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Game Info
Year
2024
Collection
Your Tier
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Expansions & Family
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Description
Test your architectural skills in Blueprints of Mad King Ludwig, a flip-and-sketch strategy game to draw the most extravagant blueprints for King Ludwig's next castle!
Select rooms to add to your castle's floor plan. As you complete rooms' entrances by connecting them to other rooms, earn new abilities such as adding or removing entrances, earning new bonus cards, and taking extra turns. Keep your eye on the King's favors to beat out your opponents for public goals, as well as create courtyards and moats around your castle for some massive points to get ahead! The player who sketches the castle most suited to the whims of King Ludwig takes the royal victory!
—description from the publisher
Castles of Mad King Ludwig Family
(6 games)
Part of the Castles of Mad King Ludwig family — see Castles of Mad King Ludwig for the combined view.
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All mentions
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 14
This page: 14
Sentiment:
pos 8 ·
mix 3 ·
neu 2 ·
neg 0
Showing 1–14 of 14
Video 8xYJJj8Xlks
Watch It Played Announcement News at 0:19 sentiment: positive
video_pk 89026 · mention_pk 235808
Click to watch at 0:19 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Engaging floor-plan drafting with royal flavor
- Standalone flip-and-sketch design; accessible
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- architectural planning / blueprints
- a king's court focused on castle-building
- standalone flip-and-sketch re-implementation emphasizing floor plans and kingly favor
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Card Drafting — selecting cards to add to the floor plan
- Compound Scoring — pursuing public goals for points
- layout/room connection — connecting rooms to gain points and bonuses
- public goals / scoring — pursuing public goals for points
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Tales of Arthurian Nights by wizkids which is the re-implementation of the classic Tales of Arabian Nights from z-man games meaning that the title is a pun which I personally respect
- the deck contains 40 cards in four suits numbered one to ten with some cards depicting either Batman or Bruce Wayne
- it's a deep sea City new Eden is being built with the main Dome standing on a white smoker
- the balance between progress and destruction we are told that only those who keep an eye on the balance between progress and destruction can collect points in the final scoring
- you'll do this by drawing Mission cards then discussing your plan of action
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video axvL6V4C0CU
Tabletop Tolson Discussion at 32:50 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 88206 · mention_pk 232049
Click to watch at 32:50 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
- Innovative use of blueprints to shape construction
- Engaging for fans of Mad King Ludwig family of games
Cons
- First play reportedly not as enjoyable as hoped; setup and markers affected experience
Thematic elements
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Drafting with marker constraints — Dry erase elements or alternatives guide drafting and scoring.
- Modular architecture planning — Players draft blueprints and build a castle with varied room types.
- Modular Board — Players draft blueprints and build a castle with varied room types.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Puzzle hunt it is just a lovely 2hour puzzling exercise with a team of four
- I had a fantastic time at working geekon 2023 and I can't wait for next year's
- I walked away with this game
- I can't wait to tell you more about this
- Puzzle hunt and puzzling with the aha moment is really where it's at
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 9NcJCvUliUY
Watch It Played Discussion at 5:07 sentiment: neutral
video_pk 88006 · mention_pk 230853
Click to watch at 5:07 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
neutral
Pros
none
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- building/architecture
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- 200 games in one go
- The Shelf of Shame
- these games aren't going anywhere
- I'm killing two birds with one stone
- The joy of a legacy game is that you can all pitch in together and buy it
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video zQP5gaa7usc
Where There's A Wilz, There's a Play Top 10 List at 8:46 sentiment: positive
video_pk 86009 · mention_pk 221712
Click to watch at 8:46 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- cool castle-building theme with tangible room bonuses
- enjoyable tactile element (vellum tracing and drawing) for a unique feel
- engaging, strategic decisions
Cons
- some players may find scoring slightly complex
- theme is abstracted from base game; fans may want more narrative
Thematic elements
- castle construction with thematic room bonuses
- fantasy castle-building with rooms
- abstract/strategic
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- End Game Bonuses — rooms provide bonuses; color-coded bonuses and scoring cards influence end scoring.
- end-game bonuses / scoring cards — rooms provide bonuses; color-coded bonuses and scoring cards influence end scoring.
- room drafting — players select rooms to draft into their castle layout.
- Tile Placement — rooms must connect and satisfy placement constraints; bonuses are earned for certain features.
