The Castles of Burgundy Rules Reference

2-4 players90 minby Stefan Feldalea / Ravensburger

The Castles of Burgundy is a dice-driven strategy game set in the Loire Valley of medieval France. Players take on the role of aristocrats expanding their estates by acquiring and placing hex tiles representing settlements, knowledge, livestock, trade goods, and more. Each round, players roll two dice and use them to perform actions: taking tiles from the central board, adding tiles to their estate, selling goods, or gaining workers. Workers can adjust die results, giving players flexibility. Points are scored by completing colored regions on your estate, selling goods, and through various bonus effects. The game rewards efficient planning and tactical adaptation to dice rolls.

Objective

Score the most victory points over 5 phases by completing regions on your estate, selling goods, and leveraging tile abilities.

How to Play

The game lasts 5 phases (A through E). Each phase consists of 5 rounds. At the start of each phase, refill the depots with new tiles and place 5 new goods tiles. At the end of each phase, players with mines receive 1 Silverling per mine. Each round, the start player rolls the white die to place a goods tile on the matching depot, then all players roll their 2 dice simultaneously and take turns in turn order.

Tips for New Players

• Complete regions early: Completing regions in Phase A or B gives 10 or 8 bonus VP respectively, compared to only 2 VP in Phase E. Prioritize finishing small regions early.
• Castles are powerful: Placing a castle gives you a free extra action with any die value. This is one of the most powerful effects in the game.
• Don't hoard workers: Workers only score 1 VP per 2 at end game. Use them to adjust dice for better placements rather than saving them.
• Ships first: Placing ships early helps you collect goods and advance on the turn order track. Going first gives you the best tile selection.
• Tile advantages are immediate: Additional advantages of tiles (except mines) are triggered when and only when the tile is placed on the estate, not later.
• Storage is limited: You only have 3 storage spaces. Plan ahead so you don't fill up before you can place tiles.
• Sell goods in bulk: You must sell ALL goods of a type at once. Accumulate goods of one type before selling for maximum VP.
• No duplicate buildings per city: You cannot place two identical buildings in the same connected brown region (city), unless you have Knowledge tile #1.

Includes 2 Boards, 3 Tiles, 1 Money, 1 Token. View all components →