Kingdomino Rules

Introduction

You are a royal, seeking new lands to expand your ever-growing kingdom. Explore and conquer the different terrains, and develop the best and richest territories for your people. Scour lands full of wheat fields, forests, lakes, grasslands, swamps, and mines, diversifying your kingdom’s riches along the way. Make sure to plan and acquire carefully, as others are also coveting these valuable properties!

Object of the Game

Be the player whose 5x5 kingdom earns them the highest number of points. Players earn points by strategically adding dominoes to their kingdoms, matching and connecting them to form different territories.

Each domino has 2 terrain squares, and a territory is a group of matching terrain squares that are connected horizontally or vertically. The more connecting terrain squares and point-earning crowns a territory has, the more points players receive at the end of the game.

Note: The following set-up and rules apply to 4 player games. For 2 and 3 player games use the same rules but include the “adjustments” found on the last page.

Set-up

Before your first game, assemble the 4 3D castles.

Have each player take a single square starting tile, a castle, and one king meeple that matches their castle color. The other 4 kings will not be used, return them to the box.

Have each player put the starting tile, with the castle directly on it, in front of them.

Shuffle the dominoes and then place them in the box. Position the box so that the gap in the line-up of dominoes is facing away from players (meaning neither the number nor the terrain sides are visible to anyone). This will be the drawing pile for the game.

The Starting Round

To start, take the first 4 dominoes from the box and line them up numerically, terrain side down. The lowest number should be at the top of the vertical line, and the highest number at the bottom. Then, flip them over so the terrain side is exposed.

To determine the order in which players will select their first domino, one player takes all 4 king meeples in their hand and pulls them out one at a time. The first king meeple to be pulled indicates which player can select first etc… Players select their first domino in this order, placing their king meeple on a domino to claim it.

When all 4 dominoes are claimed, select 4 new dominoes from the drawing pile. Again, line them up numerically, terrain side down, next to those already selected. Then, flip them over.

Playing a Round

After the starting round, and for each following round, players take two actions on their turn, one after the other; they add their previously selected domino to their kingdom (See 1/ Kingdom building), and then choose a new domino from the next line (See 2/ Domino Selection).

The playing order for a round is determined by the position of kings in the line of already selected dominoes. The player whose king was placed on the 1st domino in the line (the smallest numbered domino) goes first, the player whose king was placed on the 2nd domino in the line goes second etc…

1 - Kingdom building

Dominoes must be added to a kingdom using the following Connection Rules:

A kingdom may not be more than 5x5 squares in dimension.

When connecting a domino to another domino, horizontally or vertically, at least 2 connecting squares must have the same terrain type (one on each domino).

The 4-sides of the starting tile are wild; any terrain can be connected to them.

Once a domino is in place, it may not be moved.

If a player selects a domino (or is forced to select a domino) that does not fit into their kingdom because it violates the 5x5 dimension rule, or it does not match any available terrain type, it must be discarded from the game. Points are not earned for discarded dominoes.

Dominoes cannot be discarded if they can be placed in a kingdom using the above rules.

2 - Domino Selection

After adding a domino to their kingdom, players then select any available domino in the next line, placing their king on top of that domino to claim it.

Note: While higher numbered dominoes are more valuable, with mixed terrains and point-earning crowns, claiming them results in a player having less of a choice for the next round… it’s all part of the strategy!

After all players have added to their kingdom and selected their next domino, pick 4 more dominoes from the box. Line them up numerically, terrain side down, next to those already selected. Then, flip them over to start a new round. Use the position of each king in the line as the new playing order.

Play continues this way until the dominoes run out (12 rounds for a 4 player game).

End of Game

The game ends when there are no more dominoes in the draw pile. Players then add the last domino to their kingdom (following the connection rules).

Players now calculate their points using the following instructions:

♦As a reminder, a territory is a group of matching terrain squares that are connected horizontally or vertically (not diagonally).

♦ For every territory, count the number of connecting terrain squares and multiply that number by the total number of crowns found in that territory. Territories without crowns do not score points.

♦ It is possible to have multiple territories with the same terrain type in your kingdom, but if they do not connect they are scored separately.

♦ Example: A territory made up of 7 forest squares, with 3 crowns, scores 21 points (7x3=21). A territory made of 9 lake squares with no crowns scores 0 points (9x0=0). Z Players calculate the points of all the territories in their kingdoms, and then add those points up to create a final score.

The player with the highest score wins.

In the event of a tie, the player with the largest territory (the most connecting squares of the same terrain) wins. If there is still a tie, the players share the victory.

Adjustments

2 player games

Have each player take 2 king meeples, 1 starting tile, and 1 castle, and leave the remaining components in the box.

Play with 24 randomly selected dominoes (remove half).

During a round, players select 2 dominoes; 1 with each of their king meeples. The order of selection is still determined by a random draw for the first turn, and by the order of kings in the line for all following turns

3 player games

Have each player take 1 king meeple, starting tile, and castle, and leave the remaining set in the box.

Play with all 48 dominoes, and line up 4 at a time for domino selection. After all 3 players have selected a domino, discard the leftover domino into the box every round.

Additional Variations:

The Mighty Duel (2 players): For advanced players! Do not remove any dominoes and use all 48, so that each player creates a 7x7 grid.

Harmony: Players get 5 bonus points if their kingdom forms a complete grid (5x5 or 7x7) and has no gaps.

Middle Kingdom: Players get 10 bonus points if their castle is centered in their kingdom’s grid (the kingdom may have gaps).

Dynasty: Play 3 games in a row. The player with the highest number of total points wins the game.