The Castles of Burgundy was one of the earlier games that we added to our collection. We enjoyed playing it from the start, although I’m less keen on the slightly fiddly set up. In it you are building a map by adding hexes showing a ranges of different areas. You choose your hexes based on a dice roll, but the number in this can be changed by using workers. Each type of hex gives a bonus of some sort. It can be very satisfying to chain the bonuses together – for example, using a city hall to place a carpenters workshop allowing you to pick up a bank and place it in your queue.
One thing we do have that enhances the game is some cheat sheets that I found on the internet (I’m assuming on boardgamegeek) and printed off. These summarise what all the different hexes do, including the yellow knowledge tiles. This makes it much quicker and easier to play as you don’t need to keep looking through the rule book.
Every turn feels important as there are lots of ways to get points. Do you aim to finish areas quickly and get the bonuses that way? Or do you bide your time and wait for the next of the five rounds to see if better tiles appear?
Having played it once in our run through the ranks, I immediately set it up for another game. It had been gathering dust for a while, but won’t be any more.
Next up: 7 Wonders Duel
Board Musings 