The Red Cathedral

The Red Cathedral is one of those compact games that sits quietly on the shelf, then reveals considerably more structure than its size suggests. It is approachable, light on its feet and reliably pleasant, but never vacant: an excellent gateway to medium-weight euros, with enough thought in it to warrant repeat visits without consuming an entire evening.

Its centre is a cleverly adjusted rondel, where choosing a space does more than deliver resources; it also reshapes the moves that will be available next. That small alteration gives the system real tension. Set collection and building remain admirably legible, while the action economy asks you to think a turn or two ahead.

Interaction is not loud, but it arrives in the right places. You can take options another player wanted, particularly by reserving roofs, and the mild euro suddenly acquires a few sharp edges. The interesting decision is whether to use the rondel for immediate efficiency or to leave the next player with a distinctly less attractive route.

The base game is therefore already complete, and notably replayable. For anyone after a light but substantial construction game, it is an unqualified recommendation: quietly excellent, which is often how the best euros are.

Updated session

Adding the contractors brings a new map, new actions and a faction system with a slight Lorenzo echo. It is clever and properly integrated—almost another half-game—but it confirmed the first impression: it makes The Red Cathedral appreciably heavier, much as the first Isle of Skye expansion does. That is an advantage for experienced groups and increases replayability further; for a group using it as a Catan substitute, the base game remains the better introduction.