Notre Dame

About this board game

Notre Dame is a captivating and strategic board game that takes you back to Paris in the 14th century. You are immersed in the medieval atmosphere, with the game’s richly detailed illustrations and components. As a player, you are a member of the city’s affluent bourgeoisie, trying to increase your influence and status within the community.

The game revolves around the iconic Notre Dame cathedral, which serves as the central piece on the board. The setting is enriched with elements of the era, from rat-infested streets to intrigue-filled royal courts. Each player has a distinct district of the city to manage, creating a sense of personal stake and immersion.

At the core of the game mechanics are card drafting and action selection. The players have a choice of various actions which can lead to earning prestige points, the main scoring mechanism of the game. The decisions you make will determine the development of your district.

• Card Drafting: Each player has a deck of action cards. At the beginning of each round, players draw three cards, select one to play, and pass the remaining cards to the player on their left. This repeats until each player has selected three cards. The card drafting mechanism adds a layer of suspense and strategy – you must carefully choose your actions while considering what cards you are passing on to your opponents.
• Action Selection: The action cards represent various activities you can undertake in your district. These activities can lead to different benefits, such as accumulating resources, building structures, or gaining influence with Notre Dame. The key is to choose a balanced range of actions that allow your district to prosper.

What makes Notre Dame unique is the integration of theme and mechanics. The threat of the rat plague, for example, is a clever mechanism that adds tension and urgency to the game. At the end of each round, players draw a rat card that can potentially infest their district. If the number of rat symbols on the card exceeds the player’s rat prevention level, they lose prestige points. This forces players to balance their pursuit of prestige with the need to keep the rat population under control.

Moreover, the game enables different paths to victory. Whether you choose to focus on building up your district, pleasing the cathedral, or managing the rat population, the game rewards strategic thinking and adaptability. This variability ensures that each playthrough of Notre Dame is a unique and engaging experience.