Rurik: Dawn of Kiev

Rurik: Dawn of Kiev is a euro-style realm building game set in an 11th century Eastern European kingdom. It features area control, resource management, and a new game mechanic - "auction programming."

  1-4 Players  |    30 Min / Player  |    13+
7.8 BGG rating (1,700+ ratings)
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"A breath of fresh air! It feels new and different and it looks great, not complicated. I totally recommend Rurik. You need to pick it up!" ~ Jimmy Hudson (Board Game Closet) Click to watch review!

Rurik features 71 highly detailed miniatures, 143 custom wood pieces, plastic trays & 180+ other components!

Who Will Claim the Throne?

You play as a potential successor to the throne following the death of your father, Vladimir the Great, in 1015. Although warfare seems to be the easiest path to success, the people value a ruler who leads well in a variety of endeavors. Your claim to the throne depends on how well you manage the help of your troops and advisors.

"Stellar action selection and auction programming game that requires strategic backwards planning. Rurik is sure to be a hit among area control gamers everywhere."
~ Derek Funkhouser (Board Game Spotlight)

What is Auction Programming?

In Rurik, players openly bid for actions with their advisors. Stronger advisors earn greater benefits at the cost of performing their action later than other players. Conversely, weaker advisors earn lesser benefits but perform their action quickly. After all advisors are placed, players take turns resolving their lowest numbered advisor, regardless of which action column it is on, and performing the action.

"The auction programming is what sets this game apart... this component really makes me want to play it over and over."
~ Vaughn Reynolds (I'm a Social Gamer)

Multiple Paths to Victory

Establish your legacy by constructing buildings and performing great deeds or pursue your own agenda by ruling large areas of land and collecting tribute. Will you win over the hearts of the people to become the next ruler of Kievan Rus?
Advance your claim to the throne after each round.
You never lose progress from prior rounds!
Fill your boat with goods to earn income & score points
or spend them to earn other rewards.

"It's not often a game goes from completely off my radar to top 10 material within one play. Every round of placement is a mental mind game of who will do what and when. It's incredible. There's a lot to do in Rurik, you can often choose what or when, but you can rarely guarantee both, and that's what makes this game amazing."
~ Alex Radcliffe (BoardGameCo)

Cultural Heritage

Rurik brings to life the ancient culture of Kievan Rus - a medieval empire to which many Eastern Europeans trace their roots - with game design by Russian designer Stanislav Kordonskiy and illustrations by Ukrainian artist Yaroslav Radetskyi.

"This is another great game from [designer Stan Kordonskiy]!... I think a lot of people are really going to enjoy it."
~ Tom Vasel (Dice Tower)
Get Your Copy of Rurik!

Dynamic Solo Mode

Rurik features an engaging single player experience with 4 levels of difficulty. The AI changes between 3 modes throughout the game and within each mode has a different approach to bidding and resolving actions. The dynamic automa opponent only reveals one bid at a time so you are never quite sure how it will play!

"This game is GORGEOUS! The pre-punched and pre-bagged pieces, the game trayz, the minis quality, the art, the very clear and excellently written rule book, the sheet showing how to put it away... I could go on and on. I have backed well over 500 games and let me say this is in the top 5 for sheer quality. You’ve all done a PHENOMENAL job! So far, the game play is great." ~ Sean Epperson (KS backer)

How to Play Video

More Information

Rules PDF (English)
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Media Kit

Designer: Stan Kordonskiy
SKU: PKR1300 [Retail Edition], PKR1301 [Kickstarter Edition]
UPC: 602573781463
Components [Retail Edition]:

  • 71 Plastic Miniatures (8 @ 40+ mm scale, 63 @ 28 mm scale)
  • 4 Plastic Leader Bases
  • 66 Wooden Resources
  • 36 Wooden Structures
  • 24 Wooden Advisors
  • 12 Wooden Claim Markers
  • 4 Wooden Warfare Markers
  • 1 Wooden First Player Marker
  • 27 Scheme Cards
  • 26 Deed Cards
  • 11 Agenda Cards
  • 19 Solo Cards
  • 8 Leader Cards
  • 4 Reference Cards
  • 36 Punchboard Coins
  • 30 Variant Tokens
  • 8 Conversion Tokens
  • 4 Household Mats
  • 1 Game Board
  • 1 Claim Board
  • 1 Strategy Board
  • 1 Round Marker
  • 1 Rulebook

Components [Kickstarter Edition]:
Everything above + 4 Plastic Player Trays & Lids, 11 Intrigue Cards

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