The Castles of Burgundy features skill, strategic planning, and just the right amount of luck to make it an all-time classic board game. Whether you’re an experienced player or new to the game, there always seems to be something more to learn to help you excel in your next game. I have analyzed the games of top players, put tactical tips to the test, and experimented with strategies in many of my own games to bring you this complete resource. So, prepare yourself for an in-depth look at how to build the most magnificent estate in Burgundy and outmaneuver your opponents. Let’s dive in and discover the path to victory together!
Complete small areas as quickly as possible
The bulk of the points scored in a game of The Castles of Burgundy usually come from completing areas. Completing small areas (size 1 or 2) in the first two phases of the game is extremely valuable because you get 10 or 8 bonus points per area, respectively. Experienced players exploit this scoring mechanism by focusing on small areas at the beginning of the game to get out to an early lead.
The most important thing you can do to set yourself up for early success is to place your castle near as many small areas as possible. This is the most important (but far from the only) factor to consider when placing your first castle.
Depending on the map, you should generally aim to complete 2 or 3 small areas in the first phase and 3 more in the second phase. Sometimes the dice won’t fall your way or the map isn’t set up for this, but it’s always a good goal to keep in mind. If you’re successful, you’ll finish the first two phases with at least 50 points and have a good foundation for the rest of the game.
Have the first turn at the beginning of each phase
The battle for the first turn is constantly raging in most games of The Castles of Burgundy – especially the first turn at the beginning of a phase. Having the first pick of tiles at the beginning of a phase is an enormous advantage because you’ll get the first crack at valuable tiles like Ships, Mines, Castles, or tiles needed to complete large areas.
To claim the first turn, you have to claim and play Ships. This means that you need to prioritize picking Ship tiles and have a board position that allows you to play them. Keep a constant watch of the turn situation by monitoring you and your opponents:
- Current position on the Turn Order Track
- Number of Ships in the Storage Area
- Ability to buy ships from Storage Depots and the Black Market
- Access to water spaces on which to play Ships
- Number of turns left in the phase
All of these considerations can have a drastic impact on how you handle the turn situation. Remember: the primary goal is to have the first turn at the beginning of the next phase. This means that players often wait for the others to play their Ship tiles so that they can respond and end up on top of the other player.
If you can manage it, the best way to guarantee you always have the first turn is to take enough Ship tiles in each Phase to ensure other players can’t catch up to you. This isn’t always possible, but if you can manage it then it’s almost always best to do so.
Prioritize Mines and Boats early in the game
Boats and Mines are some of the most coveted tiles in the early game. Boats are valuable because they improve your chances of taking the first turn in subsequent phases (see above), and Mines are critical because they earn you Silverlings at the beginning of each phase.
Mines are the most valuable in the first and second phases of the game for several reasons:
- Earn up 5 Silverlings throughout the game
- Commonly single-tile spaces (easy to complete)
- Help snowball by facilitating purchases from the Black Market
Mines gradually decrease in value as the game goes along because all three of these benefits become less significant as each phase ends. They will earn fewer Silverlings, each completed area is worth fewer points, and any buildings purchased from the Black Market have less time to snowball. After the second phase, Mines should generally cease to be a priority (though certainly not entirely ignored).
Know when Pastures are worth completing
Completing an entire map in a game of The Castles of Burgundy is impossible, so in the spirit of efficiency, you need to decide early on which areas you want to try to complete and which ones you’ll ignore entirely. Pastures (on which you place Animal tiles) are usually a good first candidate to consider when choosing areas to ignore.
In general, if a pasture is size 3 or less, you should choose to ignore it. A size 4 pasture could be well worth it if you manage to fill it with all of the same type of animal. Pastures sized 5 or 6 should almost always be completed while trying to fill them with as many animals of the same type as possible.
The reason for this generalized breakdown is simple math. At size 3 or less, pastures lose a lot of their exponential scoring power. To demonstrate this, let’s assume all animal tiles have 3 animals on them and look at the maximum potential score for each area size.
| Area Size | Points from Animals | Points from Completed Area | Total Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| 2 | 9 | 3 | 12 |
| 3 | 18 | 6 | 24 |
| 4 | 30 | 10 | 40 |
| 5 | 45 | 15 | 60 |
| 6 | 63 | 21 | 84 |
As you can see, the scoring potential for larger pastures is drastically higher than those of size 3 or lower. Of course, to reach this full potential you have to fill the pastures with animals of the same type, but the trend remains the same. Smaller pastures are generally not worth completing since your time would be better spent on other areas.
