The Castles of Burgundy Game Rules

Welcome to the thrilling world of The Castles of Burgundy! This game will transport you to the beautiful province of Burgundy, where you will step into the shoes of a medieval estate developer. Your goal is to build the most prosperous and splendid estate in the land.

The game consists of five rounds, and in each round, players take turns performing various actions. These actions include:

– Acquiring and placing tiles on your estate to expand your territory and gain valuable resources.

– Selling goods to gain silver, which can be spent to acquire additional tiles or bonuses.

– Trading goods for victory points, which are essential for winning the game.

– Gathering animals to breed and increase their numbers, providing even more victory points.

– Hiring workers to gain special abilities and perform additional actions.

There are several important factors to consider when planning your strategy. The type of tile you acquire will determine its placement on your estate, as each terrain type has specific restrictions. For instance, a pasture tile can only be placed adjacent to another pasture, while a mine can only be placed next to a lake or river.

Timing is also crucial. You must carefully prioritize your actions to make the most of each turn. This involves considering which tile to acquire, where to place it, and which resources or bonuses to pursue. By strategically planning your moves, you can maximize your points and gain a competitive advantage over your opponents.

Additionally, luck plays a role in the game. The dice are used to determine the available actions for each turn. The numbers rolled correspond to different actions, such as acquiring tiles, selling goods, or gathering animals. While luck can influence the outcome of certain actions, a skilled player can adapt and make the best of any situation.

In conclusion, The Castles of Burgundy is an engaging and strategic game that offers a rich and immersive experience. With its blend of luck and skill, players of all levels can enjoy its intricacies. So gather your friends, start building your estate, and may the best developer win!

• There are 164 six-sided tiles.
• Out of those, 42 are goods tiles, with 7 tiles for each of the 6 colors.
• There are also 20 Silverlings, which have eight sides.
• Furthermore, we have 30 worker tiles, which are square in shape.
• Additionally, there are 12 bonus tiles, with 1 small and 1 large tile for each of the 6 colors.
• Add to that, we have 4 victory point tiles, each with either 100 or 200 points, and they come in 4 different player colors.
• Lastly, there are 8 playing pieces, which come in 2 pieces for each of the 4 player colors.
• In addition, there are 9 dice, 2 for each of the 4 player colors, plus 1 white die.
• And finally, we have the game board and 6 player boards, with 4 boards of No. 1, and 1 each of No.s 2-9.

Setting up the Game

To set up the game, place the 20 Silverlings, the 30 worker tiles, and the white die next to the game board. Then, sort the 164 six-sided tiles by the color of their backs and place them as separate face-down supplies next to the game board.

Hey there! Let’s get this game started. First, we need to set up the board. Take the 42 goods tiles and shuffle them up, keeping them face down. Now, divide them into five piles, each with five tiles, and place one pile on each of the five phase spaces labeled A through E on the game board. The remaining 17 tiles stay facedown for now, forming the supply.

Next, let’s add some bonus tiles. Take the 12 square bonus tiles and place them on the corresponding spaces on the game board.

Now, it’s time to distribute the player materials. Each player should receive:

• A player board, with the Number 1 side facing up, placed in front of them. If your board has numbers 2 through 9, make sure to use the appropriate side.
• A castle, which is a dark green six-sided tile. Place it face up on the dark green middle space of your player board, which has the die value 6.

When playing the game, each player starts with a few items. First, I select three random goods tiles from the 17 remaining tiles. These tiles are placed face up on the three goods storage spaces in the upper left corner of my board. I make sure to store tiles of the same goods type together, while different types are stored separately. Tiles that are not used in the game are returned to the box.

Next, I take the two dice in my color and one playing piece of the same color. I place the playing piece on the 0/100 space of the victory point track.

I also receive one Silverling, which I place in the appropriate storage space in the upper left corner of my board. This Silverling should be visible to all other players.

Finally, I receive a victory point tile with either 100 or 200 points. I place this tile next to my board for now.

These starting items are essential for the game and will help me progress and accumulate points. It’s exciting to see what strategies my opponents will use with their starting items. Let the game begin!

Let’s start the game by rolling the dice to determine the first player. The person who rolls the highest number will be the start player. They will receive a worker tile, which they should place on the storage space in the lower left corner of their board for everyone to see. The player to their right will receive 2 worker chips, the next player will receive 3, and the player after that will receive 4.

Each player will use their second playing piece to mark the turn order on the turn order track. The start player’s piece should be on the top space of the tower, and the last player’s piece should be at the bottom. The start player will also receive the white die.

The Player Boards:

How to Play the Game

When I play the game, there are a few things I need to do at the beginning of each phase:

I start by taking all the six-sided tiles off the board and putting them back in the box. This step isn’t necessary before the first phase.

