The Castles of Burgundy: Special Edition - A Comprehensive Guide

Welcome, fellow dukes! Prepare to embark on a journey to prosperity and prestige in 15th Century Burgundy. In The Castles of Burgundy: Special Edition, you'll lead your estates, strategically expanding and trading to become the most influential ruler in the land. This guide will walk you through the ins and outs of the game, drawing exclusively from the provided manual to ensure you're playing by the book.

1. Objective of the Game

As an influential duke in 15th Century Burgundy, your primary goal is to lead your estates to prosperity and prestige. You will achieve this through strategic expansion, trade, farming, building, and scientific research. The game is played over 5 phases, and throughout these phases, you will score victory points. The player who accumulates the most victory points by the end of the game is declared the winner.

2. Preparation (Setup)

Let's get your duchy ready for greatness! Follow these steps to set up the game:

1. Place the game board in the middle of the play area. Use the side appropriate for the number of players (the side marked with a is for 2 players).
2. Place the 24 silver coins and 26 worker tokens, along with the white die, next to the game board.
3. Divide the 164 hex tiles by the color of their backs. Then, place the livestock (green), buildings (beige), monasteries (yellow), and black depot (black) hex tiles into their corresponding cloth bags.
4. Place the castles (burgundy), ships (blue), and mines (gray) hex tiles in face-up piles next to the game board. These form the supply.
5. Shuffle the 42 trade goods tiles (square tiles) face down. Divide 25 of them into 5 face-down stacks of 5 tiles. Place one stack on each of the 5 phase spaces (A through E) on the game board. Set aside the remaining 17 tiles in a face-down pile.
6. Place the 12 bonus tiles on their corresponding spaces on the game board. On each space, stack 2 tiles of the matching color with the "5/6/7" tile on top.
7. Each player chooses a color and takes:
   • The player board, 2 dice, turn order marker, and victory point marker in their chosen color.
   • One random duchy board. Choose its side and place it on your player board. Then, cover it with a player board overlay. (For your first game, it's recommended to use duchy board #1 or #2, with all players taking the same number.)
   • 3 random goods tiles from the 17 remaining ones. Place them face-up on the goods storage spaces in the bottom left of your player board. Stack any goods tiles with the same number on top of each other. Return any remaining goods tiles to the box.
   • 1 help sheet. Place it next to your player board.
   • 1 silver coin. Place it on the appropriate space in the top left of your player board.
8. Each player places their victory point marker at the start of the victory point track (on the space between 1 and 100).
9. Each player rolls a die to determine the starting player (highest result wins). That player receives 1 worker and places it on the appropriate space on the left side of their player board. The next player in clockwise order receives 2 workers, the third player gets 3, and the fourth player gets 4. The starting player then places their turn order marker on the first space of the turn order track. Other players stack their markers underneath in turn order.
10. Take 1 castle (burgundy hex tile) and place it face-up on the chosen burgundy space on your duchy board. (If playing for the first time with duchy #1 or #2, it's recommended to place the castle on the hex space numbered 6 in the center of your duchy.)

3. Flow of the Game

The game is structured into 5 phases, lettered A through E. Each phase consists of 5 rounds. Here's how the game progresses:

Beginning of Each Phase:

1. Remove all hex tiles that are still on the game board and return them to the game box. (Skip this step at the beginning of phase A.) Do not remove any goods from the depots.
2. Replenish the hex spaces of the six numbered depots from the supply with random hex tiles of the corresponding color, turning them face up. (Note: Spaces marked "4" are only replenished if playing with 4 players. In 3-player games, a specific space marked "3BD" is replenished with a mine tile instead of a castle during phases B and D.)
3. Replenish the spaces of the central black depot using random hex tiles with black backs, turning them face up.
4. Take the stack of 5 goods tiles from the current phase space and place them face-up on the 5 round spaces.

The Five Game Rounds:

After setting up the new phase, you play 5 rounds. Each round proceeds as follows:

1. All players simultaneously roll their two dice. The starting player also rolls the white die.
2. Each player places their dice on the dice spaces of their player board.
3. The starting player begins the round. They take the first (bottom-most) face-up goods tile from the round spaces and place it on the depot that matches the result of the white die. The white die cannot be used for a game action this round.
4. The starting player then takes their turn.
5. After the starting player's turn, the player next in turn order (according to the turn order track) takes their turn.
6. When all players have finished their turns, the next round begins.

