BoardGameArchiveThe Castles of Burgundy
Use dice to claim and place hex tiles, develop a 15th-century estate and turn buildings, animals, knowledge, ships and trade into points across five phases.
15th-century Burgundy estate development
Roll two dice each round and use them to claim tiles, place tiles into your estate, sell goods or gain workers.
Different tile colors provide different effects, and completing regions efficiently produces major bonus points across the five phases.
Why it stands out
The Castles of Burgundy turns dice into flexible action selectors rather than simple luck. Workers can adjust values, and strong tile chains let one action trigger several follow-up benefits.
About The Castles of Burgundy
Roll two dice each round and use them to claim tiles, place tiles into your estate, sell goods or gain workers.
Different tile colors provide different effects, and completing regions efficiently produces major bonus points across the five phases.
Game at a Glance
Use Dice as Actions
Each die value determines where or how an action can be taken.
Develop the Estate
Place hex tiles into matching spaces on your personal board.
Chain Tile Effects
Buildings, ships, animals and knowledge can generate extra actions or value.
Complete Regions
Finishing areas earlier and efficiently produces important bonus points.
What is The Castles of Burgundy?
The Castles of Burgundy is Stefan Feld’s estate-building strategy game set in 15th-century Burgundy. Players use dice values to take actions and develop individual estates over five phases.
Ravensburger’s current edition supports 1–4 players and includes more than ten expansion modules.
How the game works
Dice determine which numbered depot spaces and estate hexes you can interact with. Core actions include taking hex tiles, placing them into matching estate spaces, selling goods and taking worker tiles that modify die results.
Different tile colors represent systems such as buildings, animals, ships, mines and knowledge. Completing connected regions quickly can be especially valuable because phase and region bonuses decline as the game progresses.
The decisions that define it
The game is largely about converting imperfect dice into useful tempo. Workers make dice flexible, but spending an action to gain flexibility competes with developing the estate immediately.
Tile timing also matters: an attractive hex can be valuable because of its own effect, because it completes a region or because another player is likely to take it first.
Who is it for?
Choose The Castles of Burgundy if you want a medium-to-heavy euro where dice create constraints rather than simply determine outcomes.
Choose a shorter tile game such as Cascadia or Azul if you want a much lighter spatial puzzle.
Publisher sources & scope
Checked September 16, 2026. Current product facts refer to Ravensburger/alea’s edition. Historical release year refers to the original game.