Red Cathedral game

Game Red Cathedral
Red Cathedral is a compact medium-weight euro game using many mechanics such as worker placement, area control, and rondel mechanics. Workers are represented by moving dice, which will appeal to fans of games like Tekhenu or Teotihuacan. The action takes place in 16th-century Moscow, where Tsar Ivan the Terrible orders his workers to build a monumental cathedral. Representing craft workshops, players gather resources and focus on individual cathedral fragments, trying to complete them before opponents. The game box, despite its small size, contains a large number of detailed components such as plastic and wooden resources, cards, coins, and a Market board decorated with motifs from old Russian fairy tales. Red Cathedral offers different game boards depending on the number of players and an expanded solo variant.
Tsar’s will
The order has been given. A monumental cathedral is to be built in Moscow, overshadowing the world’s splendor. Crowds of workers rush to work, wanting to impress their ruler. Only a few will be appreciated by the tsar. The rest, well, may God have mercy on them.
Cathedral
The titular Cathedral is represented in the game by cards laid out on the table. The card layout varies depending on the number of players and the drawn pattern. One available player action is to reserve one of the Cathedral cards by placing their Banner on it. From then on, only that player can build the fragment, spending the required resources shown on the chosen card.
Prestige and Recognition
When you complete a Cathedral fragment located above an unfinished fragment of another player, that player receives negative victory points. In Red Cathedral, there are two types of victory points: Recognition points and much more valuable Prestige points. The first are earned for completed temple fragments, the latter for additional decorations like Crosses, Arches, and Doors. Building the sixth Temple fragment, triggering the end of the game, also grants Prestige points.
Resource Market
The Market board is presented as a circle divided into eight zones, each assigned a different resource. On the circle’s rim are four dice in player colors plus one white die. When performing the Resource Acquisition action, a player chooses one die and moves it by the number of pips shown. If the die is white or the player’s color, they can move one extra space for each paid Ruble. The player receives as many resources from the Market space as there are dice on it.
Advantages:
– Complex euro game with a short playtime, offering different game boards depending on the number of players and an accessible solo variant
– Combination of many mechanics with simple rules and dynamic gameplay
– Travel to 16th-century Russia and lead the construction of a magnificent cathedral, competing for Tsar Ivan the Terrible’s favor!