Castles of Burgundy Openings: Making Phase A Count

The Castles of Burgundy has no fixed opening. The tiles in the depots and the dice change every game. But the first phase still follows patterns, because the rules make phase A the richest phase of the game. Every region closed now earns the biggest bonus, and every source of income placed now pays out the most times.

Read your duchy before the first roll

Once the dice start rolling, your attention goes to the depots and the round in front of you. So study your own board during setup, before the first roll.

• Find the small regions. On duchy 1, for example, there is a town of one space. Regions of one, two, or three spaces close fast.
• Look at the six spaces around your castle. Your first tile must go on one of them. Note their colors and numbers.
• Trace a path. Which of those neighbors leads toward a small region, or toward a color you can fill completely?

You are not making a full plan. You are learning which numbers and colors you will be glad to roll.

Why small regions pay most in phase A

Every completed region scores its size points plus the phase bonus. The bonus is the same for every region, so it matters most for small ones.

A single tile that closes a one-space region in phase A scores 11 points. The same tile in phase E scores 3. That gap is the main reason to finish small regions early and leave the big ones for later.

Income that pays all game

Some tiles pay again and again, so they are worth most when placed early.

Mines. Each mine pays 1 silver at the end of every phase. A mine in place before the end of phase A pays five times, at the end of A, B, C, D, and E. That is five silver, enough for two buys from the black depot with one left over. A mine placed in phase E pays once.

Monasteries that change the rules. Many monastery tiles have lasting powers, such as changing a die by 2 per worker instead of 1, or buying from any depot. A lasting power placed in phase A works for 20 rounds or more. Monasteries that only score at the end can wait.

Workers. A boarding house gives 4 workers at once. Taking 2 workers with a weak roll in phase A is a good action, because those workers make every later roll more useful.

Ships in the opening

A ship does two things: it grabs all the goods from any depot, and it moves you forward on the bridge. Early in the game, both matter. Goods sold with 4 players are worth 4 points each, plus 1 silver for the sale. And moving up the bridge gives you first pick of the depots next round, when the phase A tiles are at their freshest.

Look for depots holding two or more goods of a color you already have. With 4 players, one ship and one sale can turn into 10 points or more.

Castles as flexibility

A castle gives an extra action with any number you like. In the opening that might mean placing a second tile right away, taking a tile from the depot you need, or selling goods without the right die. Use a castle to finish something, not just to start something.

Keep storage moving

The cleanest opening turn takes a tile with one die and places it with the other. Your storage stays clear, your duchy grows, and nothing waits around. When the dice do not line up, a worker or two often makes them.

Avoid filling all three storage spaces in phase A. At the start of phase B, the board is cleared and refilled, so a full storage leaves you unable to grab the best new tiles.

A good phase A, in numbers

There is no perfect target, and duchies differ. As a rough check, a strong phase A often looks like this:

• Two or three small regions completed.
• One source of income in place: a mine, a useful monastery, or a pile of workers.
• At least one worker in hand.
• No more than one tile waiting in storage.

If you end phase A with no completed regions, the opening got away from you. That is fine. The midgame lesson at Level 2 shows how to catch up.

Castles of Burgundy rewards this kind of patient planning because the dice set the problem and you solve it. Our piece on luck and skill explains why that balance keeps the game fresh.