Wettstreit der Baumeister

About this board game

Wettstreit der Baumeister is a 3–4-player city-building auction game that takes about 45 minutes to play. Originally released in 1994, it challenges players to assemble the most symmetrical city from a collection of distinctive building tiles.

Each turn, players compete for building cards drawn from two decks. One deck is face up, while the other remains face down, and the auctioneer may secretly inspect the top hidden card before making an offer. The available structures include city halls, churches, towers, gates, and city-wall elements.

The auctioneer begins by rolling a die to improve their finances. Results from 1 to 5 provide money, while the sixth side awards a sabotage counter. The auctioneer then offers one of the two top cards, and the other players bid. If the auctioneer wins, they pay the bank; if another player takes the card, half of the payment goes to the bank and half to the auctioneer.

• Build: Add another card to your developing city.
• Sabotage: Target another player’s city card.
• Defend: The targeted player must pay the card’s value or remove it.

Construction has one important restriction: two touching tiles may not be of the same type. When either draw pile is exhausted, the cities are judged for symmetry, and the highest-scoring city wins.

With its substantial city pieces and combination of bidding, financial choices, construction limits, and direct interference, Wettstreit der Baumeister turns architectural ambition into a tense contest for the most impressive city.