The

Castles of Burgundy
SoloPlay Rules

Original game design by Stefan Feld 2011 (Ravensburger Spieleverlag)

Additional rules 2013 SoloPlayTM (BGG User: GameRulesforOne)

Introduction: The Castles of Burgundy is an excellent optimization game for 2 to 4 players. The rules that
follow will permit a single player to enjoy the game as if competing against 2 to 3 other players. Additional
rules have been added to increase the pressure on the solo player in developing their game board while
attempting to balance all of the possible methods to achieve victory. The number of turns has been reduced
to assist in game balance and increase the value of each action decision. Included within these rules are 3
levels of play (easy, normal and advanced). Where noted adjust your game setup/play/scoring accordingly.
Goal: To reach a scoring goal after the completion of 5 phases each containing 4 rounds.
Setup:
1) Place the game board within reach
2) Set up the goods tiles:
a) Retrieve 4 of each goods tile, shuffle and stack 4 in each of the 5 phase spaces.
b) From the remaining 4 take 3. These will be your starting goods. Place the remaining goods tile out
of play. Advanced Game: Set aside the last tile facedown for a possible end game scoring penalty.
3) Retrieve the 2 round markers of your chosen color.
a) One is placed on the zero scoring space and one on the leftmost shipping space (starting position).
4) Fill the game board tile spaces:
a) Shuffle the 6-sided tiles and fill the 2 spaces accordingly.
b) Slide the tiles into the reserve (3 or 4) space for each area. This will expose all 2 positions.
i) Examples: For the 1 depot this means that the building on the left 2 slides to the left onto the
knowledge 3 and the ship tile on the right 2 slides to the right to cover the livestock 4 space.
Likewise for the 2 depot both tiles are slid to the right. The knowledge 2 slides to the right
onto the building 3 and the castle 2 onto the building 4 spaces.
5) Shuffle the black 6-sided tiles and draw 2 to place into the central black depot.
6) Place the 12 bonus tiles onto their board positions.
7) Create an absolute game supply of 7 workers and 6 silverlings. All other silverlings and workers are
placed out of play.
a) Take 1 silverling and 2 workers from the game supply into your personal supply.
b) Alternate placing 3 workers and 3 silverlings onto the shipping/turn order track starting with a
worker on the position immediately to the right of your shipping marker.
c) All remaining components make up the bank (should be 2 silverlings and 2 workers)
8) Setting up the initial game board position: (placing facedown tiles)
a) Choose a player board to use including any expansion board.
b) Retrieve and roll all 9 dice
i) Separate each set of colored dice and the white die
ii) You will retrieve like colored 6-sided tiles (without looking at them in the order noted) and
place them facedown onto a player board space matching each die. Each die is considered
separately and completely. You may be required to place more than 1 tile for each die within
the type/color being placed. In other words if a 1 is used to place on a 1 castle space, it is not
used again for a livestock space but it might be used to cover multiple castle spaces or multiple
livestock spaces. The die that fills the most spaces in each color is considered first.
(1) Green dice: consider castle and then livestock spaces
(2) Black dice: consider mines and then knowledge spaces
(3) Red dice: consider building spaces
(4) Blue dice: consider ship spaces
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(a) If there is not a space on the player board that matches the die/dice rolled set the
die/dice aside until all other dice are used.
(b) All unused die/dice will be placed like and after the white die.
(c) Restriction: A type/color cannot be completely filled. A die is unplayable in this case.
(5) White die: Always in knowledge, castle, mine, ship, livestock, building space order consider
any type/color without a facedown tile and then a non-edge space first, where applicable.
The white die will only cover 1 space even if there are multiple spaces of the same number in
the type/color. You choose between like options.
(6) Now consider the unused colored die/dice in increasing pip value:
(a) If by chance a die/dice cannot be used the die/dice are re-rolled until they can be used.
iii) Board 1 example: You roll a red 2 and 3, black 1 and 5, blue 1 and 1, green 2 and 5 and a white 4.
(1) Consider red, black, blue and green dice before the white die and then any that dont find a
match. Note: The complete setup is shown at the end of these rules.
White and unused
(a) The red 2 requires you to retrieve and place facedown 2 building tiles because there are
colored die
priorities (#5 & 6):
2, 2 building spaces. The red 3 requires you to cover 4, 3 building spaces because there
1. Color/type space
are 4 on your board. The black 1 covers the 1 mine space and the 5 covers the 5
without a
knowledge space since there are no 5 mine spaces. The 1st blue 1, covers the 2, 1 ship
facedown tile
2. Non-edge space
spaces making the 2nd 1 unusable. The green 2 finds no matching castle spaces so 2
3. Edge space
livestock 2 spaces are covered. The green 5 covers the 5 castle space.
Sequence
(b) This leaves the white 4 and the 2nd blue 1 die.
1. Knowledge
2. Castle
(i) Since all types/colors have at least 1 space covered you must follow the white order
3. Mine
mentioned above, to cover the knowledge 4 space at the bottom of the gameboard
4. Ship
(with an unknown knowledge tile) using the 4 white die. The blue 1 covers the non5. Livestock
6. Building
edge 1 knowledge space near board center (with an unknown knowledge tile), since
non-edge spaces are considered before an edge.
9) Retrieve and place a castle tile faceup onto your player board.
a) You may choose to spend your silverling and both workers to remove one facedown castle tile to
place the starting castle tile in the same position.
10) The game setup is complete.
Notes before you begin play:
1) Facedown tiles on your board: (The tiles placed on your board (facedown) during setup will impede
your progress until you can and want to clear the space)
a) How to clear facedown tiles from your player board:
i.) Before all other spaces of the same type/color are filled with faceup and facedown tiles, it will
cost you 2 silverlings or 1 silverling and 2 workers to remove any facedown tile from your
board from the game.
ii.) After all spaces of the type/color are filled on your player board by faceup and facedown tiles,
the cost drops to 1 silverling or 2 workers.
1. Once a tile is removed, you may build on the space normally.
2. You may clear off multiple tiles each turn and the clearing of a tile is not an action.
