I had a friend ask about Caylus and Pillars of the Earth. They games have some strong similarities and he wanted a break down on the games. I sent him the following information and thought that it might be useful for our other customers.
Caylus
Rating 7.98 ( Boardgamegeek ) This is an extremely high user rating
Retail Price is 54.95, much lower on the Gamzu website.
Description
Once upon a time …
1289. To strengthen the borders of the Kingdom of France, King Philip the Fair decided to have a new castle built. For the time being, Caylus is but a humble village, but soon, workers and craftsmen will be flocking by the cartload, attracted by the great prospects. Around the building site, a city is slowly rising up.
The players embody master builders. By building the King’s castle and developing the city around it, they earn prestige points and gain the King’s favor. When the castle is finished, the player who has earned the most prestige wins the game.
Pillars of the Earth ( this is the one that John said was spun off of Caylus)
Rating 7.38
Retail Price 49.00, again, better priced on Gamzugames.com
Description
At the beginning of the 13th century, construction of the greatest and most beautiful cathedral in England begins. Players are builders who try to contribute the most to this cathedral’s construction and, in so doing, score the most victory points. Gameplay roughly consists of using workers to produce raw materials, and then using craftsmen to convert the materials into victory points. Workers may also be used to produce gold, the currency of the game. Players are also given three master builders each turn, each of which can do a variety of tasks, including recruiting more workers, buying or selling goods, or just obtaining victory points. Getting early choices with a master builder costs gold, as does purchasing better craftsmen. Players must strike a balance between earning gold to fund their purchases and earning victory points.
