I played this the other day with four of us, and it didn't feel anywhere near a strong a game as with six plus. It's a little sad, because four players is a lot closer to the size I'm likely to play most of the time. Has anyone else experienced this?

I usually play the game with 3 other players I and find it OK (well, the big thing might be I´ve never played it in 6... but I am afraid of getting it too long).

actually the game is dull when there are only 2 or 3 players. the fun begins when there are 4+ people. well, i haven't noticed any flaws when playing with 3 of my friends, we all had a good time then.

I think I prefer four.  It's still a great game with more, but it starts to feel a bit chaotic.  It also seems to demand more confrontation as you have the assassin and the thief getting picked and used every round with no chance of "missing" like they sometimes do in a smaller game.  Really these are stylistic preferences though, and others may appreciate the feel more than the smaller game.  Still, it is, without question, one of the best games that I own for 6 or 7 players, especially if we want something lighter.

For me also 4 players is the best combination. I don't want to be killed by the assassin n wait for 5 or 6 others to play before my next chance to do something!!!

Eiphel said:

Yup, it's a game for many players. But the solution is simple - increase your gaming group.

For example, i have a gaming group of ~70 people and i still have problems to get enough people for weekly 6 player sessions. So, for 8 players (Citadels max player number) you'd need aproximately 100 people in your gaming group, i'd say.

Of course, you need appropriate communication skills to persuade such number of people to join your group,  but it is surely realistic, just takes some time and energy.

I've found it great with more players and it is the way I prefer it. I have hard finding good games to play when there are 6-7 players.

I think Citadels is really nice with it's ability to be played with a large combination of people, from 2-8.
I find you have to use different tactics depending on the number of people and that keeps it interesting.

4 Players I've never had a problem with, there is enough guess work in the cards so that you can't be sure what everyone has and the game moves along at a good pace.

 I know lots of people like two and three players citadels, I don't. For me, the sweet spot is five players.

Citadels is actually really playable from 2 to 8 The thing is... the game is quite different with only 2 or 3 players (much more tactical) and unfortunately it becomes a bit too long with 6 or 7 players.

5 is, as the author said, probably the best number for citadels. 4 players is all right too.

Anyway, I would recommend trying the game with only 2 or 3 players at least once. By playing twice in a turn with two different characters, you can play a few combos and try new strategies.

Eiphel said:

I agree. The game doesn't seem as fulfilling with only 4 people as I had hoped.

Though I will say, if you are looking for a similar game that plays perfect with 2-4 players, check out Dominion from Rio Grande Games.

I enjoy it most with 2, 3, 7 or 8 players. In particular, there is an interesting phenomenon that happens at 3 players which does not happen at any other level: You always know for certain (if you're paying attention) two of the characters that have been picked. You don't know who picked them, but you know they were picked.

To be honest, I've never played with 4 or 5 players. But when I played with 6, I felt too many characters were left out and the theif and the assassin/witch were too risky. Since 4- and 5-player games leave even more characters out each round, I don't know that I'd like that either. But who knows? I love Citadels enough that I'm sure I'll try it out with that number at some point.

Honestly, I can't really tell a difference with four or five players.  Six or more does tend to play differently.  I have actually never played the game with less than four.  I think the game just plays really well, regardless.

I just played a 4 player game last night. When I made the above comment, I had forgotten that some of the unused characters are put face up. Now I say that I enjoy the game regardless of the number of players. I have a soft spot for 7 or 8 because that's the number of players we were using when I was first learning the game. 2 and 3 player is a lot of fun because you get 2 characters each round. And using 4 players was a lot of fun too. So anyway.

I've got a pretty god experience with 2 or 3 players. The game in this number is something new. Everyone chose two characters to play so I thing it's pretty cool. The best way is when play two players. Try it. But I like citadel with 7 players. nothing better when playing with expansion.

I've had great experiences from 4 to 7. Nice little game, though my 2 and 3 experience was not that good