The Castles of Burgundy

Description

Players act as medieval French aristocrats in Burgundy, expanding princedoms via settlement tiles while managing dice-driven actions and resources for victory points. Key mechanics include: - *Tile placement*: Acquire settlement tiles from board to staging area, then place adjacently in matching regions on player board, activating tile functions. - *Dice actions*: Roll two dice per round; perform two of four actions—take/place tiles, deliver matching goods, or claim worker tokens to adjust dice. - *Goods handling*: Goods tiles placed via first player's die roll; deliver using dice values. - *Phased structure*: Five phases of five rounds; board restocked with settlement/goods tiles each phase. - *Purchasing option*: Buy settlement tiles directly to staging area. - *Victory scoring*: Points for unused money/workers, undelivered goods, and endgame tile bonuses; most points wins. This strategic tile-placement board game is set in High Medieval Burgundy's Burgundy region, where players portray aristocrats starting with small princedoms, aiming to construct settlements and castles, trade along rivers, mine silver, and leverage travelers' knowledge. Core gameplay revolves around drawing settlement tiles from the central board—each with unique functions triggered upon placement—and integrating them into personal player boards divided into regions requiring specific tile types. The game unfolds over five phases, each comprising five rounds: boards are stocked with settlement and goods tiles; players roll two dice (first player adds a goods placement die to reveal a tile); then each selects any two of four actions—fetching a tile to the staging area, deploying from staging to an adjacent spot in the correct region, delivering goods matching a die value, or grabbing adjustable worker tokens—plus optional tile purchases to staging. Completion of the fifth phase triggers scoring: victory points for surplus money, workers, and undelivered goods, plus special bonuses from tiles. Basic and advanced rule variants enhance accessibility and depth.