8.9
rating
Ludopedia
8.2
rating
BGG
Our Verdict
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
If you're an aristocrat at heart who loves strategic tile-laying and developing a personal princedom, The Castles of Burgundy offers a deeply satisfying experience with endless replayability.
Highlights
- Engaging tile-laying and engine building
- Deep strategic choices every turn
- Excellent replayability with varied setups
- Satisfying sense of personal domain growth
- Dice manipulation adds tactical depth
Keep in mind
- Aesthetics might not appeal to all
- Can feel a bit dry for some
- Initial learning curve for new players
About the game
What you do in a play session
In 'The Castles of Burgundy', players are transported to the Burgundy region of medieval France, where each takes on the role of an aristocrat with a small princedom to develop. The goal is to expand your domain by building settlements and powerful castles, trading along the river, exploiting silver mines, and leveraging the knowledge of travelers. The game revolves around collecting and placing settlement tiles onto your personal player board, which represents your princedom. Each tile type has a specific function that activates upon placement, and your princedom is divided into regions that demand specific tile types. The game unfolds over five phases, each consisting of five rounds. At the start of each phase, the main board is restocked with new settlement and goods tiles. In each round, players roll two dice, and the starting player rolls an additional die to determine which goods tile becomes available. Based on their dice rolls, each player can perform two of four possible actions: take a settlement tile and place it in their staging area; move a tile from the staging area to a corresponding region in their princedom, adjacent to an already placed tile; deliver goods whose number matches one of their dice; or acquire worker tokens, which allow players to adjust their dice rolls. In addition to these actions, players can buy a settlement tile and place it in their staging area. The game concludes after the fifth phase. Victory points are awarded for unused money and workers, undelivered goods, and specific bonuses from certain settlement tiles. The player with the most points wins. The rules include both basic and advanced versions, ensuring a good learning curve.
Expansions
Published additional content
Brettspiel Adventskalender 2015
The Castles of Burgundy: 10th Expansion – Solo
The Castles of Burgundy: 1st Expansion – New Player Boards
The Castles of Burgundy: 2nd Expansion – New Hex Tiles
The Castles of Burgundy: 4th Expansion – Monastery Boards
The Castles of Burgundy: 5th Expansion – Pleasure Garden
The Castles of Burgundy: 6th Expansion – The Cloisters
The Castles of Burgundy: 8th Expansion – Trade Routes
The Castles of Burgundy: 9th Expansion – The Team Game
Gallery
Box and component photos
Tap any photo to open fullscreen. Photos submitted by the community or publisher.
Rules videos
Learn by watching before you open the box
In English
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The Castles Of Burgundy - How To Play
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How to Play The Castles of Burgundy
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Castles of Burgundy - In Focus
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How to Play The Castles of Burgundy - No BS Guide
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The Castles of Burgundy: A Walkthrough Review
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Teach the Table: The Castles of Burgundy
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How To Play - The Castles of Burgundy
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The Castles of Burgundy - rules blitz
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How to Play: Castles of Burgundy!
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Solo Variant Tutorial and Playthrough of Castles of Burgundy
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The Castles of Burgundy - strategy blitz
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The Castles of Burgundy - set up & play
Rules manual
Official PDF file
Best player count
BGG community vote
2
BEST
3
REC
4
REC
Soundtrack
Ambience suggested by Melodice
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Mechanics, categories, families and credits
Mechanics
Categories
Families
Publisher
alea, Ravensburger AG, Broadway Toys LTD, Giochi Uniti, Grow Jogos e Brinquedos, Hobby World
Designer
Stefan Feld
Artist
Harald Lieske, Julien Delval
Community
Data from BoardGameGeek
84,911owners
14,365wishlist
1,137want to play
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers before you buy
How many players can play The Castles of Burgundy?
The game is ideal for 2 to 4 players, offering a different but always very strategic experience at each player count.
What is the average game duration?
A game of The Castles of Burgundy typically takes between 30 to 90 minutes, depending on the number of players and familiarity with the rules.
What is the complexity level of the game?
Considered a medium-weight game (2.97/5 on BGG), it offers significant strategic depth, but with rules that are easy to learn, especially with the basic version.
Does The Castles of Burgundy rely heavily on dice luck?
While it uses dice, the game provides several ways to mitigate luck, such as using workers to adjust results, making strategy more important than pure rolling.
Who is The Castles of Burgundy recommended for?
It's perfect for those who enjoy medium-weight eurogames, focusing on planning, optimization, and engine building, and who don't mind a more functional aesthetic.
What are the main components of the game?
The game comes with player boards, a central board, hundreds of hexagonal settlement and goods tiles, dice, coins, and worker tokens.
Are there expansions for The Castles of Burgundy?
Yes, there are several small expansions that add new tile types and modules, further increasing replayability and strategic options.
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