But wait! I don’t need to remove the ship, mine, and castle tiles because they stay on the board. Also, any remaining goods tiles are left where they are.

Then, I shuffle the deck of six-sided tiles and draw new ones. I place them face-up in the matching-colored spaces on the six numbered depots. For a 2-player game, I only use the spaces marked with 2s. In a 3-player game, I use the spaces marked with 2s and 3s. And in a 4-player game, I use all 24 spaces.

Hey there! Let me explain the rules of the game to you. Just remember, this is for a three-player game only, so there’s a special exception for the dark green space in the No. 6 depot.

In phases A, C, and E, you’ll place a castle on the dark green space as usual. However, in phases B and D, you’ll place a mine (grey) there instead!

Next, it’s time to set up the game board. Randomly draw black-backed six-sided tiles and put them face-up onto the black depot in the middle. The number of tiles you draw depends on the number of players, so it can be anywhere from 2 to 8.

Now it’s time to place the goods tiles for the current phase. Take the 5 tiles and put them face-up onto the five square round spaces below the phase spaces.

Now, let’s talk about the five game rounds.

Once the phase setup is done, we’ll move on to the five game rounds. Each round is carried out in the same way:

First, let’s all roll our two dice. I’ll start by rolling the white die. After rolling, we each place our dice in front of us so that everyone can see them.

Note: Rolling at the same time lets those of us who go later start planning our moves in advance.

Now it’s my turn to go first. I grab the top goods tile from the round spaces and put it on the goods space of the depot corresponding to the number rolled on the white die.

Once I do this, the white die is done for this turn. I can’t use it to help me on my own turn, and worker tiles can’t change its value either!

So, here’s how it goes: I start the game by taking my turn. After I’m done, it’s the next player’s turn, and we go in order from right to left on the turn order track and from top to bottom in a given tower. Once everyone has taken their turn, a new round begins, and so on. We add 5 goods tiles each phase, and one tile is added to a depot at the beginning of each round. This makes it easy to track which round we’re on and how long the current phase (and the whole game) will last.

Your Turn

Each player gets exactly two actions on their turn, one for each die. Once you use a die, it goes to the used die storage space on your board in the upper right-hand corner.

Worker tiles: You can use these tiles anytime to adjust a die’s result up or down by 1. You can even change a 1 to a 6 or a 6 to a 1, but that also costs a worker tile. If you want to change a die’s result multiple times, you can use multiple tiles.

Example: Let’s say Anna wants to turn a 2 into a 6. She can pay 2 worker tiles to make the change and then take a six-sided tile from the No. 6 depot.

The Actions

You need a die for each action. You can choose any combination and order for the two actions you take each turn, including doing the same action twice.

Action: Take a six-sided tile from the game board

When I play the game, I can pick one tile from the depot that matches the number on the die I rolled. I have to put the tile in an empty storage space on the bottom left corner of my board, not on my estate directly. If there are no empty spaces, I have to choose a tile to discard before I can add the new one. I should try to avoid discarding tiles too often.

Action: Add a tile to your estate.

When playing the game, I get to choose one of the six-sided tiles from the storage area on my board. Then, I can add that tile to my estate. The dice that I roll determine where I can place the tile. I have to make sure that the tile I place matches the color of the space I’m putting it on.

The first tile I place can only go on one of the six spaces around the starting castle.

After I place a tile, something different happens depending on the type of tile it is:

Knowledge (yellow): There are 26 different yellow tiles.

Ship (blue): When I add a ship tile to my estate, two things happen right away:

So, here’s how it works: I get to choose any one depot’s goods space, and I can take all the goods tiles from there and put them in my goods storage. But hold on, it’s important to know that the depot I choose has nothing to do with the dice roll that determined the ship placement!

Now, in my goods storage, I can collect up to three different types of goods, which are represented by different colors. I stack tiles of the same color on top of each other and place different colored tiles next to each other. But here’s the catch – if my chosen depot has more goods tiles than my storage can hold, I have to leave behind the extras.

So, here’s what’s going on: I brought a ship to my estate, and because of that, I get to take some goods tiles from the goods space you see here. I grab the turquoise one and place it with my other turquoise goods. And then, I grab one more tile – it could be pink or brown – and put it in my empty goods storage space.

Now, let’s talk about turn order. On my turn, I move my playing piece one space to the right on the turn order track. Easy, right? But what happens if that space is already taken? Well, I just stack my piece on top of the others. If this means I’ll be the start player in the next round, I also get the white die. Pretty cool, huh?

Animal is a term used to describe a connected area of green spaces in the game. Whenever I add an animal tile to my estate, which I can do up to 6 times, I immediately earn victory points and advance my position on the victory point track. Each tile has 2 to 4 animals on it, and I receive victory points based on the number of animals on the tile.

If I already have animals of the same type in the pasture where I’m adding the new tile, I score points for all the tiles with that animal type, including the new one. It’s a great way to rack up extra points!

