Castles of Burgundy Player Counts, Variants, and Expansions

The current Ravensburger and alea edition of The Castles of Burgundy packs the base game and a whole set of expansions into one box. That is a gift and a trap. Add everything at once and the clean two-dice turn disappears under special rules. Add one module at a time and the game can stay fresh for years.

This lesson starts with player counts, then the variant the rulebook suggests for experienced players, then each expansion in the box.

How does the game change by player count?

The base game plays 2 to 4, and the solo expansion adds a 1-player mode.

• Four players: the front of the board, with four tiles in each numbered depot. The most competition for each tile, and the longest wait between turns.
• Three players: the back of the board, using the inner spaces plus the spaces marked 3. One quirk: the dark green space of depot 6 is refilled with a castle in phases A, C, and E, and with a mine in phases B and D.
• Two players: the back of the board, using only the inner 12 hex spaces and 4 spaces of the black depot. Fewer tiles appear, so each one you take is one your opponent cannot.

Two numbers scale with the count. Each goods tile sold scores 2, 3, or 4 points with 2, 3, or 4 players. The large bonus tiles score 5, 6, or 7, and the small ones 2, 3, or 4.

Random duchies

Once everyone knows the game, the rulebook suggests dealing each player a random duchy from boards 1 to 10. Each player picks a side and which dark green space gets the starting castle. Agree first whether you choose at the same time or in turn order.

This is the single biggest change you can make without new rules. Every game starts with a different puzzle, and reading your duchy before the first roll matters even more.

The expansions in the box

Four extra tiles. Shuffled into their piles: monastery 27, the Bridge, keeps your turn piece on top of any stack; monastery 28, Workers, lets you buy 2 workers for 1 silver; the Crane copies any building’s power; and the Geese are a livestock tile that adds 2 points every time you place more animals on its pasture.

The White Castles. Nine tiles mixed into their piles. Place a white castle and take an action using the white die’s number, which workers can change.

The Inns. One inn joins the black depot each phase, and inns are not cleared away between phases. Buy one for 2 silver like any black depot tile. You may place one inn per region, and it makes that region count as one size bigger when it scores, up to 8.

The Trade Routes. Each player lays out trade route cards above their board: 3 cards each with 4 players, 4 with 3, and 5 with 2. Goods you sell go onto the route one by one, and matching colors earn bonuses.

The Border Posts. Six new duchies, 11a to 11f. Connect two border posts with tiles to score the phase bonus. Connect a third to score it again, plus a large bonus of 5, 6, or 7 points if you are first; the next player to do it takes the small bonus.

The Shields. Shields are dealt onto the depots, more of them with more players. When you roll doubles, you may skip both actions to take a shield onto one of your castles. Each shield has a lasting power, but costs 1 silver at the end of every phase.

The Team Game. Two teams of two, each sharing one large duchy, 12a, with an advanced side, 12b. Teammates share goods, silver, workers, and some storage, but not dice.

The Solo Game. Duchies 13a for beginners and 13b for advanced players. You play 25 rounds against a points target that starts at 50 and drops by 5 each time you reach it. You win by filling all 37 spaces of your duchy.

What to add first

• Your group loves the base game as is: play random duchies, then stop and enjoy it.
• You want small surprises: the four extra tiles and the White Castles.
• You want new decisions every phase: the Inns, then the Trade Routes.
• You want a new board puzzle: the Border Posts.
• You want more risk and swing: the Shields.
• You play alone or in pairs: the Solo Game or the Team Game.

Our piece on whether expansions are worth it has a broader way to decide, and if the solo mode clicks, our list of solo board games has more for quiet nights.

Other versions

The current edition is Ravensburger’s The Castles of Burgundy, the reissue with the expansions above in the box.

A deluxe Special Edition, made by Ravensburger with Awaken Realms, came out in 2023 with new art and deluxe components. It is a premium box for groups who already love the game.

Two smaller spin-offs share the name: The Castles of Burgundy: The Card Game (2016) and The Castles of Burgundy: The Dice Game (2017), a roll and write. Each is its own game, and neither needs the board game.