Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)This heavy eurogame game was the huge hit of 2006, winning multiple awards and shooting up to top ratings on boardgamegeek.com. It richly deserves all the praise it has been given. It is also one of the most complex designer games, with a long and seemingly impenetrable rule book. Think of it as about 3 times as complex as Settlers of Catan. On the other hand, it is no more complex than the typical historical wargame or 18xx railroad game. And it is much quicker to play than a wargame or rail game.
Caylus is worth the trouble to learn. Once the rules are understood the play has a very smooth and natural flow to it. There are no dice, or any random factor to gameplay whatsover. If you win or lose it is due to the choices you have made, an the choices of other players. All the interlocking elements of gameplay connect beautifully. The players are competing to build the King's castle and win royal favors. Each turn brings interesting developments, which affect all players in differnt ways. There is a bailiff, a provost, a jeweler, a bridge, a trading post, an inn, a lumber camp, a quarry, an architect, etc. And MANY more elements, in fact. Each element has its own appropriate role in the game. This is a thematically consistent game that creates a miniature medieval society. It is a LOT of fun to play.
It is largely complexity that makes Caylus so good. There are so many winning strategies, so very different, with none being clearly better. Strategies can be mixed and matched. An agile player will shift focus mid game if the tide turns against him. This game has an ebb and flow to it that feels very lifelike. A leading player in the middle game will often be overtaken later by a player who undertook a longer term strategy. But then the overtaken player will often be able to come back, with clever maneuvering, for a close finish.
Caylus is not a particularly long playing game. It starts slowly and gets more exciting as more buildings get built and players execute their strategies. It comes to a climax about 2 hours later, usually with a tense, hard fought finish. Two to five can play this game. It plays very well with only two and just as well, although more chaotic, with five. Or three or four, of course. So buy this mind blowing game.
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Once upon a time ...1289. To strengthen the borders of the Kingdom of France, King Philip the Fair decided to have a new castle built. For the time being, Caylus is but a humble village, but soon, workers and craftsmen will be flocking by the cartload, attracted by the great prospects. Around the building site, a city is slowly rising up. The players embody master builders. By building the King's castle and developing the city around it, they earn prestige points and gain the King's favor. When the castle is finished, the player who has earned the most prestige wins the game.
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