Hey there! I have some important information for you. Listen up!

Here’s the deal: the animal tiles you place in the game need to be part of the same pasture. But they don’t have to be right next to each other. Just make sure they’re in the same pasture, okay? And don’t worry about tiles with the same animal on them in other pastures – they don’t count towards your score.

Let me give you an example to make it clear. Imagine that you’re Benno, and you just added a 4-cow tile to your estate. Nice job! You get 4 victory points for that tile. But wait, there’s more! If you decide to add another 4-cow tile to this pasture later on, you’ll get even more points. In fact, you’ll get 4 + 4 + 3 = 11 victory points for it. Talk about a win!

Castles are a great asset to have in the game. They are represented by the dark green tiles on the board. When you add a castle tile to your estate, something exciting happens – you get an extra action! This means you can do something else as if you had an extra die with any result you want.

Let me give you an example. When you add a castle tile, you could choose to add another six-sided tile to your estate. Or, you could do something completely different, it’s up to you!

Having a castle on your estate is like having a secret superpower. It gives you more options and strategies to explore. So, when you’re playing the game, keep an eye out for those dark green tiles – they could be your ticket to victory!

Grey tiles, called Mines: these tiles don’t have an immediate effect when you place them. The effect only comes into play at the end of each phase. At that time, you’ll receive 1 Silverling from the supply for each mine on your estate.

Building (beige): When you add a building tile to your estate, you can immediately use that building’s advantage. You can do this up to 12 times.

Remember: You can only have one of each of the 8 building types in each city. A city is a region of connected beige spaces on your estate. The number of cities you have depends on your estate. It can be anywhere from 2 to 6 cities, of different sizes ranging from 1 to 8 spaces. For example, Estate No. 1 has 4 cities: one 1-size, one 5-size, and two 3-size.

Each building gives you a special advantage as soon as it’s built. These advantages are shown on the left side of your player board.

The buildings

Warehouse

Hey there! When you add a warehouse to your estate, something pretty cool happens: you get to sell one type of goods without even needing to use a die! It’s like magic! You can choose any goods that you have stored in your warehouse and sell them as if you had chosen the “Sell goods” action. How convenient is that?

Welcome to the Carpenter’s Workshop!

Hey there! When you build a carpenter’s workshop in your estate, you get to choose a cool new building tile for yourself. This tile will be beige-colored and you can pick it from any numbered depot except the black one. Once you choose your tile, you can place it in one of the empty storage spaces at the bottom left-hand corner of your board.

Church

When you build a church on your land, you can pick a mine (grey), knowledge (yellow), or castle (dark green) tile from any numbered depot (not the black one!). Then, you can put it in an empty spot in the bottom left corner of your board.

Market

Hey there! So, when you decide to add a market to your estate, you get to do something pretty cool. You can choose a ship tile (blue) or an animal tile (light green) from any numbered depot – except the black one, that one’s off-limits! Once you’ve made your selection, you can place it onto an empty storage space in the bottom left-hand corner of your board. How cool is that?

Boarding House

Hey there! So, when you decide to build a boarding house on your property, something pretty cool happens. You instantly get yourself four worker tiles from the general supply and they become yours to use. It’s like having your own little workforce right at your fingertips! Talk about convenient.

Bank

When you decide to add a bank to your estate, you get an immediate boost. You take 2 Silverlings from the general supply and add them to your own stash. It’s like finding free money! I mean, who doesn’t love that? So now you have more Silverlings in your possession to help you in the game. It’s pretty sweet, right?

My Amazing City Hall Experience

Guess what I found out? When you add a city hall to your estate, something pretty cool happens! You get to choose an extra tile to add to your estate, no matter what color it is.

Let me explain it to you. You know those three storage spaces you have, right? Well, you get to pick any tile you want from one of those spaces and add it to your estate. How awesome is that?

It doesn’t matter if the new tile has a different effect or a different color from the others. You get to enjoy all its special benefits, too. Talk about a double-whammy!

I can’t believe my luck when I discovered this. It’s like hitting the jackpot at a carnival game. All those extra options made me feel like a real estate mogul!

So remember, when you have a city hall, you’re not just limited to one tile for your estate. You can elevate your game and take it to the next level by choosing another tile to add. It’s a game-changer!

Watchtower

When I add a watchtower to my estate, I immediately move my playing piece on the victory point track forward by 4 spaces.

Basically, when I place all buildings:

• Their additional advantages are activated through their placement, and I don’t need a specific die result or action to activate them.
• If I can’t make use of a building’s advantage (for example, if there are no more blue or light green tiles left in the depots after placing a market), I can still add the building, but I’ll lose the advantage in this case.
• The supply of worker tiles and Silverlings is unlimited. In the unlikely event that the supply runs out, I can use other materials as substitutes.