2) Completing an area:
a) If the completed area is 1 space: the VPs gained for the area are 1+ half the phase score (this would
be 1+5 in the first phase for 6 points)
b) All other areas score the normal points only if the area is completely filled by your faceup tiles.
Until all are faceup you score nothing.
3) Are all spaces of a type/color filled?:
a) If after placing a tile there are no more open spaces of the type/color on your player board, including
the facedown starting tiles, the player must immediately choose one of the following:
i.) Take the higher bonus tile if all tiles on the type/color are faceup.
ii.) Take the lower bonus tile for the type/color and discard the higher if there is 1+ facedown tiles.
1. Note: You may still clear the facedown tiles and fill the spaces later but not for a bonus.
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iii.) Discard the lower bonus tile trying later to clear off the rest of the facedown tiles and fill them
with faceup tiles to gain the higher bonus.
4) Choose dice: (the dice you choose may affect what you can do with your actions)
a) During a phase each colored die will only be rolled once. The white die will be rolled 4 times.
i.) Each round you will roll 3 dice, 2 colored and the white die.
b) Same Color Dice Worker Bonus: Each colored die acts as a worker to expand the range of the depots
considered that you can collect a like colored tile into your reserve. In other words, a 3 rolled on a
blue die can be used to pick up a boat(blue) tile from a 2, 3 or 4 depot. It has no affect on any other
colored tile. You do not take a worker if you cant use the bonus effect. No workers can be added
to this bonus. Example: You will need 2 workers to gain a 1 ship tile for the blue 3 rolled.
i.) Blue die acts as having a single worker when gaining a ship tile
ii.) Red die when gaining a building tile
iii.) Black die when gaining a mine tile
iv.) Green die when gaining a livestock tile
1. Castle and knowledge tiles require workers in all non-exact roll occurrences.
2. Any die of a differing color is used normally (using a red die to gain a ship tile, for example).
3. Placing tiles and shipping goods always follows the normal use of worker rules.
5) Silverings and workers are limited. If there are none or only a limited amount in the available stock,
you collect what you can, if any. This happens in any phase of the game. Example: If you are permitted
to collect 2 silverlings during the phase end actions and there are none, you collect none.
a) You can increase the amount available by advancing on the shipping track. This is explained later.
How to Play:
1) Select the colored dice that you will roll with the white die:
a) Roll the dice, placing the next goods tile in the depot matching the white die (normal rules). It is
important to keep the tiles in order as they were placed for end of phase cleanup reasons.
b) Keep the white die available as you may be able to use it when you perform your actions.
2) You are permitted to take 2 actions and make 1 buy each round: (normal rules)
a) Your action options are the same as the normal rules: (workers permit you to modify the dice rolled.)
i) Move a tile from a depot matching a die rolled to an available storage space on your player
board.
(1) Reminder: When taking a tile from the game board consider the Same Color Dice Worker
Bonus. No workers can be added to the bonus granted.
ii) Move a tile from a storage space to your player board and score (if able, as mentioned above) or
take an action based on the tile placed using normal rules with one exception for a ship tile.
(1) If a ship tile is placed, choose a depot and collect the goods tile(s) that you can place in your
goods storage spaces and advance on the shipping track taking the worker or silverling into
your supply.
(a) Tiles may only be placed on the player board next to another faceup tile.
iii) Sell an available good(s) for 1 silverling and 3 points for 1 tile or 2 points per tile for 2+.
(1) Requirement: All goods of a type must be sold when choosing to sell.
iv) Discard a rolled die to gain 2 workers, if available, from the supply.
v) Once a round you may buy a tile from the black center depot and place in an available space in
your reserve.
vi) Bonus Option: You may choose to use the white die in place of a colored die for the cost of 1
silverling in your supply, removing the silverling from the game. You may use a worker(s) when
choosing the white die.
3) Set aside the colored dice used and repeat steps #1 and #2, 3 more times to complete the phase (there
are only 4 rounds in this variant unlike the 5 in the normal rules).
4) Mines produce: After all actions are taken for the phase, gain 1 silverling from the available supply for
each mine on your player board. If there are not enough in the supply collect what you can, if any.
5) End of Phase Cleanup:
a) Remove from play all tiles on the 2 spaces.
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b) Move all tiles on the 3 and 4 spaces to cover the corresponding 2 spaces in each depot. This might
be 0, 1 or 2 tiles.
c) Fill the game board according to the 2 spaces currently filled in each depot:
i) If a depot has no 2 spaces filled, fill the 3 & 4 spaces with the required 2 tiles. Example: This
would be a building and a ship tile for depot 1. The 2 spaces will be open.
ii) If a depot has 1, 2 space filled, you can choose which type of tile you would like to be available
next phase from the 2 choices. Placing the tile in the 3 or 4 position that corresponds to the
empty 2 space. Examples: Assuming that there is a tile on the 2 blue ship space in depot #1,
you can choose to put a building or knowledge tile on the 3 space. If the 2 brown building
space in depot #1 is filled, you can choose to place a ship or livestock tile onto the 4 space.
iii) If a depot has both 2 spaces filled then no tiles are drawn for that depot. The tiles from the
previous phase remain available.
d) Move the bonus tiles in the black depot to the next higher number removing all 4 tiles from the
game.
i) After discarding any 4 tiles,
(1) Draw 1 more tile if the # of tiles in the black depot is even or;
(2) Draw 2 more if odd or empty.
(a) Place the new tile(s) drawn on the 2 spaces.
e) Place all but the top goods tile in each depot to the side of the game board for possible end game
penalty scoring. The last placed tiles remain in each depot.
f) Layout the 4 goods for the coming phase.
End Game Conditions:
1) At the end of the 5th phase the game ends. Proceed to final scoring after setting aside all but the last
placed goods tile in each depot. (No more than 1 goods tile will be in each depot)
Score Your Game:
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)

