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Game Info
Year
2019
Players
1-4
Age
13+
Playtime
120 min
Collection
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Description
Rurik: Dawn of Kiev is a euro-style realm building game set in an 11th century Eastern European Kingdom. It features area control, resource management, and a new game mechanic - "auction programming."
You play as a potential successor to the throne following the death of your father, Vladimir the Great, in 1015. The people value a well-rounded leader, so you must establish your legacy by building, taxing, fighting, and accomplishing great deeds. Will you win over the hearts of the people to become the next ruler of Kievan Rus?
Rurik brings to life the ancient culture of Kievan Rus with game design by Russian designer Stanislav Kordonskiy and illustrations by Ukrainian artist Yaroslav Radeckyi.
In Rurik, players openly bid for actions with their advisors. Stronger advisors earn greater benefits at the cost of performing their action later than other players. Conversely, weaker advisors earn lesser benefits but perform their action quickly. This planning mechanism ("auction programming") adds a fun tension to the game.
—description from the publisher
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All mentions
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 12
This page: 12
Sentiment:
pos 10 ·
mix 1 ·
neu 0 ·
neg 0
Showing 1–12 of 12
Video 2b1UeEBh1AM
Getting Games Discussion at 17:14 sentiment: positive
video_pk 91483 · mention_pk 245493
Click to watch at 17:14 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
none
Cons
none
Thematic elements
Comparison games
- Old West Empresario
- Lock Up
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- this is puffin she's a six-month-old Minnie burna doodle and she is just the best
- it's just been wonderful having her around
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video O6CA74-3QGM
Watch It Played Top 10 List at 5:18 sentiment: positive
video_pk 90840 · mention_pk 243157
Click to watch at 5:18 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Euro-style realm building
- Area control and resource management
- Unique auction programming mechanic
- Theme of succession in an 11th-century kingdom
Cons
- The host jokingly mentions stealing resources, implying potential for underhanded play or lighthearted rule-bending.
Thematic elements
- Succession to the throne after Vladimir the Great's death
- 11th century eastern european kingdom
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Control — This game features area control.
- auction programming — Boasts a new game mechanism, auction programming.
- Resource Management — This game features resource management.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- these are the top 10 games that recently stood out from the crowd to us and are now on our radar
- players face monsters inspired by h.p lovecraft's cthulhu mythos in a non-cincinnati steampunk setting
- if the goal was to simply attract cats i would have suggested basing the game on placing important documents on your desk the more critical it is that the paperwork not become covered in fur and muddy paw prints the higher your score
- players must establish their legacy by building taxing fighting and accomplishing great deeds
- it's a puzzle-propelled astronomical investigation
- the second biggest blip on our radar this month is created by the seventh citadel
- whether this version of the game rekindles the childhood wonder you discovered with it or prevents you from ever experiencing nostalgic joy again in your lifetime
- The 7th Citadel an all-new cooperative exploration and adventure game from Sirius Pulp the creators of the Seventh Continent.
- In this post-apocalyptic medieval fantasy world players explore the collapsing lands by gradually unveiling the board's numbered terrain and event cards.
- HeroQuest from Hasbro in HeroQuest one player acts as a game master revealing a maze-like dungeon piecemeal as up to four other players explore it.
- This new edition of the game which Hasbro is running its own fundraiser for on their website updates the game's plastic miniatures and 3d dungeon dressing while keeping the rules reportedly largely untouched in an effort to keep it accessible to a wide audience.
- So check it out whether this version of the game rekindles the childhood wonder you discovered with it or prevents you from ever experiencing nostalgic joy again in your lifetime.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video dyi6OBy828U
3 Minute Board Games Top List at 13:03 sentiment: positive
video_pk 90797 · mention_pk 242997
Click to watch at 13:03 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
Positive
Pros
- Innovative action programming system
- Solid area control mechanics
- Combines Euro and American styles
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- Building a kingdom
- Kievan Rus'
Comparison games
- Scythe
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- action programming — its action programming system
- Area Control — a solid area control sort of game
- Euro-American hybrid — how it combines euro and american style mechanics
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
No quotes stored for this video.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video NxIVil98scE
Board Gaming Ramblings Top List at 5:30 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 85567 · mention_pk 219559
Click to watch at 5:30 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
- Loved the auction and action planning phase
Cons
- Do not love the rest of the game anymore
- Do not own it anymore
Thematic elements
Comparison games
- Minos
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Action Planning — The host 'love the auction action planning phase of the game.'
