Medici

About this board game

Medici is an auction game for 2–6 players, lasting about 60 minutes, in which players compete to build valuable cargo loads and score the most points over three rounds.

On each turn, the current player reveals one to three commodity cards for everyone to bid on. Each card shows a commodity type and a quantity or value, and the highest bidder takes the complete group of revealed cards. Players spend their points to compete for the cargo they want, making every auction an important choice.

The round continues until every player’s ship is full or the commodity card deck is exhausted. Afterward, players receive points for having the most of particular commodities, as well as for having the most valuable total cargo load.

• Three rounds of competitive bidding
• Commodity cards showing type and quantity or value
• Scoring for commodity majorities and the most valuable cargo
• Playable with varying player counts from 2 to 6

Medici is another Reiner Knizia standby and one of the Knizia Florentine auction games. Its central system is easy to understand: reveal cards, bid for the group, load your ship, and seek the strongest final score. The changing number of cards revealed and the limited ship capacity create a focused contest for valuable cargo.

Released in 1995, Medici is also part of the Knizia auction trilogy. Related games include Medici vs Strozzi, the two-player version, and Strozzi. Mercator, included in Neue Spiele im alten Rom, is identified as an ancestor to Medici.