Japan, 1761: Harima Province. Daimyo Sakai Tadazumi is one of the top advisors to the Tokugawa Shogunate, which rules the Himeji Castle region. It is therefore in the interest of the various local tribes to be seen in a good light by the Sakai tribe. To gain influence, they must get members of their family at every level within the White Castle.
In The White Castle you take on the role of a leader of a small tribe. You fight for the position and future of your tribe in the court of the White Heron. Cunning and precise resource management and housing relatives within Himeji Castle are the key to victory!
On his turn, he chooses a die from one of the three bridges and places it on the game board or his own tableau. The value of the die he covers with this determines whether he has to pay money for it or receives it. For choosing a low die you get a bonus, which becomes increasingly attractive as the game progresses. Then you perform the actions associated with the field in question.
The different areas, such as the spring, the training grounds and the castle, offer different options for action. You can receive coins, daimyo seals and resources, but also install gardeners or have tribe members climb the social ladder within the castle as courtiers until they perhaps reach the daimyo's floor. You will score some points during the game, but it is mainly about the situation at the end. Then your courtiers earn points in different ways.
Because the dice on the bridges and the dice tiles on the game board are always rolled and placed randomly, the starting position is different every game. The same applies to the promotions available in the different places. As a result, The White Castle of Himeji always remains surprising and challenging.