- BGG rating
- 7.0
Citadels: The Dark City
- 2–8 players
- 60 min
- Complexity 2.1/5
- 2004
- BGG rank
- BGG #596
- BGG rating
- 7.1
Citadels
2000
Rules assistance for Citadels
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–8 players
- 20–60 min
- 10+
- Complexity 2.1/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for Citadels
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Citadels is a board game released in 2000 for 2–8 players, 20–60 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Bruno Faidutti and its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Take That, and Set Collection.
Expansions
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About the game
In Citadels, players take on new roles each round to represent characters they hire in order to help them acquire gold and erect buildings. The game ends at the close of a round in which a player erects his/her eighth building. Players then tally their points, and the player with the highest score wins. Players start with a number of building cards in their hand; buildings come in five colors, with the purple buildings typically having a special ability and the other colored buildings providing a benefit when you play particular characters. At the start of each round, the player who was king the previous round discards one of the eight character cards at random, chooses one, then passes the cards to the next player, etc. until each player has secretly chosen a character. Each character has a special ability, and the usefulness of any character depends upon your situation, and that of your opponents. The characters then carry out their actions in numerical order: the assassin eliminating another character for the round, the thief stealing all gold from another character, the wizard swapping building cards with another player, the warlord optionally destroys a building in play, and so on. On a turn, a player earns two or more gold (or draws two building cards then discards one), then optionally constructs one building (or up to three if playing the architect this round). Buildings cost gold equal to the number of symbols on them, and each building is worth a certain number of points. In addition to points from buildings, at the end of the game a player scores bonus points for having eight buildings or buildings of all five colors. The expansion Citadels: The Dark City was initially released as a separate item, but the second edition of the game from Hans im Glück (packaged in a tin box) and the third edition from Fantasy Flight Games included this expansion and can be recognized by its rectangular box (not square). With Dark City, Citadels supports a maximum of eight players.
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Edge Entertainment
- Arclight Games
- Delta Vision Publishing
- Kaissa Chess & Games
- Enigma (Bergsala Enigma)
- Silver Stars Publishing
- Smart Ltd
- Galápagos Jogos
- Fantasiapelit
- Hobby World
- KADABRA
- Siam Board Games
- Schmidt Spiele
- Korea Boardgames
- Swan Panasia Co., Ltd.
- Fantasy Flight Games
- Nexus Editrice
- Galakta
- Giochi Uniti
- Ігромаг
- 999 Games
- MINDOK
- Vennerød Forlag AS
- cutia.ro
- Laser plus
- Brain Games
- Z-Man Games
- Hans im Glück
- Midgaard Games
- Fantasy Shop
- Windrider Games
- Millenium
- MultiSim
- E L & M Productions
- Houpaa
Questions and answers
Citadels supports 2–8 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Citadels is 20–60 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Citadels for ages 10 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Citadels has a complexity rating of 2.1 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Citadels belongs to these categories: Card Game, Fantasy, and Deduction. Its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Take That, and Set Collection. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Citadels are: Bruno Faidutti. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Citadels as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.