Citadels Character Drafting Guide: How to Read the Table and Win the First 3 Rounds

The Draft Is the Game

Most new Citadels players think the game is about building districts. It's not — it's about choosing the right character at the right time.

Every round, a fresh set of characters is passed around the table. You pick one, pass the rest. That 10-second decision shapes your entire turn: how much gold you earn, what you can build, who you can attack, and whether you survive the round at all.

This guide focuses on the two skills that separate beginners from experienced players: reading the draft and executing a strong opening. If you already know the three core scoring strategies, this article will show you how to turn them into real turns on the board.

1. Understand What Each Rank Does for You

Before you pick a character, know what each rank actually provides. Characters aren't just abilities — they're timing slots. Lower ranks act first, which matters more than most players realize.

Rank	Role	What It Gives You
1	Disruption (Assassin / Witch / Magistrate)	Remove or hijack an opponent's turn — pure aggression
2	Theft (Thief / Spy / Blackmailer)	Steal gold or information — economy warfare
3	Cards (Magician / Wizard / Seer)	Fix your hand — trade bad cards for better ones
4	Crown (King / Emperor / Patrician)	Control draft order + Noble income
5	Protection (Bishop / Abbot / Cardinal)	Shield your city from Rank 8 destruction
6	Economy (Merchant / Alchemist / Trader)	Extra gold or trade-district synergy
7	Building (Architect / Navigator / Scholar)	Draw extra cards and build multiple districts
8	Military (Warlord / Diplomat / Marshal)	Destroy, swap, or seize opponent districts

Pro Tip: Ranks 1-2 are reactive — you pick them to stop someone. Ranks 6-7 are productive — you pick them to advance yourself. Ranks 4-5 are defensive anchors. Knowing which mode you need this round is the core of good drafting.

2. Read the Table Before You Read Your Cards

When the character cards reach you, don't just look at what's available — look at what's missing.

In a standard game, some characters are removed face-up (visible to all) and one face-down (hidden). The face-up removals tell you which abilities are definitely not in play this round. The face-down card is the wildcard.

What to track:

• Is the Assassin gone? If yes, you can safely pick high-value characters like Architect or Merchant without fear of losing your entire turn.
• Is the Warlord gone? If yes, aggressive building is safe — no one can destroy your districts this round.
• Is the Bishop still available? If your city has expensive districts and the Warlord is in play, the Bishop is your insurance.
• What did the player before you skip? If the Architect was available and they passed on it, they likely grabbed something aggressive. Prepare accordingly.

Pro Tip: In 4-5 player games, the face-up removals become extremely powerful information. Two characters removed face-up means you can eliminate 2 out of 8 threats immediately. Use that.

3. The Opening: Your First 3 Rounds Matter More Than You Think

The first 3 rounds of Citadels set the tempo for the entire game. Here's a framework for each:

Round 1: Establish Your Economy

Your city is empty. You have 2 gold and 4 cards. The single most important thing right now is getting income flowing.

Best picks:

• Merchant — The safest Round 1 pick. You gain 1 bonus gold passively, bringing your total to 3 before you even choose income. Build a cheap 1-2 cost district and end the round with gold to spare.
• King — If you want crown control for the entire early game. Taking the crown in Round 1 means you draft first in Round 2 — massive advantage.
• Architect — Risky but explosive. If your starting hand has two 1-2 cost cards, you can potentially build 2 districts in Round 1. But you're telegraphing your strategy to the whole table.

Avoid in Round 1:

• Assassin/Witch — You have no information yet. Guessing who to kill on Turn 1 is almost always a waste.
• Warlord — Nobody has built anything worth destroying.

Round 2: Read and React

Now you have information: who picked what in Round 1, who built what, and who has the crown. This is where the game actually begins.

If you took the crown in Round 1: You draft first. Grab the Architect or Merchant to accelerate your build, since you have first pick of the best productive characters.

If someone else is rushing: They built 2+ districts in Round 1? Consider the Thief (steal their gold) or Assassin (guess their character — they'll likely pick Architect or Merchant again).

If the table is passive: Everyone took gold and built one cheap district. This is your window to grab the Architect and pull ahead while no one is playing aggressively.

Pro Tip: Round 2 is the best time to take the Magician if your starting hand is bad. Swap your entire hand with the player who has the most cards, then build with their resources.

Round 3: Commit to a Direction

By Round 3, you should have 2-3 districts built and a clear sense of your scoring path. This is the round where you stop experimenting and start executing.

If you're going Rush: Keep picking Architect or Merchant. Build every turn. Quantity over quality.

If you're going Rainbow: Start looking for the colors you're missing. The Magician's hand-swap can fill gaps fast.

If you're going Purple Tech: This is when you lay your first expensive purple district. Pick the Bishop to protect it, or the Architect to fund it with extra draws.

