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The First Tsar: Ivan the Terrible is a thematic sequel to the popular board game Rurik: Dawn of Kiev.
In this board game you will lead the boyar families competing for power and honor in the 16th-century Tsardom of Russia. Over four decades, you’ll collect income from estates and equip troops, trade with foreigners and fortify cities, seek privileges and carry out royal assignments. Use your influence on the tsar, bribe his minions, and perhaps it is your family that will succeed in taking the Russian throne in the next century.
The game is played over four rounds, each one representing approximately a decade of Ivan the Terrible’s reign. At the beginning of each round the players send their boyars to the Kremlin chambers, choosing their actions for the current decade.
Then the players perform the chosen actions:
receive income from cities;
place boyars and warriors on the map and move them;
gain and complete construction, trade and military projects;
exchange goods;
acquire new titles and estates.
At the end of the round, the players with the most influence in the four regions receive additional rewards.
An important element of the game is the Tsar’s favor,
which is used to resolve all ties.
At the end of the game, the player with the most victory points wins.
—description from the publisher
- Extremely solid gameplay.
- Mechanisms work together seamlessly.
- Tight, engaging.
- Plenty of strategic possibilities.
- Satisfying level of complexity.
- Very crunchy.
- Earned a spot in top 10 board games for 2024.
- Boyar families competing for power and prestige
- 16th century Russia, during the reign of Ivan IV
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Control — Mentioned as a core mechanic.
- economic — Described as an economic board game.
- Worker Placement — Mentioned as a core mechanic.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
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References (from this video)
- Fantastic artwork and strong color usage across components
- Clear and readable game board with well designed iconography
- Tight, engaging gameplay with multiple viable strategies
- Integrated theme enhances the experience
- Great component quality and solid production values
- Appealing, thematic, and durable wooden components
- Well-paced for an economic, crunchy game; strong replayability
- Would benefit from thicker components; a deluxe edition would be nice
- No solo mode included; learning curve can be steep; teaches and learns over a couple of hours
- Standard insert is functional but not premium
- Political power struggles among bojar families seeking the Russian throne
- 16th-century Russia during the reign of Ivan IV (Ivan the Terrible)
- Historical political intrigue with strategic maneuvering and diplomacy
- Endless Winter
- Nova Roma
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Control — Influence across regions to gain privileges and win prestige.
- area_control — Influence across regions to gain privileges and win prestige.
- bribery_influence — Influence is gained by bribing Loyalists to shift loyalties.
- economic_engine — Wealth generation through trade, projects, and completed assignments.
- Influence Points — Influence is gained by bribing Loyalists to shift loyalties.
- royal_assignments — Completing royal assignments grants points or advantages.
- title_cards — Title cards provide additional scoring opportunities.
- Worker Placement — Players place workers to take actions across regions, gathering resources and influence.
- worker_placement — Players place workers to take actions across regions, gathering resources and influence.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- I honestly would love to see a deluxe edition of this game
- one of the best economic board games I have played in 2024 and for quite some time too
- the game play is extremely solid
- the artwork in the game is fantastic
- it is another amazing title from Hobby World
- thank you all so much for watching
- highly recommended