Medici: The Card Game

About the game

What is Medici: The Card Game?

Medici: The Card Game is a new design by Reiner Knizia that shares the setting and feel of the classic Medici board game, without using that game's auction mechanisms. In 15th century Florence, players try to acquire the most valuable goods for their merchant ships by drawing 1-3 cards from a common deck each turn. After drawing, the active player must take the final card they drew and may select one or both of the previous two cards drawn (if available). They then load these commodity cards on their boat. Cards that are not taken remain available to future players. Once a player's boat is full (seven cards with two players, five cards with 3-6 players), they are out of the round and the day is scored. Players score points for the value of their ships' holds, but also for the number of commodities of each type that they have stored in their warehouse. The highest earning merchant over three days wins the game. Some cards do not take up space on ships, while others contribute to the value of a hold, but cannot be stored in warehouses. This is the first game to be added to the Medici family of games since Strozzi, released in 2008.

How it plays

Mechanics

On the shelf

Categories

Questions players ask

Questions to bring to BoardGameBrain

• How do setup and the first turn work in Medici: The Card Game?
• When does scoring happen and what ends the game?
• How should the table resolve an unusual timing or rules interaction?