Here are some additional rules for placing six-sided tiles:

Whenever you take a six-sided tile from the game board, you have to put it into a storage space in the lower left-hand corner of your board first. Even if you decide to immediately add it to your estate, this rule still applies. Once a six-sided tile is added to your estate, it’s there to stay. You can’t move or remove it. Now, when a colored region is completely covered with tiles, it’s considered complete. And when a region is complete, you score victory points in two different ways. First, depending on the size of the region, you can earn between 1 and 36 victory points, which are immediately added to your victory point track. Additionally, completing a region also allows you to score victory points based on the number of goods symbols in the region. So remember, as you play, keep an eye on completing regions to earn victory points and advance in the game!

When you play the game “The Castles of Burgundy,” there are a few key factors that you need to keep in mind to maximize your chances of winning. Additionally, the game board is divided into different regions, each with its own phase. Depending on the phase, each completed region is worth a certain number of victory points. These points are indicated by the empty phase space on the upper right of the game board, ranging from 10 points in the first phase to 2 points in the last phase.



To earn even more victory points, you want to cover all the spaces of one color in your estate with tiles. Once you do this, you can claim a large bonus tile from the game board, which will give you additional victory points. The number of victory points you earn from the bonus tile depends on the number of players in the game: 5 points for 2 players, 6 points for 3 players, or 7 points for 4 players.

Hey there, let me tell you about an interesting game. It’s called “{GAME_NAME}”. In this game, you have to be quick and strategic in covering up colors on a game board. The goal is to finish before the other players and earn points.

So, let me break it down for you. As the game starts, each player will have a board with different colors on it. The colors are represented by tiles. Your task is to cover up as many tiles as you can, matching the colors on the board. Sounds easy, right?

Well, here’s the twist. You’re not the only one trying to cover up the colors. Other players are doing the same thing. The first player to cover up all the tiles of a specific color gets a big bonus tile and a bunch of victory points. But watch out! The other players are right behind you, and if they finish covering up the same color before you do, they will get the bonus tile and points instead. It’s a race against time!

But don’t worry, even if you’re not the first one, there’s still a chance to earn points. The second player to finish covering up a color gets a small bonus tile and some victory points. However, if you’re the third or fourth player, well, tough luck. You won’t get anything. It’s a tough game, but that’s what makes it exciting!

So, if you’re up for a challenge and enjoy strategic games, then you’ll definitely love “{GAME_NAME}”. Give it a try and see if you can be the fastest player to cover up all the colors and earn the most points. Enjoy the game!



When you reach or go over 100 victory points, it’s time to place your victory point tile on your board, with the 100 side facing up. Put the tile in the upper right corner next to the used die storage. Once you hit 200 victory points, flip your tile over.

Selling goods



When playing the game, you have the option to sell all goods of one type from your goods storage. This is determined by the die you choose for the action, which indicates the color of the goods you can sell. Take all the corresponding goods tiles from your storage and place them face-down in the appropriate space on your board. For selling your goods, you will receive a silverling from the supply, regardless of how many tiles you’re selling. In addition, you’ll also earn 2, 3, or 4 victory points per tile, depending on the number of players in the game. Keep in mind that when you decide to sell goods, you must sell all tiles of that type, even if you wanted to keep some for later. Another action you can take is to collect worker tiles.



Finally, you have the option to take 2 worker tiles from the general supply by using any die result. It doesn’t matter what number you roll.

Now let’s talk about the black depot in the center.



Once you’ve taken your two dice actions, you have the option to buy one of the six-sided tiles from the black depot. You can do this once per turn, at any point during your turn – before, between, or after your dice actions.

To make a purchase, you’ll need to give back 2 Silverlings to the general supply. Then, you can place the newly-bought tile onto an empty storage space in the lower left-hand corner of your board, just like any other tile from the game board.

Each phase ends after five rounds. If you have mines, you’ll receive the corresponding number of Silverlings. Some yellow knowledge tiles may also have an impact. Then, a new phase begins.

When the game comes to an end, all players should take these actions into account.



Hey there, let me tell you how the game ends after we finish the fifth phase. We then move on to the final scoring, where we each get victory points based on a few things:

• You’ll earn 1 victory point for each unsold goods tile you have.
• Don’t forget, you also get 1 victory point for each Silverling you have left.
• For every two worker tiles you have, you’ll earn another victory point.
• And finally, each yellow tile that gives you victory points will earn you those points.

But hey, don’t count on scoring any points for those six-sided tiles that you still have on your storage spaces – they don’t count.

Now, here’s how we determine the winner. The player who is the farthest along on the victory point track takes the crown. If there’s a tie, the winner is the player with the fewest empty estate spaces. And if there’s still a tie, well, the winner is the player who went later in turn order. Got it? Now go out there and win!