- Auction — The host 'love the auction action planning phase of the game.'
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Wingspan is great. You probably know all about it.
- Scout is a clever card game and yeah, it's a ladder climbing shutting game.
- Pirates of Marbo hasn't made Mark Kybo worse. I think it has. I think I think it doesn't like not like it hasn't made the game worse, but it made it so if I go back and play Mario Kbo, I'll probably have fun. But I would also think I could get 80% of the same feeling in 80% less time.
- Tainted Grail. Yep. I still think Tainted Grail is a great game. All the remembrance I have of it, but it has fallen a bit for me because of some of the things that I hope the new version makes better, but still a great game.
- The Magnificent. It feels kind of unique and that's why it's on my list now. I don't know why it wasn't in 2019.
- Electropolis is a great game. One of my favorite city building games.
- Clank Legacy. Even though it's a long time ago and yes, the other like legacy campaign games from that year has fallen off the list, that still holds a fun memory for me and it was a really fun experience.
- Cooper Island. That's number one for the reasons.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 5fn_QPQXbPM
Board Game Buzzz Top 100 List at 8:10 sentiment: positive
video_pk 85027 · mention_pk 217133
Click to watch at 8:10 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Unique action programming mechanic
- Engaging area control
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- area control with action programming
- medieval world with area control
- programmed actions for the round
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- action programming — program your actions for the entirety of the round by bidding with workers
- Area Control — control areas through actions
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- I love it because it's very thematic.
- Oathsworn is a fantastic game.
- I fell in love with this game.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video Tr361w2KfMs
BoardGameCo Top List at 8:34 sentiment: positive
video_pk 79992 · mention_pk 256347
Click to watch at 8:34 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- looks cooler, looks prettier
- quality of life gameplay changes that are definitely an improvement to the game
- expansions that I haven't really dove into yet that I want to dive into and see more about
- another five out of five
Cons
- based on an existing system
Thematic elements
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- The five out of fives I've played in 2026 so far.
- there's been a good year for board games, although it does come with like this weird pressure.
- I feel like I'm being too cavalier if there's a whole bunch of them.
- I do kind of consider five out of fives different categories.
- Recall gives me a lot of the feeling that Revive does, but with more variance to the gameplay and the power combinations and the ways you're trying to build and expand across the board.
- It is such a clever experience as far as how it all comes together.
- Six Susurrus surprised me.
- it is so simple and easy to play.
- Every decision you make is so fraught with what is the right economy here.
- It is such a good clever system that rewards every single choice with such a huge degree of thinkingness behind it.
- I want to play a nice heavy thinky experience, but I don't actually want a nice heavy thinky long game.
- If a game deserves a five out of five, it's going to get it.
- For me, a five out of five is a game that I will sit down and play any single time that I am down.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video Tr361w2KfMs
BoardGameCo Top List at 20:02 sentiment: positive
video_pk 79992 · mention_pk 193839
Click to watch at 20:02 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
Positive
Pros
- Absolutely excellent
Cons
none
Thematic elements
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- The five out of fives I've played in 2026 so far.
- there's been a good year for board games, although it does come with like this weird pressure.
- I feel like I'm being too cavalier if there's a whole bunch of them.
- I do kind of consider five out of fives different categories.
- Recall gives me a lot of the feeling that Revive does, but with more variance to the gameplay and the power combinations and the ways you're trying to build and expand across the board.
- It is such a clever experience as far as how it all comes together.
- Six Susurrus surprised me.
- it is so simple and easy to play.
- Every decision you make is so fraught with what is the right economy here.