Don’t start an area unless you will complete it
The Castles of Burgundy is all about efficiency – extracting the most value out of every turn and dice roll as you can. To that end, you should rarely (if ever) place a tile in an area that you can’t or won’t complete. Doing so wastes an opportunity to contribute to an area you could complete that would earn you additional points.
There are exceptions, of course. Sometimes you need to place a tile to gain access to another area you want to work on, or the dice rolls force you to place a Town Hall in a random location just so you can place another important tile on that turn. You may also want the benefits of a yellow Knowledge tile, so you place it in a yellow area you do not intend to complete. Still, you should always be aware of the opportunity cost lost when doing something like this.
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Place tiles to maximize future options
Speaking of tile placement, always try to place your tiles in such a way as to give yourself more flexibility on future turns. If given the choice between two otherwise equal tile placement options, choose the one that offers the most:
- Variety of neighboring numbers
- Variety of neighboring colors
In the example above, I want to place one of my Chicken tiles in the size 4 pasture (the size 2 pasture isn’t worth it at this phase of the game). I can choose between placing it on the ‘1’ or the ‘3’ pasture hex and either of them would cost me one worker. Here, I chose to go with the ‘3’ hex because it gives me access to more additional hexes than the ‘1’ hex would (3 vs 2) and more variety of neighboring colors (city and pasture vs just pasture).
By leaving yourself with more options and flexibility you increase the odds that you’ll be able to play a tile without using any workers on your next turn. You’ll also find that this strategy often leads to you reaching new areas more quickly, giving you more options and threats that your opponent has to deal with.
Manage your Storage Area to maximize your options
In a similar vein, managing your storage area effectively is critical to success. This means only filling it with tiles that, with the right dice rolls, you can use immediately and keeping a variety of tile types to choose from. The worst Storage Area you can have is one where you don’t have access to the area types your tiles need, making it impossible to add to your board without first discarding a tile.
Even the best tiles are completely useless to you if you can’t play them. For example, you can have a Boat, Mine, and Castle in your Storage Area, but if your current board tiles are only adjacent to open city and pasture tiles then your tiles are worthless until you fix your problem by discarding.
Prepare for the beginning of each phase
Another critical aspect of managing your Storage Area is preparing for the beginning of the next phase. Ideally, you will have played all of the tiles out of your Storage Area so that you have a blank slate to work with. To be perfectly positioned for the start of each phase you should have the following ideal setup:
- The first turn
- A clear storage area
- At least 2 Silverlings
- At least 2 Workers
It’s rare to be able to accomplish these 4 goals without sacrificing efficiencies in other areas, but if you can manage it (or get close) you’ll find that the entire phase runs much more smoothly. You can grab 3 valuable tiles (2 from the depots and one from the Black Market) before your opponent gets the chance.
Make use of the most powerful Yellow Tiles
Many games of The Castles of Burgundy come down to the advantages and points generated from each player’s yellow Knowledge tiles. These tiles give you an enormous amount of flexibility and have the potential to score a game-winning amount of points. Some are stronger than others and, depending on how the game unfolds, you should prioritize snatching them up to give you an advantage.
Powerful Point-scoring Knowledge Tiles
Tile #15: Score 3 VP for each type of good sold. This is, in my opinion, the most overpowered and valuable Knowledge tile in the game. If you sell all 6 good types that nets you a whopping 18 points at the end of the game. In a normal game you’d end up selling plenty of goods anyway, so this tiles gives an extraordinary amount of value – especially when combined with Tile #25.
Tile #25: Score 1 VP for every good sold. This tile can be very valuable if you get it late in the game and you’ve already sold a lot of goods, but it isn’t overpowered in my opinion. However, when combined with Tile #15 it gives you a big incentive to focus on selling a variety of goods and rack up the points. Make it a priority if you have already sold a lot of goods and/or have Tile #15 in your possession.
