The Red Cathedral

How to play The Red Cathedral

On your turn choose one of three main actions: claim a cathedral section, build cathedral sections, or acquire resources from the market. Players take full turns in clockwise order rather than acting simultaneously.

The cathedral is built from base sections, middle stories and domes. You can claim an unclaimed base or a section directly above one that has already been claimed. Claiming does not finish construction: you must later deliver the indicated materials to complete your section.

The game ends once a player completes their sixth cathedral section. That player receives three Prestige Points, and the other players each take one last turn before final scoring.

Setting up a first game

1. Give each player a workshop board, banners, matching scoring marker and ornamentations.
2. Prepare the round Market board, five dice, eight resource spaces, influence cards and materials.
3. Select the building-plan card for your player count and arrange cathedral cards in its indicated tower layout.
4. Place face-down random workshop tiles on the cathedral cards.
5. Use the standard side of the workshop boards for the first game; the advanced sides add more tradeoffs.
6. Select a starting player. Starting rubles in turn order are 3, 4, 4 and 5 respectively, using only as many values as there are players.

The game layout varies between sessions because building plans, workshop tiles, market resource tiles and guild influence combinations change.

Action 1: claim a cathedral section

Take one available banner from your workshop board and place it on a legal cathedral card. A base section is available if unclaimed; a higher section is available only when the card immediately beneath it is already claimed by someone.

Take the workshop tile shown on that section and assign it to an applicable space on your personal workshop board. You may leave it face-down, losing its activated ability, or pay the placement cost to reveal and use it. An activated workshop tile gives its printed bonus immediately and again when its corresponding die is later moved.

Strategic implication: claiming a base is sometimes less about that section’s immediate reward and more about access to an advantageous workshop tile or a route into a valuable tower.

Action 2: deliver materials and build

Use one Build action to deliver up to three materials from your inventory to cathedral cards bearing your banners. You may split materials among different claimed sections. A section is complete when all required materials have been delivered, granting its printed rewards.

You may also add an ornament to a completed section, even if another player built it. Bases accept doors; middle sections accept arches; domes accept crosses. Each ornament consumes delivery capacity, and its required materials must all be delivered in the same action.

Decorations contribute to tower presence at the end of the game. Extra jewels may provide prestige when an ornament is installed. An ornate tower can therefore reward players other than its main builder.

What if someone builds above your unfinished section?

If a player completes a cathedral section while there are unfinished sections below it in the same tower, owners of those unfinished sections suffer a recognition penalty. The penalty depends on the number of completed sections above their unfinished card.

This makes delaying a base section risky: another player may claim and complete higher stories, reducing your score while you are still gathering materials.

Example: you claim a base but spend several turns collecting rubles. An opponent completes a middle section above you. Your unfinished section may now cause a penalty, so finishing the base becomes more urgent.

Action 3: how the dice rondel market works

Choose one die on the market circle and move it clockwise the exact number of spaces shown on its face. The die’s landing space determines the resources and influence opportunities available to you.

If moving the white die or the die of your own color, you may pay rubles to move additional spaces, one ruble per extra space. Dice cannot be moved into a market space already holding three dice.

When resolving the destination, the resource income from its tile depends on the number of dice there after your die arrives. You may also use the relevant guild influence and activate the matching workshop tile on your player board, respecting inventory and other rules.

After resolving the market action, reroll all dice in the space where the moved die stopped. Their new face values affect subsequent movement options for everyone.

How workshop tiles improve your engine

Each player board has workshops tied to dice colors. A face-up tile that has been purchased and installed can grant resources or another effect when you later move the matching color die on the market.

The white die’s workshop has two spaces, but if both are occupied you may activate only one of those tiles when moving the white die in a single turn.

Workshops create an engine-building incentive: claiming a section can improve subsequent market actions. However, a powerful workshop tile is not always worth delaying cathedral construction, especially when another player approaches six completed sections.

Materials, rubles and influence

Your inventory is limited, so collecting materials without a clear construction target can block future market rewards. Plan the next one or two Build actions and prioritize the materials that complete a section efficiently.

During your turn you can optionally spend one Prestige Point to receive two rubles. You can also spend one Prestige Point to reroll all dice in one chosen market space, but this reroll option is allowed only once per turn. These are optional additions to your main action, not substitutes for it.

Influence cards associated with guilds offer different bonuses, making the most attractive market space depend on the setup. Check the current guild before committing to a die move.

