Castles of Mad King Ludwig : Secrets
Expansion of: Castles of Mad King LudwigCastles of Mad King Ludwig: Secrets is an expansion for Castles of Mad King Ludwig that will help you build even more amazing, crazy castles than ever before!
45m - 90m
1 - 4 Players
Ages 13+
cheesehaven
This rating is based on the expansion only. I really only got this expansion to get some more rooms. But the expansion does offer some other nice additions to the base game; however, I wouldn't call it an essential expansion. But I would still highly recommend it if you like the base game. The moats are a really neat concept that make the board look even cooler. The swans offer a nice set collection element to the game, which adds some complexity. I do enjoy the fact you can cash in your swans for money, or save them for points. The passageways are probably my least favorite part of the expansion, just because they are so tiny and really can throw off the design. I get what they were going for there, but I just don't think those are necessary. We usually don't play with those. Also, because of the new rules and options, the expansion can make the game even more prone to AP, which can make for some long turns. But that's to be expected in a game like this. Another minor complaint is the setup rule for mixing in the new room tiles with the old tiles. It takes forever to sort out the new tiles and then mix them properly with the old tiles, so we usually just shuffle all the tiles together and whichever ones get into the game are what we go with. It is supposed to balance out the swan rooms, but I really don't think it's necessary. We never set it up that way, and it hasn't changed the outcome at all, so I would recommend just ignoring that rule. Overall, I would definitely recommend the expansion; however, the game is still very fun without it.
biasedisland
This expansion is not necessary, and some may not even like it. You can (optionally) build a moat around your castle. This provides points, but restricts how big you can build your castle. The swan token set collecting is a nice touch though.
AndrewRogue
More Castles of Mad King Ludwig. None of the modules are THAT interesting, but they're a solid addition. if you love the game, no reason not to get them, but if you're lukewarm, I'd pass.