Tiles 16-23: Score 4 VP per building of each type. These tiles range from worthless to extremely valuable depending on your board state. If you have a tile that scores 4 VP for every Town Hall but no Town Halls at the end of the game then it’s a complete waste. On the other hand, if you already have 3 Churches on your board and you can score an additional 4 VP per Church then you should definitely prioritize snatching that tile up. These tiles can be risky to pick up early in the game (especially in a 2 player game) because you are never sure what tiles will be available in later rounds.
Powerful Economic Knowledge Tiles
Tile #1: Allows more than one building in the same city. This tile is amazing for boards with very large cities of sizes 7 or 8. It can be very difficult to complete huge cities (and score a whopping 28 or 36 points) because of the restriction of only one building of each type per city – especially if your opponents are actively blocking you from doing so by snatching up the buildings you need. Tile #1 circumvents this issue entirely and gives you an incredible amount of flexibility. It’s also very useful if you have another Knowledge Tile that scores 4 VP per building of one type. You can play as many of that building type as you want without being limited by the one-per-city rule.
Tile #6: Use Silverlings to purchase a tile from anywhere on the board. Some players argue that this tile is the most overpowered tile in the game. I disagree, but it is certainly strong because you have a lot more flexibility and buying power. It’s especially useful in 2-player games because it becomes almost impossible to block you from getting the specific tiles you need to complete an area.
Tile #12: Allows you to purchase from depots at +1/-1. This is a great tile to pick up in the first or second phases of the game because it has a lot of time to pay dividends. With two die per dice roll, you will likely have your pick of tiles from the majority of the depots.
Finish areas and sell goods in the last phase
In the last phase of the game (sometimes the last two phases) you should set clear goals for yourself since your timeline is limited. The first priority is usually to finish any large areas you’ve started to get those VPs. At the beginning of the phase, make sure to grab any tiles you need to complete an important area before your opponent blocks you. If the right tiles don’t turn up on the board to complete an area, you’re usually best served to abandon that area entirely and focus on other ways of scoring points.
The last phase of the game is also a good time to sell off any remaining goods that you’ve accumulated throughout the game. This is especially true if you have Knowledge Tiles #15 or #25 and in higher player count games where goods are worth more VPs. Remember, however, that you still get 1 VP for every unsold good, so you still get some value if you don’t sell them. Factor that into your decision making when weighing the opportunity cost of selling goods.
Know what tiles your opponents need
To this point, I have only tangentially touched on how to play against your opponents. The Castles of Burgundy has no direct player interaction, but that doesn’t mean it’s multiplayer solitaire. There are plenty of ways to mess with your opponents, and you can bet that advanced players will try to do it to you.
Interfering with your opponents’ plans is especially important in the last two phases of the game. By that point you can get a pretty clear picture of where each player stands and what they need to complete their board or score big points with Knowledge Tiles.
Take a long, serious look at each opponent’s board at the beginning of each of the last two phases. Take note of what tiles they need to complete the larger zones they’ve begun (usually sizer 5 or larger). Then, if possible, take just enough of those tile types to prevent them from completing those zones.
Some things to keep in mind when surveying your opponents’ boards include:
- How many tiles they need to complete larger areas
- Building types currently in their large city vs the types that are available
- Animal tiles that match the common animals in their large pastures
- Building types that will benefit from Knowledge Tile multipliers
- Knowledge Tiles available that would score them lots of VPs
While these considerations are extremely important in the final phases of the game, you can also apply them earlier to frustrate your opponents. When deciding between two tiles to take for yourself, consider which tile your opponent would prefer to have and use that as a tiebreaker.
As a final hilarious example of these concepts, I’d like to highlight a scenario that sometimes occurs on Board 3. Inexperienced players will sometimes choose to start in the center, thinking it’s always the most logical place to begin. However, the center Castle hex is surrounded by only Yellow hexes – meaning the only way for them to expand is to acquire and play at least one yellow tile.
Hilariously, if you are the first player you might very well be able to take both yellow tiles on the first turn of the game, making it impossible for them to play anything in the first phase. Even better, you’ll be able to do whatever you want to prepare for the next phase and do the same thing for the rest of the game by taking both yellow tiles from the depots and buying any yellow tiles from the Black Market in the first turn of every phase. Their only hope is that more than one yellow tile gets dealt to the Black Market, but by then it will be too late for them to have any realistic hope of winning.