Recognition Points vs Prestige Points

The outer scoring track displays Recognition Points and Prestige Points. Recognition advances the scoring marker through finer intermediate spaces; Prestige is the meaningful final scoring unit. Do not treat one recognition as one prestige.

At the end, move your marker back to the nearest lower Prestige Point space unless already on one. Add one Prestige Point per five remaining rubles and materials, then score tower contributions.

Spending recognition to obtain an extra resource is not automatically a poor deal. If it helps complete a section and improve tower standing before game end, it may produce a much better return.

How tower majority scoring works

Each tower is worth two Prestige Points per completed section plus one per installed ornament. Unfinished sections do not increase the tower’s point value.

Count each player’s banners and ornamentations on that tower’s completed sections. The player with the greatest presence receives its full value. The next player receives half (rounded down), the next half of that, and so on. Tied positions share the points available for their tied ranks, with fractions rounded down. Players with no presence score nothing from that tower.

Two-player exception: the leader receives the full tower value, while the other player receives only one-third, rounded down, if they have presence. If both are tied for presence, neither scores that tower.

As a result, adding an ornament can swing both the tower’s total worth and who receives its largest share.

Does The Red Cathedral have an official solo mode?

Yes. The base rulebook contains an official solitaire opponent, Ivan Yakovlevich. You play against his automated construction team using five special solitaire cards and setup tiles.

The solo opponent cycles through a structured set of actions, including market movement, claiming sections, construction and decoration. When either player completes a sixth section, the other takes one final turn. Unlike the competitive multiplayer rules, the three-point end trigger bonus is not awarded in solo play.

This is a true opponent system rather than a simple target-score challenge. Follow the publisher’s solitaire sequence for how Ivan prioritizes towers and decorations.

What does The Red Cathedral: Contractors add?

Contractors is the major expansion. It introduces a new Grand Duchy of Moscow board, specialist tiles, permits, contractors and a black Specialist die.

With the expansion module, players gain a fourth main action: Hiring. Contractors travel to eligible cities to obtain Specialists, whose powers can be activated later. When a cathedral tower is completed, its linked city can score points and become closed to further hiring.

The expansion also offers ten additional guilds; some function with the base game, while others require the Contractors module. It introduces more planning and competition over timing, so new players should learn the original three-action system first.

Eight practical strategy tips

• Claim with workshop synergy. Sometimes an early tile that repeatedly generates the right material saves several future turns.
• Work backward from the required materials. Choose market moves that make a particular build action efficient.
• Protect your lower sections. Incomplete bases can be penalized when rivals build above them.
• Track tower majority, not merely ownership. An opponent’s ornament can change end-game scoring.
• Think about dice position after moving. You are changing the next player’s market options too.
• Do not overfill inventory. Stockpiling materials without room for additional resources can waste market value.
• Watch the sixth-completion trigger. Once a player has five finished sections, long projects may no longer pay off.
• Use optional rubles wisely. Converting a prestige point into money can be worthwhile when it directly unlocks a high-scoring completion.

These are editorial rules-based considerations, not claims of firsthand playtesting.

The Red Cathedral FAQ

How many players does The Red Cathedral support?

One to four, including the official solo game.

How long does it take?

Devir lists approximately 80 minutes.

How many actions can you choose on a turn?

Three main choices: claim a section, build, or acquire resources from the market.

Can you complete multiple sections in one action?

Yes, provided the combined deliveries do not exceed the three-material limit and all construction requirements are met.

Can you decorate someone else’s section?

Yes, if that section is complete and has an eligible ornament space.

Can you move any market die extra spaces?

No. Extra paid movement applies to the white die and your own color die.

How does the game end?

When someone completes their sixth cathedral section; rivals each receive a final turn.

How are tower ties scored at two players?

With equal presence, neither player receives tower points.

Does The Red Cathedral have solo play?

Yes, against the automated opponent Ivan Yakovlevich.

What does Contractors introduce?

A fourth main action, specialist hiring, a new regional board, permits and extra guild options.

Sources and editorial scope

• Publisher-maintained official interactive rules at Dized
• Yucata: comprehensive rules reference with base game, solo and Contractors
• Devir: official English rulebook file hosted at BoardGameGeek
• Devir: official game specifications

Reviewed October 11, 2026. This guide provides original instructional summaries and rule-based strategy without claiming personal playtesting. Consult the publisher’s complete rulebook for edge cases and component-specific effects. Editorial policy and corrections.