4. The Counter-Draft: Denying Your Opponents

Sometimes the best pick isn't the character that helps you the most — it's the one that hurts your opponent the most if they get it.

When to counter-draft:

• An opponent has 5-6 districts and is about to finish. Take the Assassin — even if you don't know who they'll pick, removing the Architect from the pool or guessing correctly can delay them by a critical round.
• An opponent has a city full of expensive buildings. Take the Warlord — destroying one 5-cost district is devastating.
• The crown has stayed with the same player for 3+ rounds. Take the King or Emperor — breaking their draft advantage changes the power dynamic.

When NOT to counter-draft:

• You're behind on building. Spending a turn on disruption when you have zero districts is rarely worth it.
• Nobody is clearly ahead. If the game is even, spend your pick advancing yourself.

Pro Tip: Counter-drafting is most powerful in the mid-to-late game (Rounds 4-6). In the opening, focus on building your own engine first.

5. Character Synergies That Win Games

Certain characters work better in sequence. Planning 2 rounds ahead — not just 1 — is what separates good players from great ones.

Proven combos:

• King → Architect: Take the crown, then use first-pick advantage to grab the Architect next round. Two rounds of accelerated building with draft priority.
• Thief → Merchant: Steal someone's gold, then follow up with the Merchant's passive income. You end up with a massive gold lead.
• Magician → Architect: Swap your hand for better cards, then use the Architect's extra draws and triple-build to dump them all.
• Bishop → Warlord (self-pick): Take the Bishop to protect your city, then next round take the Warlord to destroy an opponent's key district — while your own remains safe.

Avoid this trap:

• Assassin → Assassin → Assassin: Picking the Assassin every round feels powerful, but you're spending 3 turns not building. Your opponents are getting 3 turns of production while you play guessing games.

6. Adapt to What You See, Not What You Planned

No Citadels strategy survives contact with the draft intact. The best players hold a plan loosely and adapt to what the cards actually offer.

Signals to watch:

• You keep getting passed the Architect. Nobody is counter-drafting it? Take it and rush — the table is asleep.
• The Assassin keeps disappearing early. Someone is playing aggressively. Pick defensively (Bishop) or unpredictably (lower-rank characters that resolve before the kill).
• Your hand is full of one color. Forget your original plan — pick characters that give income for that color and lean into a focused build.
• You're 1 district from finishing. It doesn't matter what your strategy was. Pick the safest character that lets you build one more district — Bishop for protection, or Architect for guaranteed card access.

Pro Tip: The discard pile is information. If you see 3 Trade districts discarded, Trade districts are scarce — meaning the Merchant's income will be weaker for everyone. Adapt.

Common Drafting Mistakes to Avoid

Before you head into your next game, watch out for these:

• Always picking the same character. Predictability is death in Citadels. If you always pick the Merchant, opponents will always Assassinate or Rob the Merchant.
• Ignoring the face-up removed cards. These removals are free information. Skipping them is like playing poker without looking at the community cards.
• Picking Rank 1 when you should be building. The Assassin is exciting but scores zero points. Every turn you spend disrupting is a turn you don't build.
• Never taking the crown. Draft order matters enormously. If you never hold the crown, you're always picking from leftovers.
• Panicking when Assassinated. Losing one turn hurts, but it's not game-ending. The worst response is to change your entire strategy because of one bad round.

Put It Into Practice

Character drafting is a skill, and like any skill, it improves with repetition. The more games you play, the faster you'll learn to read the table, predict opponents, and time your picks.

Ready to practice? Cybadels is a free online Citadels game — play in your browser with the full 2016 expanded edition, all 27 characters, and 2-8 player support. Every game is a new draft puzzle waiting to be solved.

Already comfortable with drafting? Check out our scoring strategy guide for the big picture on how to maximize your final score.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many characters should I memorize before my first game?

Start with the 8 base characters (one per rank). Once you're comfortable with those, the alternate characters in each rank follow similar patterns — the Witch is a variant of the Assassin, the Spy is a variant of the Thief, and so on. You don't need to memorize all 27 before playing.

Should I always take the Assassin if it's available?

No. The Assassin is strongest when you have a specific target in mind — for example, you're sure a leading opponent will pick the Architect. Picking the Assassin "just because it's there" often wastes a turn you could have spent building.

What's the most important thing to look at during the draft?

The face-up removed characters. They tell you exactly which threats are off the table this round, letting you pick with confidence instead of guessing.

Is it better to draft first or last?

Drafting first (having the crown) gives you the widest selection. Drafting last gives you the most information about what others picked. Both have value — but in the early game, first pick is generally stronger because you can grab the Architect or Merchant before anyone else.

How do I know when to switch from building to disrupting?

When an opponent is 1-2 districts from finishing the game. Before that point, building is almost always the better use of your turn. Disruption is a finishing move, not an opening move.