Is Castle Panic good for kids? Age and difficulty

How do you set up Castle Panic?

Checked against the Fireside Games English rules for Castle Panic, second edition. Page numbers are the printed numbers; page 1 is the first page of rules and the last, unnumbered page is the summary page.

1. Put one Tower in each light-coloured space of the Castle ring in the middle of the board. Any Tower can go in any space (page 2).
2. Put one Wall on each line between the Castle ring and the Swordsman ring (page 2).
3. Draw 3 Goblins, 2 Orcs and 1 Troll from the Monster tokens. Put one in each arc of the Archer ring, with the corner showing the highest number pointing at the Castle. You choose which goes where, but only 1 per arc. This is for setup only; later Monsters start in the Forest (page 2).
4. Take the 6 Order of Play cards out of the Castle cards. Give 1 to each player and put the rest away (page 3).
5. Shuffle the Castle cards and deal yourself a hand of 6, face up (pages 3 and 12).
6. Shuffle the Castle cards and deal each player 6 cards, face up. Everyone plays with open hands (page 3).
7. Shuffle the Castle cards and deal each player 5 cards, face up. Everyone plays with open hands (page 3).
8. Shuffle the Castle cards and deal each player 4 cards, face up. Everyone plays with open hands (page 3).
9. Put the rest of the Castle cards face down as the draw pile, with room beside it for a face-up discard pile (page 3).
10. Turn the remaining Monster tokens face down and mix them as the Monster pile, with room for a Monster discard pile (page 3).
11. Put the Tar token, the 2 Fortify tokens and the die nearby (the tokens are on page 3, the die on pages 1 and 2).
12. Choose who goes first. Play goes clockwise (page 3).

Start over

How do you teach Castle Panic to kids?

The box says 8 and up. We suggest 7 and up with an adult helping, and 8 and up on their own. It is cooperative: everyone wins or loses together, and everyone's cards are face up, so the team can plan together (pages 1 and 3).

Say this

1. Monsters are marching at our castle. We win if we slay all of them and at least one Tower is still standing. We lose if they knock down all 6 Towers.
2. On your turn, first fill your hand back up. You can swap one card with one card from another player.
3. To hit a Monster, play a card with the same colour and the same ring as the Monster's space. A hit turns the Monster so its number goes down. At zero it is slain.
4. Then every Monster on the board steps closer to the castle. A Monster that reaches a Wall smashes it and takes 1 damage, and it waits there until the next time Monsters move.
5. Finally, draw 2 new Monster tokens. Most go in the Forest where a die roll says. Some are special.

The rulebook has a beginner option: for younger players or a quicker game, take out the tokens listed in its Easier Battles variant (page 13). It has no other beginner variant, so the other ideas below are house rules.

First-game simplifications

• Official variant Easier Battles: remove these Monster tokens from the game: Draw 4 Monsters, Orc Warlord, Troll Mage, Plague! Swordsmen, Plague! Knights, the three "Monsters in a colour move 1" tokens, and 3 Giant Boulders (page 13).
• House rule Let a grown-up roll the die and place new Monsters for the first game.
• House rule Play the first Monster phase out loud so kids see what each token does.

Watch-outs for kids ages 7 to 8

• A card hits only if it matches both the colour and the ring of the Monster. You cannot hit a Monster in the Forest ring (page 4).
• Nobody draws up on their first turn, because everyone starts with a full hand (page 4).
• A trade is a swap. You cannot just give a card away, and you cannot trade with someone who has no cards (page 4).
• Once a Monster is in the Castle ring, only the Barbarian, Tar and Drive Him Back! cards can touch it (page 8).
• To build a Wall back you need a Brick card and a Mortar card together. A second Wall cannot go on a Wall that is there already (page 5).
• A Boss token does its special thing only when it is first drawn (page 10).
• You lose as soon as the last Tower falls, even if Walls are still standing (page 6).

Back for another game?

• Each turn, in order: draw up, optionally discard 1 and draw 1, optionally trade, play cards, move Monsters, draw 2 new Monsters (page 3).
• Hand size is 6 cards for 1 or 2 players, 5 for 3 to 5 players and 4 for 6 players (pages 3 and 12). You can trade 1 card for 1 card (2 trades with 6 players) (page 4).
• Hit a Monster by playing a card with its colour and ring. Hits do 1 damage. Goblins start with 1 point, Orcs 2 and Trolls 3 (pages 4 and 5).
• Move Monsters: those outside the Castle ring move 1 ring closer. Those in the Castle ring move 1 space clockwise (page 5).
• Walls: a Monster arriving from the Swordsman ring at a Wall destroys it and takes 1 damage. With no Wall, it enters the Castle ring. A Monster entering a Tower's space destroys the Tower and takes 1 damage (page 9).
• New Monsters: roll the die for the arc in the Forest. Boss tokens do something special when drawn, and Monster Effects are discarded after they happen (pages 5, 10 and 11).
• You win when all 49 Monster tokens have been played, every Monster is slain and at least 1 Tower stands. You lose if the last Tower falls (page 6).

How do you keep track in Castle Panic?

The board shows the Towers and Walls, so this helper is only for keeping count. You start with 6 Towers and 6 Walls (page 2). You lose when the last Tower is destroyed, even if Walls remain (page 6). Walls can be rebuilt with a Brick card and a Mortar card, but Towers cannot be rebuilt (pages 5 and 9). You win when all 49 Monster tokens are played, all Monsters are slain and at least 1 Tower remains (page 6).