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Basilika

How to Play

In Basilika you build two things: your deck, and the battlefield itself, laid tile by tile. Then you outmaneuver your opponent across it to capture their King. Here's how a game flows.

The core play loop

  1. Build your deck and choose Classes

    Pick one Archetype tile to anchor your strategy, then build a deck of unique cards (no duplicates): 50 to 60 for a standard 7x7 game, 40 to 50 for 6x6, 30 to 40 for Blitz 5x5, 20 to 25 for 4x4, or 15 to 20 for Super Blitz 3x3. Decks for 3x3 and 4x4 hold no Modifiers. Choose a Class for each Piece Type before the game begins.

  2. Set up the board

    Everyone rolls a D20; the highest roll chooses to go first or last, and play runs clockwise. On a 7x7 board, the last player rolls a D6 for the center space. Place Archetypes in opposite corners, then, in turn order, set your King and Retinue on yours. Draw 6 cards and Mulligan up to 4.

  3. Start your turn

    Gain 3 Actions (3A), then draw: 2 cards in the Early Game, 1 in the Mid-Game, and none once End-Game begins. In a one-on-one game, the first player draws only 1 card on their first turn.

  4. Grow the board

    Play Tiles into open spaces adjacent to any tile stemming from your Archetype, so your landscape spreads outward. Pay costs in Actions, Discards, or Piece HP. Modifiers attach to Classes to change how a Piece Type behaves.

  5. Move and attack

    For 1A, a piece may either Move or Attack once per turn: a Piece Action. Each Piece Type moves its own way, and the black and white squares of each tile shape where it can go. See Using your Pieces.

  6. Use tile effects

    Every tile is a tool. Move a piece onto a tile to trigger its effects, and bring your King onto tiles with King-Landing rewards. Once played, a tile belongs to the Board, so any player who stands on it can use it. See Tiles.

  7. Resolve combat

    An attack deals damage equal to the attacker's Value, which is also its HP. Reduce a piece to 0 HP to Capture it, and your attacker takes its square. Damage that falls short lowers the target's Value. Kings take half damage from non-combat sources, rounded up.

  8. End the turn, and win

    Your turn ends when you spend your final Action. You win by Capturing an opponent's King, or by landing your King on the center of their Archetype tile.

Every detail is in the Rules: Overview.