A Player's Turn:

During each of their turns, a player can take two game actions, one for each die. Used dice are placed on the used dice spots on their player board. Worker tokens can be used at any time to change the result of a die. To use a worker, return it to the supply; each worker used increases or decreases the die result by 1. Multiple workers can be used. Using workers is not an action.

4. Actions and How to Play

You have one action per die. Each of your 2 die actions per turn can be taken in any combination and order, and you may even take the same action twice. There are 4 types of actions you can take with your dice:

• Take a hex tile from the game board: Choose a hex tile from the numbered depot matching your die result. The chosen hex tile is placed on an empty storage space ("key spaces") in the bottom right of your player board. If you don't have an empty space, you must first discard a hex tile from your board.
• Place a hex tile in your duchy: Choose one of your hex tiles in your player board storage and place it on an empty hex space in your duchy that matches the die result and the tile color. The tile must be placed adjacent to at least one previously placed tile. The hex tile's color must match the hex space's color. The very first time you take this action, you must place the tile adjacent to your starting castle. The immediate effect of placing a tile depends on its type:
  • Monastery (yellow): Many have continuous effects or effects that trigger at final scoring.
  • Ship (blue): Immediately choose any depot and take all goods tiles from it, placing them on your goods storage spaces. Then, advance your marker on the turn order track by one space. If you become the starting player, take the white die.
  • Castle (burgundy): Immediately take an additional action as if you had another die with your choice of result.
  • Mine (gray): At the end of each phase, you gain one silver coin for each mine in your duchy.
  • Livestock (green): Immediately score victory points based on the number of livestock on the tile. If you have other tiles of the same livestock type in the same pasture, you also score victory points for those other tiles.
  • Buildings (beige): Immediately use that building's effect once. Each of the eight building types can only be built once per town (a contiguous area of beige spaces). Examples include:
    • Market: Take a ship or livestock tile from any depot (except the central black depot).
    • Carpenter’s Workshop: Take a building tile from any depot (except the central black depot).
    • Church: Take a mine, monastery, or castle tile from any depot (except the central black depot).
    • Watchtower: Score 4 victory points.
    • Town hall: Choose a second hex tile from your storage and place it in your duchy.
    • Boarding house: Gain 4 worker tokens.
    • Warehouse: Sell a goods type of your choice.
    • Bank: Gain 2 silver coins.
• Sell goods: Use a die result to sell a stack of the same type of goods from your goods storage. The die result indicates the color to be sold. You gain 1 silver coin (total) and 2/3/4 victory points per sold goods tile (depending on player count). You must sell the entire stack.
• Take 2 worker tokens: Use any die result to gain two workers from the supply.

The Central "Black Depot": In addition to your two die actions, you may buy one tile of your choice from the black depot by paying 2 silver coins. This can be done at any time during your turn.

End of a Phase:

Each phase ends after five rounds. Players gain 1 silver coin for every mine in their duchy. Some monastery tile effects may also resolve. Then, the next phase begins.

5. End of Game and Scoring

The game ends when the fifth phase (phase E) has been completed. Final scoring then commences:

Final Scoring:

• Each unsold goods tile: 1 victory point.
• Each silver coin: 1 victory point.
• Every two worker tokens: 1 victory point.
• Placed yellow monastery tiles that score victory points.

The player with the most victory points is the winner. In case of a tie, the player with the fewest unused hex spaces in their duchy wins. If there's still a tie, the player farthest behind on the turn order track wins.

Hex Tile Scoring:

• As soon as a colored area is completely covered with hex tiles, you score victory points in two ways:
  • Depending on its size (1 to 8 spaces): 1-36 victory points.
  • Depending on the current phase (A-E): 10-2 victory points.
• Bonus tiles: The first player to completely cover all spaces of one color in their duchy takes and scores the corresponding bonus tile (5/6/7 victory points in 2/3/4-player games). The second player to complete that same color receives the smaller bonus tile and scores 2/3/4 victory points.

6. Tips for Winning

• Plan your duchy layout: Consider how different tile types can synergize. For example, placing mines near each other can increase your silver income.
• Don't neglect goods: Selling goods is a reliable way to gain both silver and victory points. Try to build up stacks of the same goods type.
• Utilize your workers wisely: Workers are crucial for adjusting die rolls to your advantage, allowing you to perform the actions you need most.