The pillars of the earth (game)

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The pillars of the earth
Hry a hlavolamy 2008 - Pilíře země 1.jpg
Game data
author Michael Rieneck ,
Stefan Stadler
graphic Michael Menzel
publishing company Kosmos ,
Mayfair Games ,
999 Games ,
Devir ,
Marektoy ,
Galakta ,
Filosofia Editions ,
u. a.
Publishing year 2006
Art Board game
Teammates 2 to 4
Duration approx. 90 to 120 minutes
Age from 12 years

Awards

Die Säulen der Erde is a board game by Michael Rieneck and Stefan Stadler , which was published by Kosmos- Verlag in 2006 . It takes up the theme of the novel of the same name by Ken Follett : The players take part in the construction of a medieval cathedral . It can be played with two to four players, and a game lasts around 90 to 120 minutes. Players aged twelve and over are specified as the target group.

With regard to the historical topic, the elaborate rules of the game and the elaborate design, it is a typical representative of modern author's games . With the award of the German Game Prize 2007 and the inclusion in the list of recommendations of the jury of the game of the year , the board game implementation achieved great popularity. In October 2007, the game was one of the four board games played at the European Board Game Championship . One year after the first installation, the Kosmos-Verlag released a first expansion package.

Backstory

The game transports players to the beginning of the 12th century. On behalf of a prior , they take part in the construction of a cathedral in the fictional English city of Kingsbridge . Hired as one of several experienced builders , it is important to complete the monumental structure together with the others and to make the greatest possible contribution to the construction. Hired workers have to mine stone, wood and sand according to the current demand for raw materials. If other workers come first, all that remains is purchasing on the raw material market. But wages for good craftsmen and the royal taxes cut into the budget. Otherwise, the working conditions are tense: the range of events that occur ranges from a severe winter to the collapse of parts of the cathedral that have already been built.

In terms of content, the game is very much based on the novel by Ken Follett. Only the main character of Tom Builder was not taken over, as the players themselves take on the role of the builder. Both the localities drawn in the vicinity of the cathedral and various figures mentioned by name as well as the events that occur come from the underlying work.

Game flow

A game consists of six rounds, each ending with the construction of part of the cathedral. In the course of the game a wooden monument grows in the middle of the game board , with the completion of which the game also comes to an end. Whoever has booked the most victory points by then wins the game. These victory points are added up with counting stones on a bar on the edge of the field, next to it another bar shows the current gold fortune of the individual players. If two or more players have the same number of victory points at the end of the game, their gold fortune decides.

Lap schedule

The cathedral is built by the builders during the game

After the players in turn have equipped themselves with newly revealed craftsmen at the beginning of the round or have sent their workers to the resource cities, the game-defining phase begins. For each player, three builder figures of his color are placed in a linen bag. These are gradually drawn blindly, the corresponding player then decides where he wants to send the builder. Around Kingsbridge, the builders can gain advantages for the player in various places. A posting to the bishopric can protect against negative events, an early appearance on the market can ensure good availability of raw materials or a messenger to the royal court can bring in a tax exemption. But also new craftsmen or different advantage cards can be acquired by a sent builder. Since most locations can only be visited by a single builder, a player whose builders are drawn early has advantages. To compensate for this, sending out the builders costs more gold the earlier they come into play. If a player cannot or does not want to use an early-drawn builder, he is put on hold and put into play after all others.

Once all the builders have been assigned, the 14 stations around the cathedral are evaluated one after the other. The last stop is the construction of the cathedral. Here each player can use his craftsmen to build in the raw materials they have obtained at the church according to their skills.

Tension elements

The higher the quality of the materials and the craftsmanship, the more victory points the player gains for helping with construction. Mortar mixers or joiners who process gravel or wood that are cheaply traded on the raw material market bring fewer victory points than sculptors or organ builders who process more expensive raw materials such as stone or metal. Since new and above all better craftsmen are added during the game, the victory points achieved by the players also increase from round to round. A lead of individual players in the first rounds can easily be regained, whereby the tension curve is maintained during the game.

Another crucial element that creates tension is the variety of possibilities when pulling the builder; many different tactics can lead to victory here. As a player, you can concentrate on a few raw materials for which you can purposefully buy in suitable craftsmen; But it can also be just as promising to build up a gold fortune by selling it on the market. B. a goldsmith can also secure victory points.

Special features in the game for two

In contrast to most comparable board games, the rules also provide for a game for two players without the process having to be significantly modified. However, the game situations are slightly shifted, as there is less competition in the game, especially for the distribution of the builders, which has been criticized in some cases.

However, it is rather unusual for a large board game to remain playable for two players. The game The Pillars of the Earth - Duel of the Builders was therefore published specifically for two players .

Game material

The workers figures are similar to those in the popular match game Carcassonne held
The different raw materials are represented by different colored wooden stones

The game material is made of comparatively high quality, so the game pieces and figures are all made of wood and are numerous. The wooden cathedral itself does not serve a purpose that determines the game, but only serves as a decorative lap counter.

