Visby

About this board game

Visby is a challenging 30-minute card game for 2 players, with expansions that can increase the player count to as many as 6. Each player uses an identical set of eight cards, and every card offers a distinct effect.

At the start of each round, the shared supply becomes more attractive: seals and wares are added, and the rate for exchanging wares into seals improves. Players then secretly choose cards from their hands and reveal them simultaneously. In games with two or three players, each player chooses two cards.

The revealed cards resolve through competing effects. Knights and Troops take victory points, while Blacksmiths gain wares based on the Knights and Troops played by other players. Ships and Fleets collect wares, Tollkeepers gain seals from Ships and Fleets, and Merchants exchange wares for seals. Monks gain wares from Merchants and from the number of cards already played.

• Simultaneous decisions: Your card’s success depends on what everyone else chooses.
• Shared supply: Earlier actions can reduce what remains for later effects.
• Hand management: Players with a Monk return all their cards to hand, while other players continue with their remaining cards.

The timing creates Visby’s central tension. A Fleet takes three wares, while a Ship takes all the wares left after other effects resolve. If several opponents play Fleets first, a Ship may gain very little; if they do not, it can be far more valuable. Remembering which cards opponents have already played may help, but their simultaneous choices can never be known for certain.

The basic set supports two players. One or two expansion packs, each containing material for two additional players, can enlarge the game up to six players.