It is a strategy game set in the historic region of Burgundy, France, during the High Middle Ages.
In "The Castles of Burgundy," players take on the roles of aristocrats striving to build prosperous estates by acquiring land, constructing buildings, and raising livestock. The game components include a game board depicting the region of Burgundy divided into hexagonal spaces, player boards representing individual estates, dice, tiles representing different types of buildings and land, and markers representing various resources and animals.
To start the game, players receive a player board and a set of colored markers representing their resources and animals. The game is played over a series of turns, with each turn consisting of several phases:
Roll Phase: Players roll two dice, and the results determine the actions they can take during the turn.
Action Phase: Players use the results of their dice rolls to perform actions such as acquiring land tiles, constructing buildings, or selling goods.
Cleanup Phase: Players refill the available tiles, advance the round marker, and pass the first player marker to the next player.
Players earn victory points by completing various objectives such as completing regions of their estate, constructing buildings, and collecting sets of goods. The game continues for a set number of rounds, and the player with the most victory points at the end of the game is declared the winner.
"The Castles of Burgundy" is known for its deep strategic gameplay, where players must carefully manage their resources, plan their actions, and adapt to changing circumstances. It offers a blend of tile placement, resource management, and dice rolling mechanics, making each game session dynamic and engaging. With its accessible rules, strategic depth, and replayability, "The Castles of Burgundy" is widely regarded as a modern classic in the world of Euro-style board games.