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Game Info
Year
2019
Collection
Mechanic profile
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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: 3
This page: 3
Sentiment:
pos 3 ·
mix 0 ·
neu 0 ·
neg 0
Showing 1–3 of 3
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)
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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 1–3 of 3