The First Tsar: Ivan the Terrible

About this board game

The First Tsar: Ivan the Terrible is a thematic strategy game for 2–4 players, with a play time of about 120 minutes. Set in the 16th-century Tsardom of Russia, it places you in command of a boyar family competing for power and honor across four decades of Ivan the Terrible’s reign.

The game unfolds over four rounds, with each round representing approximately one decade. At the beginning of each round, players send their boyars to chambers in the Kremlin to choose the actions they will take during that decade. They then carry out those choices as they develop their family’s position and pursue valuable opportunities.

• Collect income from cities and estates.
• Place and move boyars and warriors on the map.
• Gain and complete construction, trade, and military projects.
• Exchange goods and acquire new titles and estates.
• Seek privileges and complete assignments from the royal court.

Influence is central to the struggle. Use your standing with the tsar, bribe his minions, and compete for regional power. At the end of each round, the players with the most influence in each of the four regions receive additional rewards.

The Tsar’s favor is an important resource and is used to resolve all ties, making courtly influence especially significant when rivals are closely matched. The family that best combines income, expansion, projects, and political maneuvering can build the strongest claim to future power.

At the end of the game, victory points determine the winner. As a thematic sequel to Rurik: Dawn of Kiev, The First Tsar: Ivan the Terrible offers a focused contest for influence, honor, and advancement in a changing Russian realm.