CASTLES OF BURGUNDY, THE (2019)

PLAYERS	TIME	DESIGNER	PUBLISHER
1-4	70-120 mins	Stefan Feld	Alea

In this crunchy of crunchy games, players are rolling dice and using them to pick various tiles to place in their Duchy.

From Mines that give you coin, to Buildings that give you one off bonuses when placed, it’s all about selecting the right tile at the right time, preferably before your opponent(s) snatch them.

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During the game, points are mainly gained from completing areas of the same colour. This process has a nice extra in that you score big if you complete early, but also if the area is large.

If you can complete a six tile area of your Duchy halfway through the game, you’ll end up with some nice points.

While to a newcomer it can look overwhelming with all of its icons across different tiles, once you have a grasp of how the colours work and the basics of the symbols, you’ll be able to have an idea of where you’re going each turn.

And then comes the refresh where new tiles hit the board, meaning if you missed out on a Castle or a Mine, you’ll get another chance.

Now a lot of people dunk on the aesthetics of the game. And yes, it’s basic looking compared to most modern board games (especially its recent remake).

But THE CASTLES OF BURGUNDY isn’t about wowing you with it’s looks. It’s about the fullfilling ‘conversation’ you’ll get from it. The gameplay is fun and thinky. Your tactics may need to change on the fly depending on what you’ve rolled and what other players take.

And that’s without the replayability our version offers. We’ve played the first two boards for a while, but have recently dived in to asymmetrical Duchies and it may be my favourite way to play from now on.

THE CASTLE OF BURGUNDY may not look like much, but she’s got it where it counts. A longish game with relatively quick turns, it’s a classic for a reason.