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Endless Winter: Paleoamericans
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The First Tsar: Ivan the Terrible
2023
Rules assistance for The First Tsar: Ivan the Terrible
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–4 players
- 90–120 min
- 12+
- Complexity 3.0/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for The First Tsar: Ivan the Terrible
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
The First Tsar: Ivan the Terrible is a board game released in 2023 for 2–4 players, 90–120 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Stan Kordonskiy and its main mechanics are Income, Track Movement, and Area Movement.
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About the game
The First Tsar: Ivan the Terrible is a thematic sequel to the popular board game Rurik: Dawn of Kiev. In this board game you will lead the boyar families competing for power and honor in the 16th-century Tsardom of Russia. Over four decades, you’ll collect income from estates and equip troops, trade with foreigners and fortify cities, seek privileges and carry out royal assignments. Use your influence on the tsar, bribe his minions, and perhaps it is your family that will succeed in taking the Russian throne in the next century. The game is played over four rounds, each one representing approximately a decade of Ivan the Terrible’s reign. At the beginning of each round the players send their boyars to the Kremlin chambers, choosing their actions for the current decade. Then the players perform the chosen actions: receive income from cities; place boyars and warriors on the map and move them; gain and complete construction, trade and military projects; exchange goods; acquire new titles and estates. At the end of the round, the players with the most influence in the four regions receive additional rewards. An important element of the game is the Tsar’s favor, which is used to resolve all ties. At the end of the game, the player with the most victory points wins. —description from the publisher
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Hobby World
- Samaruc Games
- Vagabund
- 25th Century Games
Questions and answers
The First Tsar: Ivan the Terrible supports 2–4 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for The First Tsar: Ivan the Terrible is 90–120 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists The First Tsar: Ivan the Terrible for ages 12 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
The First Tsar: Ivan the Terrible has a complexity rating of 3.0 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-weight game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
The First Tsar: Ivan the Terrible belongs to these categories: Economic and Medieval. Its main mechanics are Income, Track Movement, and Area Movement. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of The First Tsar: Ivan the Terrible are: Stan Kordonskiy. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists The First Tsar: Ivan the Terrible as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.