Cloisters: they have no immediate bonus function. They may act as another card when paired with it throughout the game. A triple is worth six victory points END OF GAME Goats (Animal/Light Green): A player adding the goats to their estate counts them as any animal (swine, for example.) If other animal tiles are later added to that pasture, the goats will always count as 2 additional Victory Points, even if as a different animal type than originally scored. The tile must come from the same depot as the number showing on the dice (after any worker tiles have been used). This tile will be placed in the supply on the bottom left hand corner of the player board. If all three spaces in the supply are full a tile must be discarded before the new tile is added Add a six sided tile to your estate I did feel that having all of the original cardboard components included felt a bit wasteful as we deliberately bought the special edition for the longevity and durability of the components included. Therefore the cardboard ones are not going to be used. Also, the neoprene mat did not fit in the box as it was originally presented, so we have had to print our own insert to make all of the components fit. However, these are minor concerns that do not affect the game itself. Complexity

This owned cloister can be placed onto an empty space in the player’s estate that is adjacent to at least one previously placed tile and that matches the number on the player’s die. The Castles of Burgundy is set in the Burgundy region of High Medieval France. Each player takes on the role of an aristocrat, originally controlling a small princedom. While playing, they aim to build settlements and powerful castles, practice trade along the river, exploit silver mines, and use the knowledge of travelers. Points are scored for all sorts of shenanigans, selling goods, filling sections of your map with similar titles, and raising animals. Castles of Burgundy is an addictive, smooth gaming experience and everyone I have shown it to from my young kids to my mother, really enjoys what it offers. It makes you feel great by giving you just enough freedom to build winning strategies, without overwhelming you with a torrent of fiddly rules. Points as shown on the yellow knowledge tiles. These points will vary dependent on which knowledge tiles a player has in their estate. For example some knowledge tiles are worth four points for each building of a specific type a player has in their estate. Another tile awards two points for each bonus tile claimed. Take advantage of the points bonus in the first few phases. It is unlikely you will be able to complete a large area of your estate in the first few phases. But, if you can complete a couple of smaller areas you gain the 10 or the eight point bonus for completing them. These points can sometimes make the difference in end game scoring.

What Curators Say

The Castles of Burgundy is a game for two to four players. During the game, players will be rolling dice to obtain tiles to place on their board, building their estate. There are elements of both set collection and worker placement (with the dice used as workers in this game). Set Up Castles of Burgundy is a legendary Board Game design created by Stefan Feld. In this 1-4 players tabletop experience, you will take on the role of an aristocrat controlling a small princedom. Trying to build a settlement with powerful castles, practice trades, exploit silver mines, and use the knowledge of travelers.

Over the years there have been several expansions and mini-expansions for the base game, as well as two spinoffs - a card game and a dice game.

As with many euro games, the theme is somewhat dry. While you are supposed to be building your estate in the Burgundy region of France, it doesn’t really feel like it. The bland components really don’t help sell the theme and this game could be set in any rural region. If this game appeals to you, you will be buying it for the mechanics, not the theme.

Hall, Charlie (November 17, 2019). "The most influential board games of the decade, according to top designers". Polygon . Retrieved November 18, 2019. In my opinion, nothing has nailed the medium-weight tile placement Euro game better than Castles of Burgundy, even now. The combination of simple turns (rolling two dice and taking two actions), and the strategic gameplay that emerges more with every play, make it a fantastic gateway game. I can teach this to new players and watch them enjoy building their board, while I work at more involved strategies, and the scores still don’t look like there’s a runaway winner. It works at all levels of experience.

Contributors

Church – the player may take a grey mine, yellow knowledge or dark green castle tile from any numbered depot and add it to their supply; The game is actually divided up into 5 phases, each of which will consist of 5 rounds. At the end of the 5th phase, the game is over and the winner is the one with the most victory points. Simple enough. Components: The best part for me is the wonderful design and the amazing amount of stuff you can do with your two dice. They represent a wealth of choices, and if you plan in advance you will have many ‘yes!’ moments. The game turns are somewhat simple in The Castles of Burgundy. At the start of each round, each player rolls 2 6-sided dice. The numbers that come up will let the player know which numbered supply they are allowed to pull resources from that turn. Each die counts as 1 action. After each player has used both of their dice, their turn ends and the next round begins.

The Special Edition of the Castles of Burgundy is beautifully made, with high end, quality feeling components that elevate gameplay to the next level. Even the rulebook itself has been printed with a linen feel for a premium gaming experience. Each set of acrylic tiles comes with its own printed drawstring bag to draw from which look really nice on the table. The player boards have insets for dice and tiles that make it very simple to play. A really wonderful addition was a frame overlay for your player area that holds the hex tiles in place and stops anything from slipping around- it’s a thoughtful addition that I really appreciate. Expectations these days are high. When people tear the shrink off of a new game, they’re expecting high-quality components, deep, interwoven mechanics, custom meeples, legacy envelopes, and all that jazz. So if you’re new to the hobby and you open Castles and see a few dice, a small board, thin player mats, and vast supply of tiny cardboard hexes, you could be forgiven for feeling underwhelmed. If a game is good though, it doesn’t matter, right? That begs the question: is The Castles of Burgundy still good?

About The Castles of Burgundy

Church - the player may take a grey mine, yellow knowledge or dark green castle tile from any numbered depot and add it to their supply; At the end of the game, the park may be additionally used per the corresponding knowledge tiles (16-23), as any single building (even if different than originally declared) for scoring purposes. The game sees you taking a player board full of hexes that make up the terrain you will be adding to. These hexes are in certain colours and have a numbered dice on. This dictates what type of thing you can build there, and what numeric value dice you must use to do so. In fact, pretty much every action is linked to the numeric value of the dice that you use. At the start of your turn you will roll two dice which will dictate what you can do. Of course, there are ways to mitigate this, but it creates a nice little puzzle for you to solve. You are never left with nothing to do, just things which might not be as optimal for you.