered on other already-placed Rooms as a result of that placement (pages 10–11).

### If there are coins on a Room when someone buys it, who gets those coins?

Coins on a Room may be used as part (or all) of the buyer's payment to the Master Builder; if the coins on the tile equal or exceed the price, the buyer keeps any coins left over after paying the Master Builder; when the Master Builder buys a Room, their payment goes to the supply (pages 7–8).

### Can I buy a Room even if I have nowhere to place it?

No — you may not buy a Room if you have nowhere you can legally place it (page 9).

### Where and when can I place Downstairs Rooms?

Downstairs Rooms can only be connected to the darker end of Stairs tiles, to other Downstairs Rooms, or to downstairs Hallways, and you cannot buy a Downstairs Room until you have at least one Stairs tile (page 9; details page 15).

### What makes a Room "complete" and what happens when I complete one?

A Room is complete when all of its entrances are connected to entrances on other Rooms (an entrance blocked by a wall prevents completion); when you complete a Room you immediately gain its completion reward, and you may resolve multiple completions in any order (page 12).

## Links

- [This page](https://www.ludoya.com/games/castles-of-mad-king-ludwig)
- [Castles of Mad King Ludwig in the Ludoya app](https://app.ludoya.com/g/castles-of-mad-king-ludwig)
- [BoardGameGeek entry](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/155426)

_Data from Ludoya, updated 2026-09-18. Ratings, ownership and play counts are Ludoya's own._