The Castles of Burgundy

alea, Ravensburger AG, Broadway Toys LTD · Board game · 2011
2–4 · best 2 30–90 min Weight 3.0/5
8.9 rating Ludopedia
8.2 rating BGG
How to Play Buy · from US$ 25.58
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
Learn How to Play Step by Step Check out our complete step-by-step rules guide.
Access Rules Guide

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

9 items

Rules videos

Learn by watching before you open the box

12 videos

Rules manual

Official PDF file

Rules manual — The Castles of Burgundy English · PDF
Download Manual

Best player count

BGG community vote

2–4 players
2 BEST
3 REC
4 REC

Where to Buy

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Game details

Mechanics, categories, families and credits

Families

Animals: Cattle / Cows Animals: Chickens / Roosters Animals: Pigs Animals: Sheep Components: Coloured Dice Country: France Digital Implementations: Board Game Arena Digital Implementations: Boiteajeux Digital Implementations: Google Play Digital Implementations: Steam Digital Implementations: Yucata Game: The Castles of Burgundy Mechanism: Tableau Building Misc: BGG Hall of Fame Misc: Dice Tower Hall of Fame Misc: Watch It Played How To Videos Players: Games with expansions that add solo play Region: Burgundy (France) Series: Alea Big Box
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

7 questions
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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