- tile/room placement with constraints — rooms must connect and satisfy placement constraints; bonuses are earned for certain features.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- this is supposed to be a real time game which means you have to be rolling your dice fast and thinking quick
- we've taken the real-time aspect out of it but kept some of the things in it
- the turn-based I find it a lot more enjoyable
- I think this is a really good version of Isle of Cats
- the OG of rolling rights and that would be Yatsi
- I have some great childhood memories when I used to go and stay at my grandma we would play yatsi all the time
- the theme is so cool
- Patchwork doodle more than Patchwork
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video IwPR4_dGLOY
Where There's A Wilz, There's a Play Top 10 List at 4:22 sentiment: positive
video_pk 85910 · mention_pk 221045
Click to watch at 4:22 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- great puzzle of fitting rooms to maximize scoring opportunities
- fun token and bonus ecosystem (King's favors, bonuses, and contracts)
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- castle construction and kingly preferences
- fantasy monarchy / castle-building
- puzzle-driven drafting and room-building
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- drafting / pool selection — draft cards from a pool to build rooms and sections of a castle.
- Set Collection — collect rooms with various shapes and features to complete contracts and score points.
- set collection / room-building — collect rooms with various shapes and features to complete contracts and score points.
- tiles/room completion bonuses — finishing a room grants bonuses via tokens and scoring opportunities.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- this is a flip and write where you are building the perfect neighborhood
- this is blueprints of Mad King Ludwig
- this is a fabulous multi-use card flip and right game that is all about building the best rail system
- I just absolutely love this game I love the puzzle of this game
- Rolling Realms is just so replayable because there are so many different Realms
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video o-SMz66PoD0
Where There's A Wilz, There's a Play Top 10 List at 5:16 sentiment: positive
video_pk 85821 · mention_pk 220682
Click to watch at 5:16 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- fun flip-and-write mechanic
- cool paper templates for shapes
- interactive room-placement abilities
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- castle design and spatial layout
- castle-building with unusual room shapes
- abstract
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Flip and Write — players draft and arrange rooms using sliding paper templates to match shapes.
- Flip/Roll and Write — players draft and arrange rooms using sliding paper templates to match shapes.
- Tile Placement — closing rooms grants special abilities and enables various placement and expansion options.
- tile/room placement with special abilities — closing rooms grants special abilities and enables various placement and expansion options.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- This is a flip and write game where you are creating a castle.
- I really like this game. I think this is a really good followup because cover your assets.
- Patchwork Doodle is kind of like a followup to the original Patchwork.
- The creatures are adorable.
- I like the colors. They're pretty. They're really nice.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video KyfFzDFEbd4
Where There's A Wilz, There's a Play Top 5 List at 10:04 sentiment: positive
video_pk 85058 · mention_pk 217250
Click to watch at 10:04 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- beautiful components and box
- engaging tiling / room placement
- strong solo variant
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- architectural design with unique room shapes
- castle-building in a fantastical realm
- tiling / drafting puzzle
Comparison games
- Trekking the World (2nd edition)
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- flip-and-write — vellum sheets let you draft and reveal rooms.
- Flip/Roll and Write — vellum sheets let you draft and reveal rooms.
- layout optimization — connect entrances and close off areas to gain bonuses.
- space expansion — unlock basement and moat areas with rules about connectivity.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Wanderlust, Discover the World by Pectus Studios.
- This is a fun, delightful game.
- I really like this one.
- Emberleaf, amazing game.
- The artwork is highly controversial. I like this.
- I love push your luck games.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video xS-6Se4Qds0
watch it played Rules Teach at 3:25 sentiment: neutral
video_pk 64020 · mention_pk 157524
Click to watch at 3:25 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
neutral
Pros
none
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- Architecture/king's whims
- Castle building under a king; designing rooms to satisfy the king's whims
- Sketch-based planning and scoring with visual layout
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Card/Chit Market — End of round, discard unused market cards; create new market based on number of players
- Courtyards — Fully enclosed areas with entrances scoring points at end of game
- Downstairs rooms and secret passages — Downstairs rooms require connections and can grant secret passages to connect rooms
- End of round and refill — End of round, discard unused market cards; create new market based on number of players
- Entrance connections — Every new room must connect at least one entrance to existing ones; some rooms connect to walls or borders
- Final scoring — Calculate points from circles, completed rooms, outdoor rooms, moats, courtyards, and king's favors
- market draft — On a turn, a player takes a card from the market along with a matching color pencil
- Moat reward — Declare and draw a moat, which affects scoring and can remove entrances
- Rewards system — Different room rewards (sleeping/blue, living/purple, red activity, yellow food, green outdoor) grant various effects
- Room placement on blueprint — Draw the room into a valid space, align entrances, and rotate rooms 90 degrees as needed
- Room sizes and types — Rooms have a size and a type, color-coded by category (e.g., red activity rooms, orange utility rooms, etc.)