- It is such a good clever system that rewards every single choice with such a huge degree of thinkingness behind it.
- I want to play a nice heavy thinky experience, but I don't actually want a nice heavy thinky long game.
- If a game deserves a five out of five, it's going to get it.
- For me, a five out of five is a game that I will sit down and play any single time that I am down.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 8jzUQYXROcE
Meeple University Review
video_pk 70166 · mention_pk 167068
Pros
none
Cons
none
Thematic elements
none
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- the game has a unique main mechanics of action programming where players turned around by placing the advices one and a play at a time pushing lower number advices downwards on the board
- I love the trays for the components it's made very thoughtfully with appropriate marks and slots and it even comes with the guide how to put things back into the box
- resources are hard to get and feels like they aren't enough
- after four rounds the player with the most points wins coin
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 0CxB5KtgDhA
Top List at 17:16 sentiment: positive
video_pk 66476 · mention_pk 162001
Click to watch at 17:16 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
Positive
Pros
- Highly interactive
- Tactically rich
- Constantly surprising
- Multiple viable paths to victory
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- Competing successors to the throne
- 11th century Kievan Rus
Comparison games
- Scythe
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Control — Players earn points for regions controlled.
- auction programming — Players openly bid their numbered advisors onto a shared action board, where higher numbers mean stronger actions but resolve later, and lower numbers resolve first but with weaker actions.
- Set Collection — Players accumulate resources and build structures.
- Worker Placement — While distinct from standard worker placement, it shares elements of action selection.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Auctions strip all that away.
- Every single bid is a statement, a bluff, a calculation, sometimes a flat-out provocation.
- That is what makes the category so compelling. The social mechanism is what is driving it, not the rules themselves.
- The tension between winning and wanting to lose for compensation, sits in every placement decision.
- It is a brain-burner in the best sense.
- Auctions strip all that away. Every single bid is a statement, a bluff, a calculation, sometimes a flat-out provocation.
- The social mechanism is what is driving it, not the rules themselves.
- Auction programming, one of the most original action selection systems in recent design.
- It is a brain-burner in the best sense. Highly interactive, tactically rich, and constantly surprising.
- The auction isn't a scene, it is the stage on which an entire century-spanning narrative plays out.
- No auction game produces richer emergent stories across a full game arc.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video KjQ7Jl5Jfko
Board Games for One Top 10 List at 1:55 sentiment: positive
video_pk 36306 · mention_pk 108783
Click to watch at 1:55 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Asymmetric leaders with unique abilities
- Tight four-round structure that rewards hard but clear decisions
- Deep strategic depth with evolving board control
- Engaging map and resource management that scales with player count
Cons
- Steep learning curve for new players
- Complex economy with multiple phases can be intimidating
- Planning and bookkeeping can slow initial play sessions
Thematic elements
- dynastic power struggles and succession within a historically-inspired medieval realm
- 10th-century Kievan Rus around the Ukraine region, with Vladimir the Great unifying dispersed principalities
- asymmetrical leader powers and political maneuvering during a four-round strategy game
Comparison games
- Scythe
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- advisor placement and action selection — At the start of a round you place advisers on action spaces to determine which actions you can perform next, influencing turn order and available options.
- Asymmetric leaders — Each leader has a unique asymmetrical ability influencing strategy and engagement with the board.
- Asymmetric Teams — Each leader has a unique asymmetrical ability influencing strategy and engagement with the board.
- building and scheming — You place buildings and use scheme cards to gain special abilities and victory points.
- Combat and attrition — Battles can occur to control regions, with outcomes shaped by power, initiative, and card play.
- end-of-round scoring — Points accumulate through controlling regions, taxing, building, and completing deeds; the game advances through four rounds.
- initiative and power order — Power determines initiative: the lowest number acts first; higher numbers grant greater benefits. Bribery can modify outcomes.
