Pillars of the Earth

by MayFair Games

Product Features

• For 2-4 players
• Takes about 90-120 minutes to play
• Based on the best-selling Ken Follett novel
• High-quality pieces
• Takes 90 to 120 minutes to play

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 2.9 x 11.6 x 11.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000P0TEBG
• Item model number: MFG4103
• Manufacturer recommended age: 12 - 16 years
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #49,579 in Toys & Games (See Top 100 in Toys & Games)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

England at the beginning of the 12th century and Prior Phillip of Kingsbridge has a glorious vision to build the largest, most beautiful cathedral in England. To accomplish the task, Phillip recruits the most renowned builders in the country. However, the fate of the Cathedral is constantly threatened by all manner of catastrophes and oppositions. The Pillars of the Earth is based on Ken Follett's best-selling novel. Players join together to help build Kingsbridge Cathedral. Using your workmen and resources, you must wisely deploy assets to overcome unexpected difficulties and shortages to prove yourself the greatest builder of them all. Will your efforts be recognized when the Great Cathedral at Kingsbridge is complete? It contains 1 game board, 1 cathedral (6-piece), 12 master builder figures, 75 cards, 35 worker figures, 82 building material cubes, 9 indicator pieces, 1 die, 1 bag, and game rules.

Product Description

The Pillars of the Earth is based on Ken Follett's best-selling novel. Players join together to help build Kingsbridge Cathedral. Using your workmen and resources, you must wisely deploy assets to overcome unexpected difficulties and shortages to prove yourself the greatest builder of them all! Will your efforts be recognized when the Great Cathedral at Kingsbridge is complete?

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent game, January 28, 2008

By 

James McCarty (Hilliard, Ohio USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Durability:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:4.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Pillars of the Earth (Toy)

I have played this game several times and enjoyed each game.

To put the game in context:
- Each player is a master builder working on the cathedral at Kingsbridge England in the 1100s.
- Each turn represents about 10 years and their are 6 turns.
- Your goal is to make the greatest contribution to the construction of the cathedral. VPs represent that contribution.

Each turn has three major phases:
- In the first phase, you allocate your workers to producing various resources. You may also hire craftsmen during the phase.
- In the second phase, you allocate your master builder tokens to various tasks and functions. You are limited to three tokens so you must choose wisely. Also the other players are competing for the same tasks and functions.
- The third phase is mechanical and represents the actual actions you planned in the first and second phase. Once you learn the game, the third phase resolves very quickly.

I really like the way the game captures the feel of the book. Also, for an economic and production game, it plays very quickly once you become familiar with the turn flow. The component are of a very good quality.

The only thing I don't care for the randomness in allocating master builder tokens. It makes strategic planning difficult, but that might be an accurate reflection of the medieval world...

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A little difficult to start to play, May 14, 2007

By 

Daniel Kvedaras "dak" (Caracas, Venezuela) - See all my reviews

= Durability:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:4.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Pillars of the Earth (Toy)

This game is a lot of fun and very quick to play (1 hour when you know how to play it).
The only thing I found troublesome was to get the hang of it at the beginning. The mechanics of the game concentrate the strategy in a few moments at the begining of 6 rounds and the rest of the round is an automatic outcome of your decisions as a player. This makes it diffcult to understand where your actions are getting you... So BE PATIENT... The second time you play it, you'll enjoy it a lot more.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great game, February 21, 2009

By 

G. J. Monson (Ogden, UT) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Durability:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Pillars of the Earth (Toy)

Me and my wife have had a great time playing this game. It wasn't to hard to learn how to play. After a few rounds you get the hang of it. There are a lot of different stratgies you can take, which makes the game really interesting.