The Pillars of the Earth#Board games

Game of the Year 2007: Recommendation List German Games Award 2007: 1st place Dutch Games Award 2007: Nominated Swiss Prize 2007 Games Strategy Games: 3rd place Game of the Year 2007: Games Hit for experts International Gamers Award 2007: Nominated Japan Boardgame Prize 2007: Best Advanced Game Games Magazine: Game of the Year 2008 As d' Or - Jeu de l' Année 2008: nominated

The Pillars of the Earth is a board game by Michael Rieneck and Stefan Stadler, published 2006 in the Kosmos. It takes up the theme of the novel by Ken Follett: The players take part in the construction of a medieval cathedral. They can be played with two to four players, a game lasts about 90 to 120 minutes. The target group of players will be given from the age of twelve.

With regard to the historical theme, sophisticated rules and elaborate design is a typical representative of the modern author games. Due to the award of the German game prize in 2007 and the inclusion in the list of recommendations of the jury of the game of the year, the board game implementation gained great notoriety. In October 2007, it was one of the four games that were played on the European board game championship. A year after the first installation of the Kosmos has released a first expansion pack.

• 7.1 The Pillars of the Earth - The extension
• 7.2 Minor Extensions

Back story

The game puts players at the beginning of the 12th century. On behalf of Priors they participate in the construction of a cathedral in the fictional English town of Kingsbridge. As one of several experienced builders hired, it is important to complete the monumental building along with the other and to make the largest contribution to the building, if possible. Hired workers must cut according to the current demand for raw materials of stone, wood and sand. If other workers previously, there remains only the shopping in the commodity market. But wages for good craftsmen and the royal tax cut in addition to the budget. Even otherwise, the working conditions are tense: from a severe winter to collapse already erbauter Cathedral parts extends the range of the incoming events.

Content, the game is based so heavily on the novel by Ken Follett. Only the main character of Tom Builder was not adopted as the players take the role of the architect himself. Both the drawn around the cathedral towns as well as various figures mentioned by name as well as the incoming events originate from the underlying work.

Game play

A gambling game consists of six rounds that are each terminated with the construction of part of the cathedral. As the game progresses so arises in the middle of the game board a wooden monument, with its completion and the game comes to an end. Who could hitherto recorded the most victory points for themselves, wins the game. These victory points can be summed up with Zählsteinen on a ledge on the sidelines, there is another bar next to the current gold assets of the individual players. If the game ends two or more players have the same number of victory points, decides their gold assets.

Turn Sequence

Once fitted to the beginning of the round, players take turns with newly revealed craftsmen or their workers have deployed to the commodity cities, which play decisive phase of the game begins. For each player three builder figures of his color are placed in a linen bag. These are gradually drawn blind, that player will then decide where he wishes to send to the builder. Around Kingsbridge can gain advantages for the player the builders in different places. For example, a posting to a bishopric protect against negative events, securing an early appearance on the market a good raw material availability or bring a messenger to the royal court for a tax exemption. However, new craftsman or different advantage cards can be purchased through a negotiated sent builder. Since most places can only be visited by a single builder, has a player whose builders are drawn early benefits. To compensate for the emission of the builder costs even more gold, the sooner they come into play. Can or would like a player not use a solid early builder, he is initially deferred and is brought into play by everyone else.

Are all builders distributed, the 14 stations are evaluated around the cathedral in order. The last stop is the construction of a cathedral. Here each player is permitted to install its craftsmen, the raw materials obtained in accordance with their skills at the church.

Voltage elements

Higher the quality of the materials and the skills of the craftsman, the more victory points gained the player for the help in the construction. Mortar mixer or joiner that process the raw materials market traded low gravel or wood, so bring less victory points as a sculptor or an organ builder, process the more expensive traded commodities such as stone or metal. As added always new and above all better craftsmen during the game, take that reached by the players victory points from round to round to. A projection of individual players in the early rounds can thus be easily caught up, causing the voltage curve is maintained during the game.

Another significant voltage- forming element is the variety of options when pulling the builder, many different tactics you will lead to victory. As a player you can concentrate around a few commodities, which buys you suggest appropriate craftsmen, as well as promising, it may also be to build a gold assets through sales on the market, which has become just as through appropriate craftsmen such as a goldsmith can secure victory points.

Special features in the game for two

Unlike most similar board games, the rules also provide for a two-player game, without the need for the process must be substantially modified. However, give slightly shifted game situations, especially because of the distribution of the builder is less competition in the game is what is criticized.

