Who goes first in The Castles of Burgundy?
alea reissued English edition (2020 rulebook printing)
For the standard base game, each player rolls one die; the highest result starts. Give the starting player the white die and put their turn-order piece on top of the initial stack on space 1 of the bridge.
Rule details
The starter receives one worker. Continue clockwise, giving the next players two, three and four workers as applicable; stack their bridge pieces underneath the starter's in that order.
After setup, bridge position determines who goes first: nearer the city center acts earlier, with the top piece first within a stack. Do not repeat the starting-player roll for each round.
At the start of each round, everyone rolls their two dice. The starter also rolls the white die, uses it to place the round's goods tile, then takes the first turn. The white die does not provide an extra action.
When you place a ship, move your bridge piece one space toward the city center and put it on top of any pieces already there. If that makes you the next round's starter, take the white die.
Team-game exception: round one uses A1, B1, A2, B2 instead of the base-game order; later rounds follow the bridge (page 13). The solo game has its own setup (page 14).
Source & edition
- The Castles of Burgundy: official English reissue rules, 2020 printing (Ravensburger item 26925)alea / Ravensburger · Page 3: starting roll, workers and bridge stack; page 4: rounds, white die and turn order; page 5: ship movement and white-die handoff; page 13: team opening order; page 14: solo setup; page 16: printing imprint · Checked 2026-10-20Printed page references: 3, 4, 5, 13, 14, 16
Image: © Ravensburger / alea · Ravensburger / alea
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