The Ludarium Academy · Full course · Free

Every Crown Counts

An unofficial Kingdomino course

Learn Kingdomino, teach it in five minutes, then draft with a plan, count the crowns left in the box, and build a kingdom that scores every square.

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Kingdomino at the start of a four-player game: the box holding the face-down draw pile, a line of four face-up dominoes in number order with the lowest beside the box, a king on each, a second line of four dominoes waiting beside it, and four players' castles on their starting tiles, with a 5 by 5 outline around one castle and a key to the six terrains.Free printable teach sheetSetup, a turn, scoring, and three tips on one page.

Four levels, 13 lessons

Start with lesson one

  1. Level 0 · Learn to play

    Squire

    After this level: Set up, teach, and score a full game of Kingdomino, at any player count, without opening the rulebook.

    1. 01How to Play Kingdomino
    2. 02How to Teach Kingdomino in Five Minutes

  2. Level 1 · Beginner

    Landholder

    After this level: Skip the first-game slips, score any kingdom in your head, and weigh a better domino against an earlier pick next round.

    1. 03Your First Three Games of Kingdomino
    2. 04Kingdomino Scoring: The Math Behind Every Square
    3. 05The Kingdomino Draft: Better Tile or Earlier Pick?

  3. Level 2 · Intermediate

    Baron

    After this level: Count the crowns left in the box, plan a 5 by 5 that never discards, read what your rivals need, and finish strong in the last rounds.

    1. 06Kingdomino Tile Counting: Where the Crowns Hide
    2. 07Kingdomino Layout: Building a 5 by 5 That Scores
    3. 08Reading the Table in Kingdomino
    4. 09The Kingdomino Endgame: Finishing Strong

  4. Level 3 · Expert

    Sovereign

    After this level: Win at two and three players, hold your own in the 7 by 7 Mighty Duel, pick the right variant or sequel, and find a table to play at.

    1. 10Kingdomino with Two and Three Players
    2. 11The Mighty Duel: 7 by 7 Kingdomino for Two
    3. 12Kingdomino Variants, Expansions, and Sequels
    4. 13Play More Kingdomino: Online and Tournaments

Every lesson is free to read here, any time. Sign up and they also arrive by email, one at a time, so the course keeps you learning between game nights.

Who it is for

  • Families who want a game the kids and the grandparents can both win.
  • Hosts looking for a fifteen-minute game that teaches itself after one round.
  • Players who keep ending up with a big kingdom and a small score.
  • Anyone ready to move from picking pretty tiles to drafting with a plan.
Players
2 to 4
Play time
About 15 to 20 minutes
Ages
Ages 8 and up
Rules as of
Kingdomino rulebook (Blue Orange, 2016), checked against the 2024 Blue Orange Edition rulebook

Questions

How does scoring work in Kingdomino?

Each territory, a group of connected squares of one terrain, scores its number of squares times the number of crowns in it. A territory with no crowns scores nothing. Add up every territory for your score.

Does a new domino have to match on both ends in Kingdomino?

No. One of its two squares must touch your castle tile or a matching terrain, side to side. The other square can sit next to anything, as long as the whole kingdom still fits in a 5 by 5 grid.

What happens if you cannot place a domino in Kingdomino?

If it cannot be placed by the connection rule or it would break the 5 by 5 limit, you discard it and score nothing for it. If it can be placed legally, you must place it, even if it hurts you.

How do you play Kingdomino with 2 players?

In the original rules, remove 24 dominoes at random, give each player two kings, and lay out 4 dominoes a round. Each player places and picks twice per round, over 6 rounds, and builds a 5 by 5. The Mighty Duel uses all 48 dominoes for a 7 by 7 instead.

Who goes first each round in Kingdomino?

The king on the lowest-numbered domino in the line goes first, then the next, and so on. So a low-numbered domino is usually a weaker tile, but it buys you the first pick of the next line.

How is a tie broken in Kingdomino?

The player with the biggest single territory wins. If that is tied, the player with the most crowns wins. If it is still tied, the players share the victory.

Teach sheet · PDF · Rules as described in the Kingdomino rulebook (Blue Orange, 2016), checked against the 2024 Blue Orange Edition rulebook; official rules.

Unofficial. Not affiliated with Blue Orange Games. Kingdomino is a trademark of Blue Orange Edition.