Score 1 point for each silverling in your possession at game end.

Score 1 point for each good that you have that has not been sold.
Score 1 point for every 2 workers you have at game end.
Score each bonus tile (lowest value (2/5)
Score a maximum of 3 end game knowledge tiles on your player board.
i) Easy game: No end game knowledge tile limit.
ii) Easy/Normal game: Score 1 point for each non-end game scoring knowledge tile(s) collected.
f) Score 16 points if no end game knowledge tiles placed and/or scored on your player board.
g) Player board fill bonus(includes facedown tiles): Score 12 points for a full player board 7 points
for 1-2 open spaces and 3 points for 3-4 open spaces on your player board.
h) Subtract Points for good tiles set aside: (end of phase cleanup & game end)
i) Easy: Lose 1 point for every 5 tiles set aside.
ii) Normal: Lose 3 points if at least one of each tile is set aside and additionally, lose 1/3/6 points
for 2/3/4 tiles of each type set aside.
iii) Advanced: Lose 5 points if at least one of each tile is set aside and additionally, lose 1/3/6
points for 2/3/4 tiles of each type set aside and lose 1 point for every 2 tiles set aside.
Determining Your Victory Rating:
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)

<95 points: Game loss

95-99: Easy Game Victory
100-104: Game Victory
105-109: Major Victory
110-114: Complete Victory
115-119: Master Level Victory
120+: Perfect Game

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Strategy Session:
1) Your starting board position may strongly suggest a course of action in the early going. It is important
to focus on what your board may be able to quickly give you early in your game.
2) While you wont be able to see every tile in the game you can control the frequency of the tile types that
you place. This is often a critical decision point.
3) Due to the restricted resources (silverlings/workers) the ability to use the Same Colored Dice Worker
Bonus and shipping track gains may be important to gain flexibility in your actions and later game.
The only way to increase the game supply is to advance on the shipping track.
4) The setup facedown tiles can seem extremely restrictive. So much so that clearing a facedown space may
be an early priority. Trading a single goods tile may be an important early action to consider especially
since selling a single goods tile gets 3 points instead of 2.
5) There is an end game scoring penalty for giving the game too many excess goods tiles. Selecting the
depot with the lowest possibility of costing you end game points can be crucial especially if it is possible
that you will give up a set of goods tiles in the normal/advanced rules.
6) Due to end game bonus for getting close or filling your player board you may want to see how feasible
this might be given the setup in the early going. If this is a possible goal you will need to work on this
right from the start.
7) To help mitigate the off chance of a poor tile draw you can score 16 points for not adding an end game
scoring tile to your player board. This may open up a stronger scoring possibility with the other
knowledge tiles that are drawn.
Examples:
Full game board setup
Close up of shipping track and #5 depot setup

Shows the 2 spaces open after

setup. All 2s are empty after setup.

Only 4 rounds per phase

2 black depot tiles are drawn
during setup
Shipping track setup

Rules example: Player board setup

(facedown tiles highlighted by white circles)

Based on the initial dice roll the spaces

covered on your player board are determined

After phase 1 situation detailed

Because both 2 positions are
empty a building and a livestock
tile will be drawn and placed on
the 3 and 4 positions

The black depot tiles are

moved to the next highest
value before determining
how many to draw

Related game
board positions
The game will gain the
1 goods tile at the end
of the current phase.
Because 1, 2 position is filled in this depot, you have the
choice of bringing out a mine or a building in the next phase.
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