San Marco
Designed by: Aaron Weissblum,Alan R Moon
San Marco sees each player trying to get control of Venice by placing their wooden pieces (aristocrats) in the various regions of the city and outnumbering opponents.
What makes San Marco unique is the way the game works – there are a number of cards that, ideally, everybody wants first pick from. At the start of each round someone is in charge of divvying up the cards into as many lots as there are players. However, the active player (-doing the divvying) must let the other players pick lots first, before taking whichever lot is left over after the choosing.
So deciding which cards to take (or how to split them when it’s your turn to do so) is really key to both balancing out the game and winning it. Having taken the cards, the players then use the actions to get their aristocrats onto the board, or move the the ones already there to a different region, or do a few other things like adding bridges, or moving the Doge, who has an effect on scoring. After three rounds, the game will end and the player with the most points is the winner!
Sam says
The potential drawback to San Marco is the downtime at the start of each round, when somebody has to divvy up the cards. And it’s not really fair to hassle them, as how the cards break into sets is the crux of the game: they need some thinking time! For me, it’s a really strong game with an intriguing heart, but you do need to be okay with giving those moments timer and space for San Marco to work on its own terms.
-
Take That!
Though there is no combat as such, players do interact by outscoring each other in the regions of Venice, so there is jostling for position on the board.
-
Fidget Factor!
There is some waiting to be done while whoever's turn it is to do so decides how to divvy up the cards.
-
Brain Burn!
There's rarely an 'optimal' move in San Marco, but there will be thinking time needed for all players – it's a cerebral game.
-
Again Again!
No two games of San Marco will ever be the same due to the order the cards come up and how the active player chooses to share them out.