- Royal Decrees — Decrees grant special benefits including extra turns or end-game points
- Special rewards and flags — Special rewards give flexible scoring via flags and track their use
- Swan tokens and markings — Fill in Swan icons on score sheets when rooms have Swan symbols and manage a Swan track
- Tile Placement — Draw the room into a valid space, align entrances, and rotate rooms 90 degrees as needed
- Turn order and rounds — Game proceeds in rounds; order determined by top card values; ties broken by subsequent cards
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- the game is played over a series of 10 rounds
- you win the game
- you must align one of its entrances to one already sketched on your sheet
- The Leftovers are returned to the box
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video SrDXxlPRswU
Watch It Played Playthrough at 0:17 sentiment: positive
video_pk 63888 · mention_pk 157407
Click to watch at 0:17 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Engaging solo mode that pits current performance against a personal best.
- Deluxe components (playmat, king's favors tokens) and promo cards add flavor and thematic weight.
- Flexible layout with room variety and opportunities for creative connections (courtyards, secret passages).
- Promotional rooms like Book Nook and Wine Tasting Room provide thematic flair and scoring variety.
Cons
- Deck randomness can make planning outcomes uncertain and require adaptive strategy.
- The layout has many moving parts and many doors, which can feel fiddly and visually busy.
- Initial setup and spatial planning can be fiddly due to large room sizes and placement constraints.
Thematic elements
- Castle-building with royal favor scoring
- Medieval castle / royal palace architecture
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Courtyards — Fully closed spaces with doors that score points; completing courtyards interacts with other rooms and bonuses.
- Downstairs/Secret Doors — Rules allow moving and adding doors (including secret doors) to connect rooms; connects to courtyard strategies and allows completing rooms more efficiently.
- End Game Bonuses — End-game scoring combines base room points, moat points, courtyard points, bonuses from royal decrees and king's favors; also considers partially completed spaces and adjacent empty squares.
- King's Favors — Scoring objectives based on room attributes (e.g., total square footage of certain room types, number of seven-size rooms, etc.) tracked via tokens; affects end-game scoring against a reserve that represents a second player.
- Moat — A scoring/placement feature that can be drawn at the lot edges; helps connect spaces and contributes to courtyard/score calculations.
- Point Salad — Fully closed spaces with doors that score points; completing courtyards interacts with other rooms and bonuses.
- Promo Cards — Promo room cards mixed into the market/deck (e.g., Wine Tasting Room, Book Nook) that can be drawn and placed for potential scoring or layout effects.
- Reserve/End Round Deck — Discarded cards go to a reserve pile that can interact with scoring as if another player were competing; the game ends when the deck runs out.
- Room drafting and placement — Solo mode draws a pool of room cards (30 cards sampled from the deck), reveals three to choose from each round, places rooms to form a blueprint with doors and connections; different room types (living, downstairs, outdoor) affect scoring.
- Royal Decrees — Bonus decree cards selected at setup; in solo you draft three and keep one, discarding symbols that are not usable in solo mode; some decrees grant special bonuses (e.g., moat, extra bonus, go last) and influence scoring.
- Scoring and endgame — End-game scoring combines base room points, moat points, courtyard points, bonuses from royal decrees and king's favors; also considers partially completed spaces and adjacent empty squares.
- Start Reward / Extra Turn — Start reward grants an extra turn or a bonus; in solo mode this can extend play and influence final scoring.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- we are playing the solo mode of the blueprints of Mad King Ludvig
- the rules for the solo mode are not that different than the rules for the multiplayer version
- we are playing against ourselves just always trying to get a better score from the last time we played
- look at that Orchestra room it's so cool
- it's meditative
- this is going to be a cool turn
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 7KMNg-gW_zU
Let's Table It Review at 0:00 sentiment: positive
video_pk 61941 · mention_pk 154553
Click to watch at 0:00 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- creative castle design experience
- easy to learn/draw on paper
- short, ~10 rounds
- visually appealing end results
- replayability through varied room combinations and bonuses
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- creativity, competition, and architectural design
- castle-building in a medieval kingdom under King Ludwig
- blueprint drafting/diagrammatic drafting
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Card Drafting — Players draft a room card and sketch it onto their castle sheet in turn order.
- card drafting / sketching — Players draft a room card and sketch it onto their castle sheet in turn order.
- color-coded room types — Rooms come in color-coded types; completing them grants bonuses and affects scoring.
- completion bonuses — Completing a room yields a specific bonus on the score sheet.
- courtyards and moats scoring — Building enclosures and moats yields points, including 10-point courtyards and two points per adjacent feature.
- End Game Bonuses — Completing a room yields a specific bonus on the score sheet.
- End-game and final scoring — When the deck runs out, players finish the round and tally final points, including rewards and special bonuses.
- entrances and connections — Rooms have entrances that must connect to others; completing connections can unlock bonuses.
- market / room deck and royal decrees — A pool of room cards (market) and Royal Decree cards grant bonuses each player can use.
