Zestrea

About this board game

Zestrea is a marriage negotiation game for 3–6 players, with a playing time of about 90 minutes. Inspired by ridiculous yet somewhat historically accurate Romanian traditions, it challenges you to build a dowry, manage a growing household, and survive the village’s unpredictable hardships.

Work the Land to earn money, while new babies become villagers who need feeding. As families grow, try to marry villagers into productive couples. If too many mouths need food, you may have to sell Land to cover your costs—or risk starvation.

Marriage is consensual, so the outcome depends on the dice. Fate cards can improve your own wedding chances, reduce an opponent’s prospects, or create dramatic twists that affect the whole village.

• Play Just Married and make other players congratulate you with money.
• Use Steal The Bride or Trouble In Paradise to disrupt rival relationships.
• Turn villagers into Musicians, start Bar Fights, or enjoy traditional moonshine liquor.
• Unleash The Dog to eliminate a villager, even one of your own if feeding them becomes impossible.

The village is also plagued by catastrophes ranging from foreign invaders and highways in your yard to Chernobyl and communism. These hard times make every household decision more significant, while interactive Fate cards keep players involved in one another’s plans.

Even death can affect the economy: the Village Preacher earns income whenever someone dies. In Zestrea, careful work, clever marriage negotiations, and opportunistic card play may help you endure long enough to become the richest Boyar of the land.