The Pillars of the Earth

About this board game

The Pillars of the Earth is a 2006 board game for 2–4 players, with games lasting about 120 minutes. Based on Ken Follett’s bestselling novel, it places players among the builders of a great cathedral in early-13th-century England.

Each player aims to contribute the most to the cathedral’s construction and score the most victory points. The central challenge is managing a production chain: workers produce raw materials, while craftsmen transform those materials into victory points.

Workers can also be assigned to produce gold, the game’s currency. Gold is essential for funding important decisions, including gaining earlier choices with a master builder and purchasing better craftsmen. Players must continually balance the need to earn money with the goal of advancing their victory-point total.

• Place workers to produce raw materials or gold.
• Use craftsmen to convert materials into victory points.
• Deploy three master builders each turn for a range of tasks.
• Recruit workers, buy or sell goods, or obtain victory points.
• Manage gold to secure early choices and better craftsmen.

The three master builders give every turn several possible directions, but the most desirable opportunities come at a cost. Choosing earlier can require more gold, while stronger craftsmen may also demand greater spending, creating a constant tension between short-term resources and long-term scoring.

With its focus on workers, materials, craftsmen, gold, and master-builder placement, The Pillars of the Earth turns cathedral construction into a contest of careful economic decisions. The game is expanded by The Pillars of the Earth Expansion Set, which includes the expansion cards in some editions, while those cards are included in the set in others.