- Point Salad — Building enclosures and moats yields points, including 10-point courtyards and two points per adjacent feature.
- skip turn reward — If you skip a turn you may gain a reward.
- special tokens and rewards — King's favor tokens and reward circles provide scoring opportunities during play.
- turn order determined by room size — The size of the most recently placed room determines turn order (smallest goes last).
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- it's a great game where you you know get to design your own castle and try to obey as many different rules as you want and you will try to figure out the best way to do that with your you know options for the rooms that you can add but also picking bonuses that you want to gain by completing rooms
- the end result can be very fun to look at and compare with the other players
- we really like this game
- ultimately this is a game where players can create and even for those that don't feel like they are creative this game still let you be creative
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video gUGkLxIoVzc
Let's Table It Review at 0:00 sentiment: positive
video_pk 61949 · mention_pk 154556
Click to watch at 0:00 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Engaging sketch-drafting mechanic that blends drawing with planning
- Wide variety of scoring options and tokens
- Beautiful, thematically appropriate components and tracing paper design
- Solo play options provide flexibility
Cons
- May have a learning curve for first-time players
- Theme and mechanics may be niche for some players
- Component handling could be delicate with tracing material
Thematic elements
- castle design, architecture, and planning
- Castle-building contest where players sketch rooms to form a grand castle for a king
- instructional/preview with enthusiastic commentary
Comparison games
- Castles of Mad King Ludwig
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- modifiers and bonus cards — Royal decrees and bonus cards alter rules and scoring opportunities.
- room drafting and tracing — Players choose room cards and trace or sketch them onto their castle plan to form rooms.
- scoring by room size and completion — Points are awarded based on room size, completed doorways, and specific room bonuses.
- variable play modes — The game supports solo play and multiple players with different scoring variations.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- the game is for 1 to five players and plays in about 60 minutes
- there are a lot of different ways to score points
- the first player marker is an eraser a fine touch
- how the sketch paper is actually tracing paper to make your castle look even good
- my favorite adding Moes to your sketch
- I feel like indeed each pencil has the type sketched into it and I really like
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video ptno4xo9BiA
Jamie, Tabletoptiktok Discussion at 0:52
video_pk 61397 · mention_pk 154074
Click to watch at 0:52 · YouTube ↗
Pros
none
Cons
none
Thematic elements
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- These are a great option to make it easier for them.
- I love having a laminator.
- These are absolutely great for that. Like I said, being able to have something to hold the components so that people can easily reach them.
- It is nice to have some things that make it easier to play the games, get them to the table, that type of thing.
- I like to have some sleeves around for select games.
- Super handy.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video QRfDhKJL3eg
Board Games for One Discussion at 3:32 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 36111 · mention_pk 108127
Click to watch at 3:32 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
- Art is attractive and the standalone concept is appealing
- Portable, standalone experience with approachable two-player option
Cons
- The flip-and-write mechanic is not universally favored by the presenter
- Skepticism about the flip-and-write approach may limit enthusiasm
Thematic elements
- tile placement and flip-and-write-style drafting
- castle-building theme with a focus on plans and blueprints
- tinkerer's puzzle aesthetic with design-and-build flavor
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Flip-and-write / flip-and-draw drafting — players flip and draft tile plans to create a castle layout on paper
- Tile Placement — tiles represent blueprints; players place them to form a castle plan
- tile placement / drafting — tiles represent blueprints; players place them to form a castle plan
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- I loved it
- two player absolutely loved it, solo absolutely loved it
- this is truly a three-player game all right
- for $48 a flip and sketch I don't know I'm pretty skeptical of that
- it's a rolling right okay what are we doing flip cards and choose dice
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video AEJPMDwGCYY
The Board Game Garden Discussion at 27:11 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 29322 · mention_pk 86161
Click to watch at 27:11 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
- Deluxe components and tactile drawing experience
- Satisfying drafting and room-placement flow
Cons
- Rule clarity can be challenging
- Solo variant understanding requires care
Thematic elements
- Architectural drafting
- Medieval castle-building
- Pattern-based scoring with modular rooms
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- pattern drafting — Draft room blueprints to place on your castle plan
- Pattern scoring — Score based on pattern completion and room adjacencies
- Tile Placement — Place rooms into a grid, score patterns and adjacencies
- tile/room placement — Place rooms into a grid, score patterns and adjacencies
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- The look of this game is absolutely stunning
- I love the look of these green tokens
- it's very satisfying to place the chips onto your itinerary
- I am really excited to play this
- the components are absolutely fantastic
- I loved drawing in all of the rooms on this little like vellum sheet
- I did not do well at all in blueprints of Mad King Ludwig
- I ended up with a score of 226 which is not amazing
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
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