- resource generation and taxation — Taxes and board resources drive income and strategic options across the round.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- the world building in this game is just fantastic I absolutely love it
- it's incredibly well-designed
- this game is stressful it's tight a lot of choices in itty bitty space
- deceptively simple but man it gets complicated
- I hate it I hate it I hate it I never want to play it but it's here
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 4Db0GLOSwNA
Board Game Spotlight Playthrough at 0:11 sentiment: positive
video_pk 13105 · mention_pk 38310
Click to watch at 0:11 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- deep strategic depth with multi-layered decision-making
- tight interplay between bidding, area control, and action sequencing
- strong component quality and aesthetically pleasing inserts
- excellent scalability and balance between player counts
- flavorful leaders and regional mechanics that feel thematic
Cons
- steep learning curve for new players
- table space requirements can be significant
- periodic AP in planning and sequencing can slow down play
Thematic elements
- territorial influence, governance, resource management, and warfare across rival polities
- Medieval Eastern Europe (Kievan Rus; locales like Kiev, Novgorod, Polotsk)
- historical-epic, emergent through player decisions and regional control
Comparison games
- Inish
- Gear Works
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- area_control — players vie to rule lands; majority in a region determines influence and score
- auction_bidding — strategy board auction for action order and powerful advisor tokens; higher bids grant more actions but cost currency
- coding_action_phase — resolve actions in an order that can chain into other actions, creating planning depth
- end_game_deeds_and_agendas — hidden/deed cards and agendas grant scoring opportunities and end-game bonuses
- engine_building — sequence of actions and card/deed interactions to improve your options over rounds
- worker_placement — placing advisors to activate actions in an ordered sequence, with laddered power
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- This is easily one of my favorites this year.
- It's a top ten of the year.
- The decisions in this arc because you had to plan your turn out before you take your turn.
- This game is unbelievable.
- The insert is absolutely fantastic.
- I love area control.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video Z974dbf5kRI
3 Minute Board Games Review at 0:00 sentiment: positive
video_pk 7946 · mention_pk 23366
Click to watch at 0:00 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- exceptional action programming system
- engaging mix of area control, building, resource gathering
- high production values and clever storage system
- well-designed hero figures and components
Cons
- action programming can be overwhelming and AP-prone for some players
- victory progression can prevent late-game comebacks due to no backward movement on tracks
- production complexity may intimidate lighter gamers
Thematic elements
- political intrigue, area control, resource management
- 11th century Kiev (Kyiv) during empire fragmentation and succession struggles
- historical/strategic
Comparison games
- Scythe
- Roborally
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- action programming / worker placement — place and bid workers on action tracks; higher values yield more efficient actions and determine resolution order; values can push other workers down or be reset; coins can increase value
- Area Control — control regions with units and buildings; build structures to strengthen control and gain rewards
- area control and building — control regions with units and buildings; build structures to strengthen control and gain rewards
- Auction / Bidding — actions resolve in order of worker values; bidding influences order and outcomes of actions
- auction and bidding on actions — actions resolve in order of worker values; bidding influences order and outcomes of actions
- combat emphasis vs. planning — combat exists but the game emphasizes planning, positioning, and timing over large-scale battles
- draw and use scheme cards — draw scheme cards granting additional actions and effects; some cards impose costs when drawn
- Movement and combat — move units across tracked spaces; muster soldiers; engage rebels or opponents
- public and private goals — points gained through public and private objectives; progress tracked toward end-game scoring
- Resource Management — gain resources via tax in regions; manage goods for income and markets; tax areas you control or contest others
- resource management and taxation — gain resources via tax in regions; manage goods for income and markets; tax areas you control or contest others
- storage and production systems — well-regarded production/storage design contributing to component quality
- Worker Placement — place and bid workers on action tracks; higher values yield more efficient actions and determine resolution order; values can push other workers down or be reset; coins can increase value
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- I think this is an exceptional game system
- the best thing about this game is the action programming
- that action programming system will overload some people
- Rurik's production values and wonderful storage system
- it's a game of planning, positioning and knowing the best time to act
- it's simple to comprehend yet will cause steam to come out of your ears as you plan the best possible moves with it
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
Showing 1–12 of 12