Medici: The Card Game

Based on the board game Medici, Medici: The Card Game proposes the same challenge – players are merchants haggling at the docks and trying to get the most valuable loads on their boats over three rounds.

The game is a a deck of cards that are shuffled and placed face-down in the centre of the table. The cards represent five different types of goods with numbers from 2-5, plus some bonus cards (more on them later). On your turn you simply draw up to three (and at least one) card from the deck, and place it face-up in the centre of the table. You can also take up to three cards as well, including any that were already face-up before your turn – but you must always take the last card drawn. This means there’s an element of risk, as the last card you drew may not be what you’re after.

The cards you take remain in front of you – in your ‘boat’ – until the end of the round. Everyone can ‘load’ five cards in their boats, and the round ends when everyone is fully loaded (once your ship is loaded, you are not involved for the remainder of the round).

Each players’ cargo is then scored – the players with the highest numeric value cargo are rewarded with florins for first and second place. Then florins are scored for having the majority of a certain type of good – not only for this round, but any cargos from previous rounds too. How many depends on the player count, but majorities in two types for instance is better than a smattering of fourth places! The bonus cards are helpful in that they can help your score in different ways – boat value, or extra goods – whilst not taking up any room on your boat.

After the third round the game ends and the richest player is the winner.