The Ludarium Academy · Full course · Free

Two Dice, One Duchy

An unofficial The Castles of Burgundy course

Learn The Castles of Burgundy, teach it without a long lecture, and make every die count, from your first castle to the final tally.

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The Castles of Burgundy setup for four players. The game board shows face-down goods stacks on phases A to E, six numbered depots around the black depot, the bridge with every turn piece stacked on space 1, the bonus tiles, and every score marker on 0. Beside it are the supply of silver coins, workers, and the white die, and face-down hex tile piles sorted by color. Below are two player areas, each with a duchy board, a castle on the center space, 3 goods, 1 silver, 2 dice, workers, tile storage, and an overview board.Free printable teach sheetSetup, a turn, scoring, and three tips on one page.

Six levels, 22 lessons

Start with lesson one

  1. Level 0 · Learn to play

    Villager

    After this level: Set up, teach, and play a full game by the book, with every die, worker, tile, and goods sale handled without the rulebook.

    1. 01How to Play The Castles of Burgundy
    2. 02How to Teach The Castles of Burgundy
    3. 03A Round of Castles of Burgundy, Turn by Turn

  2. Level 1 · Beginner

    Steward

    After this level: Know what each roll can reach and what a worker buys, open phase A for quick finishes and income, and use every building well.

    1. 04Your First Three Games of The Castles of Burgundy
    2. 05Castles of Burgundy Dice Odds: What a Worker Buys You
    3. 06Castles of Burgundy Openings: Making Phase A Count
    4. 07The Eight Buildings in Castles of Burgundy, and When to Build Each

  3. Level 2 · Intermediate

    Merchant

    After this level: Turn two dice into three or four actions, pick the right monasteries, run livestock and goods as engines, and count the endgame.

    1. 08The Castles of Burgundy Midgame: Workers, Tempo, and the Bridge
    2. 09Castles of Burgundy Monastery Tiles: Which to Take and When
    3. 10Castles of Burgundy Livestock and Goods: Two Scoring Engines
    4. 11Castles of Burgundy Endgame and Scoring Math
    5. 12Castles of Burgundy Player Counts, Variants, and Expansions

  4. Level 3 · Advanced

    Baron

    After this level: Read a random duchy before the first roll, track which tiles are left, win the color bonus races, and handle the two-player duel.

    1. 13Random Duchies in Castles of Burgundy: Reading a New Board
    2. 14Castles of Burgundy Tile Tracking: What Is Still to Come
    3. 15Castles of Burgundy Bonus Tiles: Winning the Color Races
    4. 16Two-Player Castles of Burgundy Strategy: Winning the Duel

  5. Level 4 · Tournament ready

    Count

    After this level: Read a four-player table, finish a game well inside a time limit, and play every heat to win rather than to place.

    1. 17Reading a Four-Player Castles of Burgundy Table
    2. 18Playing Castles of Burgundy on a Clock
    3. 19Playing to Win a Castles of Burgundy Tournament Heat

  6. Level 5 · The championship path

    Duke

    After this level: Choose an event, study the game online with replays and ranked play, and follow a six-week plan into your first tournament.

    1. 20Competitive Castles of Burgundy: Tournaments and Online Play
    2. 21Studying Castles of Burgundy Online: Ranked Play and Replays
    3. 22A Practice Plan for Tournament Castles of Burgundy

Every lesson is free to read here, any time. Sign up and they also arrive by email, one at a time, so the course keeps you learning between game nights.

Who it is for

  • New players who want the rules clear before the first die is rolled.
  • Hosts who teach Castles of Burgundy and want the teach to fit before the snacks run out.
  • Players who finish games with half-built regions and want to know where the points went.
  • Anyone curious about the expansions in the box, solo play, online ladders, and tournaments.
Players
1 to 4
Play time
90 to 120 minutes
Ages
Ages 12 and up
Rules as of
The Castles of Burgundy rulebook, Ravensburger and alea reissue with expansions (item 26925, the 2019 anniversary edition), English rules dated 2020

Questions

How do workers work in The Castles of Burgundy?

Each worker you return to the supply changes one die by 1, up or down. A 6 can become a 1 and a 1 can become a 6, and you can spend several workers on one die. You can also spend any die to take 2 workers.

Can you build the same building twice in one town?

No. Each of the eight building types can appear only once in each town, a connected area of beige spaces. Monastery tile 1 lifts that limit for the player who places it.

How does the black depot work?

Once per turn, at any point in your turn, you may pay 2 silver to take one tile from the black depot in the center of the board. It goes to one of your storage spaces like any other tile. No die is needed.

How is turn order decided?

By the bridge, the turn order track. Every ship you place moves your piece one space forward, on top of any pieces already there. The player furthest along, and on top of a stack, goes first and takes the white die.

Who wins a tie in The Castles of Burgundy?

The tied player with the most empty spaces in their duchy wins. If that is also tied, the tied player furthest behind on the bridge wins.

Can you play The Castles of Burgundy solo?

Yes. The current edition includes solo duchies 13a and 13b. You play 25 rounds against a points target, and you win if you fill all 37 spaces of your duchy in time.

Teach sheet · PDF · Rules as described in the The Castles of Burgundy rulebook, Ravensburger and alea reissue with expansions (item 26925, the 2019 anniversary edition), English rules dated 2020; official rules.

Unofficial. Not affiliated with Ravensburger or alea. The Castles of Burgundy is a trademark of Ravensburger.