83

In The Red Cathedral, players take on the roles of construction teams working under Tsar Ivan the Terrible to build Saint Basil's Cathedral in Moscow. It is a strategic Euro-style game where players must carefully manage resources, claim cathedral sections, and fulfill contracts.

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83

The Verdict

based on 25 reviews

Positive 0%
Mixed 0%
Clever dice rondel with satisfying combos
Big strategic depth in a small box
Fast, streamlined turns and easy teaching
High-quality components and good solo mode
Plain or drab art and small cards
Analysis paralysis and some downtime
Limited variety and replayability over repeated plays
Easily forgotten rules and end-scoring surprises
100
InferredThis reviewer didn't give a numbered score. We read the review and inferred a 0–100 score from what they said. Did we get it wrong? Please report it, we'll fix it.
Meeple Mountain, Justin BellArticle

“The Red Cathedral continues that tradition; it is just plain fun. The accessibility is off the charts and each turn’s decision space, particularly with dice selection during the Market action, makes you think without burning your brain.”

90
InferredThis reviewer didn't give a numbered score. We read the review and inferred a 0–100 score from what they said. Did we get it wrong? Please report it, we'll fix it.
Punchboard, AdamArticle

“In short, The Red Cathedral is brilliant. It’s quick to setup and put away, it’s easy to teach and learn, and it does some really interesting things.”

90
InferredThis reviewer didn't give a numbered score. We read the review and inferred a 0–100 score from what they said. Did we get it wrong? Please report it, we'll fix it.
BoardGameDave, BoardGameDaveArticleTop List – #10

“Beyond that, this solo mode is really satisfying and it's a great solo experience.”

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90
InferredThis reviewer didn't give a numbered score. We read the review and inferred a 0–100 score from what they said. Did we get it wrong? Please report it, we'll fix it.
Rahdo Runs Through, Rahdo Runs ThroughVideo

“Red cathedral does it all amazingly it uh does the heavy lifting of a game twice its size in a tiny little box a fast tight little package and just fun for days”(7:53)

90
InferredThis reviewer didn't give a numbered score. We read the review and inferred a 0–100 score from what they said. Did we get it wrong? Please report it, we'll fix it.
Pieces and Pixels, Pieces and PixelsArticleTop List – #8

“There's a lot of strategy involved and I like games like that.”

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90
InferredThis reviewer didn't give a numbered score. We read the review and inferred a 0–100 score from what they said. Did we get it wrong? Please report it, we'll fix it.
Tabletop Gaming MagazineArticle

“Everything you do in The Red Cathedral has a weight of your intentions in it, but the long term effects cascade out of it in a way you're not quite able to predict. There is just enough of everything we love about a weightier Eurogame here, with a brisk pace and a little bit of a mean streak – it's very hard to fault it at all.”

90
InferredThis reviewer didn't give a numbered score. We read the review and inferred a 0–100 score from what they said. Did we get it wrong? Please report it, we'll fix it.
Shut Up & Sit Down, Shut Up & Sit DownVideo

“This is a joyous little box of fun decisions, a little bit of brain crunch for those people who want it, and again just has a far bigger presence than a box of this size and a table footprint this size would really suggest would be possible.”(19:03)

90
InferredThis reviewer didn't give a numbered score. We read the review and inferred a 0–100 score from what they said. Did we get it wrong? Please report it, we'll fix it.
Gaming Rules!, Gaming Rules!Video

“Really enjoyed this. Very, very good game. Really well put together. Production values are good. Gameplay's good. Really interesting mechanisms. Rulebook's really good, as well.”(1:27:21)

86
StatedThis reviewer gave their own score. We only converted it to our 0–100 scale.
eNVy Board Gaming, eNVy Board GamingVideo

“Overall i think the game is really great i'm gonna go ahead and give it a score i'm gonna give it an eight six eight six a really high score”(13:48)

85
InferredThis reviewer didn't give a numbered score. We read the review and inferred a 0–100 score from what they said. Did we get it wrong? Please report it, we'll fix it.
Chairman of the Board, Chairman of the BoardVideo

“Overall, I think this game is is really good. I I had high hopes for it, and it certainly lived up to those hopes. Um very streamlined mechanisms.”(13:48)

85
StatedThis reviewer gave their own score. We only converted it to our 0–100 scale.
Zatu GamesArticle

“Red Cathedral is a great game. The components are of very high quality and the game zips along at a nice pace.”

80
InferredThis reviewer didn't give a numbered score. We read the review and inferred a 0–100 score from what they said. Did we get it wrong? Please report it, we'll fix it.
The Dice Tower, The Dice TowerVideo

“The game itself, The Red Cathedral, is very mechanical. You're moving dice around, you're collecting resources, but it's very satisfying. I really like setting up these cool combos where I'll take a die, give it a bonus action, and that's the die I want to move now.”(8:05)

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