From the publisher’s rulebook
Who goes first in Citadels?
Fantasy Flight English original edition
The oldest player receives the crown and is first to choose a character card.
Rule details
Choosing characters proceeds to the left. Actual character turns follow ascending rank, so the crown holder does not necessarily take the first character action.
In two- and three-player games, players choose two characters; the crown holder still makes the first choice.
If there’s a tie
The rulebook doesn’t say.
Source & edition
- Citadels — English rulebookFantasy Flight Games · Setting Up the Basic Game; Choose Characters; Player Turns; Two- or Three-player Games · Checked 2026-09-26
Related games and editions
Browse available game rulesGames with a similar starting rule
- TsuroThe oldest player takes the first turn.
- TajutoThe oldest player goes first.
- Kingdom BuilderThe oldest player takes the start-player tile and takes the first turn.
- Copper CountryThe player with the oldest penny goes first. The rules also explicitly allow the group to choose who starts by any method they prefer.
- VillageThe oldest player takes the starting-player marker and starts.
Found a different instruction in your edition? Send a correction with the game, edition, and source.