Nevertheless, it is unusual to have a great board game for two players remain playable. Explicitly, for two players, therefore, the game appeared Pillars of the Earth - Duel of the builder.

Game material

The game material is made comparatively high, so the game pieces and characters are all in wood and numerous. The wooden cathedral itself serves no game-winning purpose, but only serves as a decorative lap counter.

Specifically included in the game are:

• Schedule
• Cathedral of 6 items
• 12 Builder, 3 in each 4 player colors
• 32 workers, 1 large and 7 small in the 4 player colors
• 5 neutral workers
• 82 Construction materials in the four commodity Arben
• 8 marker disks as a victory point and gold counter
• Cost stone
• 36 artisan cards
• 9 building material cards
• 16 advantage card
• 10 event cards
• 4 Maps
• Special dice
• Cloth bag

Illustrations

The game lives next implementation issue and especially of its lively design. The responsible for the graphical implementation signing Michael Menzel brings the same detail-oriented style that already characterized the illustrated by him Game of the Year Thurn and Taxis and the game Thebes. Not least, the graphic should have the novelist Ken Follett moved to assign the rights for a board game version of his novel.

Furthermore, the aim was to enable in addition to the decorating of the game and the players a good overview in every respect. Thus, the various craftsmen were colored differently according to their raw materials. Stone processing craftsmen are kept gray blue, those for wood processing maroon contrast.

Genesis

The development of the game has taken from the first ideas of the authors of more than two years to complete. Having good experience in the design of social games according to novel templates that had already gathered at the games Dracula and In 80 days around the world, the author Michael Rieneck, including The Pillars of the Earth from the beginning was designed based on the contents of the Follett novel. The licensing of the novel was carried out relatively late in the development process, which, however, was classified as not a big risk, because you also to another or similar subject could adapt the gameplay. For the second author Stefan Stadler was The Pillars of the Earth, the first publication in which it is explicitly mentioned as an author, although he had previously been involved in a number of board games by Michael Rieneck.

Criticism

Ken Follett himself remarked, after he has play tested the game before the release with his family:

"I must admit, I could never imagine that, The Pillars of the Earth ' would one day appear as a board game. But it works beautifully and we all have a lot of fun with it. "

Also, in a majority of independent game reviews section The Pillars of the Earth very well. Not least because of awards such as the preservation of the German game prize were considered likely in advance.

An individual game elements but also has been criticized in particular the sequence for pulling the builder can create an imbalance. It is not unlikely that a player gets his first constructors only if a majority of the required courses is already taken, whereupon he can take any tactical impact. A planning several moves is so difficult. The jury of the Game of the Year wrote:

"Despite all the tactical possibilities, there is a strong luck factor, which creates emotions. "

Total received The Pillars of the Earth, at the announcement of the game of the year only a less prestigious place on the recommendation list.

Extensions

The Pillars of the Earth - The extension

Among the international match days in Essen in 2007 was the first add-on package The Pillars of the Earth - The extension presented. The only together with the basic game playable material expansion includes an additional Schedule new craftsmen and pieces in other colors to make a game with five or six players. The Expansion Rules provide little change to the basic game. The new board is placed next to the main game board and offers four new ways to use the builder. At the new commercial port is now more lucrative than ever to be sold on the market, it can be sent to France builder to get there inspiration in the form of a special advantage card, or the player can send his workers on a crusade instead of collecting raw materials.

The only serious rule change relates to the previously often criticized inserting the Builder. The rules differ in that the base game, as each player lays only two builders in the bag. As soon as a player of a builder is pulled, he puts his remaining builders started from the back on a recorded on the pitch bar. Builder are all drawn out of the bag, this strip is processed from front to back. The player who could first make a builder, so now, in addition to the higher Einsetzkosten the disadvantage of being able to place his third builders only as a last resort.

Minor enhancements

The end of 2007 appeared a small - consisting of six additional artisan cards - game expansion as a supplement to gaming magazine Spielbox. Other things being equal the base game with or without the expansion is an additional craftsmen is mixed to the existing artisan cards in each of the six phases of the game. Then - to get back on the correct number - one card face down and pulled away from the game. In addition to traditional artisans, new ideas were introduced in the expansion, for example, a market waiting which victory points depending on the number of represented players in the market brings.

Continuation

In October 2009, the sequel was published by Kosmos The gates of the world after the eponymous novel published in 2007 continued by Ken Follett, which is also designed for two to four players. Authors of the game are back Michael Rieneck and Stefan Stadler. It is a stand-alone game with other game mechanics.