# Kingdom Builder

Kingdom Builder is a board game for 2–4 players. It plays in 45 minutes and is meant for ages 8 and up. Ludoya players call it best with 4. It is rated 6.9 out of 10 by 69 Ludoya reviewers. The cheapest copy in stock is $33.99 (United States).

- **Players:** 2–4 (best with 4)
- **Playing time:** 45 minutes
- **Minimum age:** 8+
- **Complexity:** 2.1 out of 5
- **Year published:** 2011
- **Categories:** Medieval, Territory Building
- **Mechanics:** Grid Movement, Network and Route Building, Chaining, Tile Placement, Area Majority / Influence, Hexagon Grid, Variable Set-up, Modular Board, Enclosure, Pattern Building
- **Ludoya rating:** 6.9 out of 10, from 69 reviews
- **Owned by:** 98 Ludoya players
- **Plays logged on Ludoya:** 1,168
- **Unique players:** 494

**Designers:** Donald X. Vaccarino

**Artists:** Oliver Schlemmer

**Publishers:** Queen Games

## Where to buy in United States

| Shop | Price | Link |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Miniature Market | 33.99 $ | https://www.miniaturemarket.com/Kingdom-Builder-Family-Friends-Compact-Edition-New-Arrival/QNG10822 |
| Board Game Bliss | 76.95 $ | https://www.boardgamebliss.com/products/kingdom-builder |
| Svet deskovych her | 710 Kč | https://www.svet-deskovych-her.cz/produkty/1654/kingdom-builder |
| Milan Spiele | 31.2 € | https://www.milan-spiele.de/kingdom-builder-family-friends-p-38195.html |
| Ludifolie | 34.9 € | https://www.ludifolie.com/754-kingdom-builder.html |
| Dragons Lair | 475 kr | https://dragonslair.se/products/kingdom-builder |
| Snafu Store | 44.95 € | https://snafustore.com/product/kingdom-builder/ |
| Homoludicus Granollers | 47 € | https://homoludicus-granollers.org/kingdom-builder |
| World of Board Games | 649 kr | https://www.worldofboardgames.com/kingdom_builder_eng |
| Spielezar | 54.9 Fr. | https://www.spielezar.ch/brettspiele/kingdom-builder |
| Hyggeonkel | 449.95 kr | https://www.hyggeonkel.dk/produkt/kingdom-builder-english-36758 |

## Expansions

- [Kingdom Builder: Nomads](https://www.ludoya.com/games/kingdom-builder-nomads)
- [Kingdom Builder: Crossroads](https://www.ludoya.com/games/kingdom-builder-crossroads)
- [Kingdom Builder: Capitol](https://www.ludoya.com/games/kingdom-builder-capitol)
- [Kingdom Builder: Marshlands](https://www.ludoya.com/games/kingdom-builder-marshlands)
- [Kingdom Builder: Caves](https://www.ludoya.com/games/kingdom-builder-caves)
- [Kingdom Builder: The Island](https://www.ludoya.com/games/kingdom-builder-the-island)
- [Kingdom Builder: Harvest](https://www.ludoya.com/games/kingdom-builder-harvest)
- [Kingdom Builder: Queenie 4 – The Emperor's Choice](https://www.ludoya.com/games/kingdom-builder-the-emperors-choice)

## Similar games

- [Kingdom Builder: Big Box (Second Edition)](https://www.ludoya.com/games/kingdom-builder-big-box-second-edition)
- [Kingdom Builder: Big Box](https://www.ludoya.com/games/kingdom-builder-big-box)
- [Winter Kingdom](https://www.ludoya.com/games/winter-kingdom)
- [Blue Lagoon](https://www.ludoya.com/games/blue-lagoon)
- [Land vs Sea](https://www.ludoya.com/games/land-vs-sea)
- [Carcassonne Big Box 6](https://www.ludoya.com/games/carcassonne-big-box-6)
- [Whispering Woods](https://www.ludoya.com/games/whispering-woods)
- [Carcassonne](https://www.ludoya.com/games/carcassonne)
- [Queendomino](https://www.ludoya.com/games/queendomino)
- [Babylonia](https://www.ludoya.com/games/babylonia-2)
- [Samurai](https://www.ludoya.com/games/samurai)
- [Under the Leaves](https://www.ludoya.com/games/under-the-leaves-2)

## Rules questions

### Do I have to build three settlements every turn?

Yes — the mandatory action is to build 3 settlements of the terrain shown on your played terrain card and they must be built successively; if no eligible hex exists you must draw a new terrain card (removing unsuitable cards) until you can build (pages 3–4).

### Does each settlement I place have to touch one of my existing settlements?

Always build a new settlement adjacent to one of your own if possible; only if that is impossible may you place elsewhere, subject to special rules for certain extra actions (see rule 3 and the exceptions such as tower/oracle/barn) (page 4, see also page 6 for extra-action exceptions).

### Can I build on water hexes?

No, water is not a normal terrain for mandatory builds — you can only place a settlement on a water hex by using the Harbor extra action (page 4 and page 6); note the Fishermen card also does not award gold for settlements on water (page 5).

### How do location tiles work — when do I get them and can I lose them?

You seize a location tile immediately when you build next to its location hex (one per location), flip it to the picture side to use its extra action (once per turn), and you keep it only while at least one of your settlements remains adjacent — if you move your last adjacent settlement away you must discard the tile (page 3).

### When does the game end and who gets the last turn?

The game ends when a player has placed their last settlement from their supply, but the current round is finished so the player to the right of the start player is the last to take a turn (page 4).

### Do I get 3 gold for every settlement next to a castle hex?

No — at endgame you earn 3 gold for each castle hex where you have built at least one settlement, but you only receive 3 gold per castle hex even if you have multiple settlements adjacent to the same castle (page 3).

## Links

- [This page](https://www.ludoya.com/games/kingdom-builder)
- [Kingdom Builder in the Ludoya app](https://app.ludoya.com/g/kingdom-builder)
- [BoardGameGeek entry](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/107529)

_Data from Ludoya, updated 2026-09-19. Ratings, ownership and play counts are Ludoya's own._