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Red Cathedral is a 1-4 player game from Devir games. Players are a team of architects in mid-16th century Russia under the rule of Tsar Ivan the Terrible. As a team, you will work together to construct a cathedral. St Basil’s Cathedral in fact.
“A team of architects, so it must be a co-op game?” I hear you say. Well, the short answer to that is no. On their turn, players have a choice of completing one of three options. Option one is claiming a section of the cathedral to complete. Option two is collecting resources from the rondel-style game board. Finally, option three is transporting materials to the cathedral. There are two scoring systems in place. Recognition points are earned more often. Prestige points are harder to earn, but move you around the scoring tracker quicker. The player with the most prestige points wins.
Red Cathedral comes in a relatively small box, but do not let that fool you. The box is jam-packed with contents, so much so that packing away is almost a game in itself. The component quality of the game is also very high. The resources you’re aiming to collect are beautifully crafted. The rondel-style board has gorgeous artwork depicting the four seasons. The rule book is easy to understand and is full of examples. This doesn’t only make learning the game easier but also teaching it.
Russian to build the cathedral
At the start of the game, each player is given a workboard where they place six of their coloured banners. Four of these will go on to their resource inventory. A player is only allowed to have a maximum of ten resources on their inventory at any one time. Immediately you’re faced with a decision. Do you try and free up space on your inventory board by claiming sections quickly? Do you just claim sections as you need them? Claiming sections too quickly comes with a risk. If your rivals complete sections above yours before you, you might lose points.
To build, you need to claim resources, and this is done using the game board. To move around the board, you choose one of the five dice and move the appropriate number of spaces. The board is split into eight sections which represent the six resources, extra rubles and extra recognition points. The order of this can be changed to increase replayability. As I mentioned earlier, the board is then split into four seasons. Each of those has a guild card which you can use when you’re collecting resources. The guild cards allow you to exchange resources for either rubles or other resources. You can also claim additional recognition points or transport goods from your inventory. These guild cards really speed the gameplay up.
A-spire-ing to build quickly
Transporting goods is the final player option. On a turn, a player can transport a maximum of three resources to their claimed sections. Completing these often earns you rubles, and always earns you recognition points. As well as completing sections of the cathedral, a player can add ornamentation. This can either be a door, an arch or a cross. Players can add these ornamentations to a section of the cathedral regardless of who completed it. This comes in handy when it comes to the end of game scoring. This can also earn players up to three prestige points.
The end of the game is triggered when one player completes six sections. Every other player then has one final turn. Before scoring, players can exchange resources and money for prestige points. The main scoring is carried out on the cathedral itself.
One of the clever mechanics of the game is the scoring. You can do little work on a column but still score well for doing so. An example of this is the first time I played a three-player game. one player had completed a whole five-section column, as well as adding an arch and a cross. Just before the end of the game, I placed a door on their column. I earned six prestige points just for one door. The other players were mad. They were even madder when it was those six points that won me the game. The scoring mechanic adds an extra enjoyable twist to the scoring.
Sometimes you Moscow alone
Lastly, the game has a solitaire mode. You’re playing against Ivan Yakovlevich, an architect chosen by Ivan the Terrible himself. The gameplay doesn’t really alter the mechanics for you as a player. Ivan has five turns and can build sections using any resource. He can also transport all of his resources at any one time. This does mean he works a lot quicker than the average player. This means you have to really work quickly to defeat him. Again, the order of Ivan’s actions changes every game to increase replayability.
If I was going to be critical, I would have liked the cathedral cards to be bigger. You want the cathedral to be the centre of the game. It is called The Red Cathedral after all. Not only that, but it is based on St Basil’s Cathedral. It’s one of the most iconic buildings in the world. The rulebook even has the board at the centre and the cathedral to one side. However, don’t let this put you off buying this little gem.
Final Thoughts On Red Cathedral
Red Cathedral is a great game. The components are of very high quality and the game zips along at a nice pace. The box estimates a game time of around eighty minutes, but I haven’t had a game last that long. Some who are new to the hobby might be put off by euro-style games. They can seem overly complicated. This game strikes a very good balance. It’s easy enough to understand for new players. It also has additional layers to keep experienced players happy. It’s a really great game from tsar-t to finish.
