Designer:  Stan Kordonskiy (Dice Hospital, Lockup: A Roll Player Tale, Rurik: Dawn of Kiev)

Artists: Yaroslav Radetskyi (Reavers of Midgard, Rurik: Dawn of Kiev), Yoma (Gearworks, Planet Unknown, Rurik: Dawn of Kiev)

Publisher:  PieceKeeper Games (Flag Dash, Gearworks, Rurik: Dawn of Kiev)

Genre/Mechanisms: area majority/influence, area movement, auction/bidding, civilization, expansion, miniatures, solo/solitaire game, take that, territory building, variable player powers

Funding Status: At the time of this posting Rurik: Stone & Blade (Reprint & Expansion) is already fully-funded. Pledges currently total more than 3x the initial funding goal with less than 3 days to go on the campaign.

Player Count: 1-4

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: medium-heavy

Risk: HIGH

What It’s About: “A modular expansion for Rurik: Dawn of Kiev, divided into core content and three modules. It is recommended to integrate the core content into all future plays of Rurik, regardless of whether you use any modules. You may play with an individual module or any combination of modules.”

How It Works: “In Rurik: Dawn of Kiev, you are a prince or princess, and you must rely on the help of your troops and advisors to make your claim to the throne. You score victory points in a variety of ways: 1) Rule Regions- Amass more troops than your opponents in regions; 2) Build Structures- Build in as many adjacent regions as possible; 3) Collect Goods- Tax the land and fill your boat with various goods; 4) Warfare- Attack your opponents to advance your military prowess; 5) Secret Agenda- Focus your efforts on one particular area; 6) Deeds- Utilize your resources and board position effectively. Although you are rewarded for diversifying, you score the majority of your victory points based on how well you perform in the first three endeavors.”

“The game takes place over four rounds. After the fourth round, the game ends and scoring takes place. The player with the most victory points wins and becomes the next ruler of Kievan Rus! Each round has three phases: 1) Strategy Phase, 2) Action Phase, and 3) Claim Phase.”

During the Strategy Phase, “starting with the first player and proceeding clockwise, each player places one of their advisors in one of the six action columns on the strategy board. Continue this process until all players have placed all of their advisors.” Meeples with higher numbers will have priority in their columns during the Action Phase and be able to take a stronger version of the action; however, meeples with lower numbers will have the priority in action order during the Action Phase and will take their turns first. Lower-numbered meeples can also be placed using coins to boost their place in an action column; for example, a 1 Meeple with 3 coins is placed as if it were a 4 Meeple (but the player will still get use the action during the Action Phase treating it as a 1 Meeple).

During the Action Phase, “starting with the first player and proceeding clockwise, each player resolves one of their advisors and takes the corresponding action. When it is your turn, resolve your advisor with the fastest initiative (i.e., lowest number), removing it from the strategy board. If you have two advisors that are tied for fastest initiative (e.g., two #2 advisors), choose which one to resolve on this turn; you will resolve the other on your next turn. If an advisor had coins from a bribe, return those coins to the supply when resolving that advisor. Continue this process until all players have resolved all of their advisors.” Actions available during the Action Phase include Muster, Move, Attack, Tax, Build, and Scheme. Muster allows the player to place Troops on the Battlefied; Move allows the player to move them into neighboring territories; Attack initiates combat; Tax allows the player to collect goods; Build is how players place Churches, Markets, and Strongholds on the map; and Scheme adds a Scheme card to the player’s hand. In addition, players can take Bonus Actions during this phase like Playing Schemes, Accomplishing Deeds, and Coverting Goods.

During the Claim Phase, “players advance in their quest to claim the throne, choose new deed cards, and earn income. Players then prepare for the next round of the game.”

“At the end of the fourth round, the game ends. Players score victory points as follows. 1) Claim Tracks- for each of the three claim tracks, score victory points according to the position of your claim marker (e.g., if you reach the top space you score eight victory points, while if you only reach the bottom space you score one victory point); 2) Warfare Track- score three victory points if you are in first place or one victory point if you are in second place (if you are tied for first, you still score three victory points, but no points are awarded for second place; if you are tied for second, you still score one victory point); 3) Agenda Card- score two victory points if you have met the goal on your agenda card; 4) Deed Cards- score one or two victory points for each deed you accomplished during the game, as listed on the cards themselves. The player with the most victory points wins. If there is a tie, the tied player who rules the most regions wins. If there is still a tie, the tied player with the most coins wins.”

Rurik: Stone & Blade adds 3 new modules that can be added to the base game in any combination, along with new mechanics and components in general. This includes new leaders and Inheritance cards (offering players a choice of starting rewards including goods, scheme, or deed cards, and some structures) for more player asymmetry; 2 new player structures; more decisions in warfare, including the ability to Capture enemy troops; new rewards like Trade Boon Tokens and Warfare Rewards; and more ways to score points, including defeating new Rebel Factions.

Comparisons: At its core, Rurik is a dudes on a map-style game that incorporates a robust auction/bidding phase before player actions are taken. This makes the game unique compared with many similar games where actions are simply selected by the players simultaneously or in turn order. Some other civilization games that also incorporate an auction/bidding system include Archipelago, Cyclades, The Great Zimbabwe, Peloponnes, Three Kingdoms Redux, Through the Ages: A New Story of Civilization, and Through the Ages: A Story of Civilization, Struggle of Empires.

What Should I Pledge?:
$39 Warrior: includes the new Rurik: Stone & Blade Expansion and all unlocked stretch goals.
$114 Boyar: includes everything in the Warrior pledge, plus a copy of Rurik: Dawn of Kiev – Kickstarter Edition.
$149 Grand Prince: includes everything in the Boyar pledge, plus the Neoprene Playmat, 36 Metal Coins, and 12 Plastic Honey Cubes.

Add-Ons:
$75 Rurik: Dawn of Kiev Kickstarter Edition (includes Player Trays and Intrigue Cards, unlike retail copies)
$30 Neoprene Playmat
$20 36 Metal Coins
$10 Player Trays (4 sets; included with the Rurik: Dawn of Kiev KS Edition)
$6 Intrigue Cards (11 card mini-expansion; included with the Rurik: Dawn of Kiev KS Edition)
$3 Plastic Honey Cubes (12)

KS Exclusives
Everything in this Kickstarter, including the KS Edition of Rurik: Dawn of Kiev is a Kickstarter Exclusive and will only be available later directly through PieceKeeper Games, and not via retail. Retail outlets will continue to only stock the non-KS version of Rurik: Dawn of Kiev that does not include the Player Trays or Intrigue Cards.

All-In Total: In the continental U.S., you’re looking at $129 for the All-In Pledge, $10 for the Item Pack, and $26 in shipping for a total of $165. If you want the Playmat, it must be ordered separately via a third-party website.

Rurik: Stone & Blade (Reprint & Expansion) completes its Kickstarter on Wednesday, September 23rd and tentatively ships in September 2021.