How to Play The Castles of Burgundy: 4th Expansion – Monastery Boards

Game Objective

The 4th expansion, Monastery Boards, adds a new layer of strategy and scoring to the base game The Castles of Burgundy. The main objective for players is to connect monasteries on their personal boards to earn Victory Points (VP). By completing straight lines of tiles between two monasteries, players receive VP. There are also additional bonuses for the first players to successfully connect all three monasteries on their boards.

Setup

Refer to the manual for details on this section.

Game Flow

Refer to the manual for details on this section.

Actions and How to Play

The Monastery Boards expansion introduces a new way to earn Victory Points by connecting monasteries on your personal board. Here's how it works:

• Connecting two monasteries: Each player who successfully connects two monasteries with a complete straight line of tiles receives 5 Victory Points (VP).
• Connecting three monasteries (first player): The first player to successfully connect all three monasteries on their board receives a larger bonus, which varies depending on the number of players:
  • 5 VP for 2 players.
  • 6 VP for 3 players.
  • 7 VP for 4 players.
• Connecting three monasteries (second player): The second player who also completes all three monastery connections receives a smaller bonus, which also varies depending on the number of players:
  • 2 VP for 2 players.
  • 3 VP for 3 players.
  • 4 VP for 4 players.

In total, a player can earn up to 22 extra Victory Points with this expansion (3×5 for the two-monastery connections + 7 from the maximum bonus for connecting all three monasteries first).

End of Game and Scoring

Refer to the manual for details on this section.

Tips for Winning

1. Prioritize connecting monasteries: Each connection of two monasteries yields 5 VP, which is a consistent source of points. Try to plan your constructions to form these straight lines of tiles.

2. Race for the three-monastery bonuses: The bonus for the first player to connect all three monasteries is significantly larger (up to 7 VP) than for the second player (up to 4 VP). If possible, try to be the first to complete this goal to maximize your Victory Points.