Krieg und Frieden

About this board game

Krieg und Frieden is a board game for 3–4 players, with play lasting about 90 minutes. Players take the roles of land-owners in a feudal society, managing their lands while seeking favor from the bishop by helping to build his cathedral.

Each turn begins with a bid for that year’s agenda. Players spend their resources, but the value of each resource in the bidding can change depending on the type of agenda available, making the annual decision an important part of managing your holdings.

After the agenda is decided, players use their remaining resources to shape the course of the game. Their available actions include:

• Building up their own lands
• Sacking other players’ lands
• Bribing opposing knights away from defense
• Contributing to the construction of the bishop’s cathedral

Once these actions are complete, players harvest new resources for the next turn. This creates a repeating cycle of bidding, development, conflict, cathedral construction, and preparation for the following year.

The game ends after all pieces of the cathedral have been built. Victory goes to the player with the most victory points, so success depends on how effectively players manage their resources, lands, and opportunities throughout the game.

Released in 1999, Krieg und Frieden was originally published as Charlemagne by Think Games at Essen 1998. The later version was slightly shortened, while retaining the same feudal setting and central focus on resource use, rival landowners, and the bishop’s cathedral.