The game includes:

  • game schedule
  • Cathedral made of 6 parts
  • 12 builders, 3 each in the 4 player colors
  • 32 workers, 1 large and 7 small in each of the 4 player colors
  • 5 neutral workers
  • 82 building materials in the 4 raw material colors
  • 8 marker discs as victory point and gold counter
  • Cost stone
  • 36 craftsman cards
  • 9 building material cards
  • 16 advantage cards
  • 10 event cards
  • 4 overview maps
  • Special cubes
  • Cloth bag

Illustrations

In addition to implementation and subject matter, the game lives above all from its lively design. Michael Menzel , who is responsible for the graphic implementation, brings the same detailed style that also shaped the game of the year Thurn und Taxis , which he illustrated, and the game Jenseits von Theben . Last but not least, the graphics are said to have moved the novelist Ken Follett to grant the rights for a board game version of his novel.

In addition to decorating the game, the aim was also to give the players a good overview in every respect. The various craftsmen were colored differently according to their raw materials. Stone-processing craftsmen are gray-blue, those for wood processing are red-brown.

History of origin

The development of the game took more than two years from the first ideas of the authors. After good experience in designing board games based on novels, which the author Michael Rieneck had already gained in the games Dracula and Around the World in 80 Days , The Pillars of the Earth was also designed from the start based on the contents of the Follet novel. The licensing of the novel took place relatively late in the development process, which, however, was not classified as a major risk, as the game principle could have been adapted to a different or similar topic . For the second author Stefan Stadler , Die Säulen der Erde was the first publication in which he is explicitly named as an author, although he had previously worked on several board games by Michael Rieneck.

criticism

Criticism: The builders are drawn blindly from a linen bag

Ken Follett himself commented after rehearsing the game with his family before it was released:

“I have to admit, I never imagined that 'The Pillars of the Earth' would one day appear as a board game. But it works wonderfully and we all have a lot of fun with it. "

In a majority of independent games reviews cut Pillars of the Earth very well. Not least because of this, awards such as receiving the German Game Award were seen as likely in advance.

Criticism was also made on individual game elements, in particular the order in which the builders move can create an imbalance. It is not unlikely that a player will only get his first master builder when a majority of the desired places have already been taken, which he cannot influence tactically either. Planning over several moves is made more difficult. The jury for the game of the year wrote:

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

Overall, The Pillars of the Earth received only one less prestigious place on the recommendation list when the game of the year was announced .

Extensions

The Pillars of the Earth - The Extension

The Pillars of the Earth - The Extension
Game data
author Michael Rieneck , Stefan Stadler
graphic Michael Menzel
publishing company Kosmos ,
Mayfair Games ,
Devir ,
Filosofia Editions
Publishing year 2007
Art Expansion package,
only playable with the basic game
Teammates 2 to 6
Duration approx. 90 to 120 minutes
Age from 12 years

The first additional package to be presented at the international match days in Essen in 2007 was The Pillars of the Earth - The Extension . The material expansion, which can only be played together with the basic game, contains an additional game board, new craftsmen and game pieces in other colors to enable a game with five or six players. The rules of the expansion hardly provide any changes to the basic game. The new game board is placed next to the main game board and offers four new ways to use the builders. At the new trading port, you can now sell more profitably than before on the market, builders can be sent to France to get 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 concerns the so far often criticized appointment of the builders. The rules differ from the basic game in that each player only puts two master builders in the bag. As soon as a player draws a builder, he places his remaining builder, starting from the back, on a track drawn on the playing field. When all the builders have been pulled out of the bag, this bar is worked off from front to back. The player who was allowed to place a master builder first has the disadvantage, in addition to the higher placement costs, of being able to place his third master builder last.

Minor extensions

At the end of 2007, a small game expansion - consisting of six additional craftsman cards - appeared as a supplement to the game magazine Spielbox . If the rules of the basic game are otherwise unchanged, with or without the expansion, an additional craftsman is shuffled to the existing craftsman cards in each of the six game phases. Then - in order to get back to the correct number - a card is drawn face down and removed from the game. In addition to traditional craftsmen, new ideas were also introduced into the expansion, for example a market warden, who earns victory points depending on the number of players represented on the market.

continuation

In October 2009 Kosmos released the sequel Die Tore der Welt, based on the 2007 novel of the same name by Ken Follett, which is also intended for two to four players. The authors of the game are again Michael Rieneck and Stefan Stadler . It is a standalone game with different game mechanics.

See also

Web links

Commons : Pillars of the Earth  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Spielbox magazine 5/2007, p. 12 f. ISSN 0721-6777 
  2. ↑ a b c d Interview with the game authors Michael Rieneck and Stefan Stadler
  3. ↑ Interview with the illustrator Michael Menzel ( Memento from September 28, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
  4. ↑ Interview with the game designer Michael Rieneck
  5. ^ Ludography by Stefan Stadler in the Luding database
  6. ↑ Imprint on the playing box of the first edition of Die Säulen der Erde , 2006, Kosmos Verlag
  7. ↑ Review by Holgs Spieleteufel
  8. ↑ Review at the Juleiqua Institute ( Memento from July 19, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
  9. ↑ Brochure: "Game of the Year, Excellent Games 2007" ( Memento from September 27, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF; 1.5 MB)
  10. ↑ Online press release from the game magazine Spielbox on the first expansion
  11. ↑ Spielbox 6/2007, p. 37.
This version was added to the list of articles worth reading on November 5, 2007 .