Viticulture

2013

Immerse yourself in Viticulture, a strategic board game where players, inheriting rustic vineyards in Tuscany, aim to run the most successful winery.

90
minutes

2 - 6
player(s)

13+

Medium

About the game

Viticulture is a beautiful and immersive board game that takes you right into the heart of the picturesque Tuscany. It’s a unique experience where you step into the shoes of a vineyard owner, nurturing your vines, harvesting your grapes, and striving to create an outstanding wine. The game beautifully combines strategy, planning, and a great deal of fun.

Set in the verdant Tuscan countryside, Viticulture is a worker placement game that is deeply rooted in its theme. You will manage your workers, allocate your resources, and plan for the seasons as you build your wine empire. The game captures the changing seasons and the detailed processes involved in wine production, making each turn and round significant.

Game setup Lay it out, line it up, let’s go

Viticulture is a strategy board game designed around the concept of running a vineyard. The game requires careful planning, resource management, and a bit of luck. Here’s a step-by-step guide to setting up the game:

Step 1: Player Roles

Each player takes on the role of a vineyard owner. Your objective is to manage your vineyard by planting grapes, harvesting them, making wine, and then selling it to earn victory points. The player with the most victory points at the end of the game wins.

Step 2: Board Placement

Place the game board in the center of the playing area. The board is divided into four seasons – Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter, each with their own actions.

Step 3: Initial Resources

Each player receives a player mat, representing their vineyard, which they place in front of them. In addition, each player gets:

3 workers of their chosen color.
1 grande worker of their chosen color.
1 rooster token, placed on the wake-up chart on the game board.
Starting cards: 1 vine card, 1 wine order card, and 1 summer visitor card.
Starting resources: 3 lira (the game’s currency), placed in their personal supply.

Each player also places a token of their color on the victory point track on the game board, starting at zero.

Step 4: Random Elements

Shuffle the vine cards, summer visitor cards, winter visitor cards, and wine order cards separately. Place these decks face-down near the board. Draw and reveal 4 wine order cards and place them face-up near the board. This forms the initial market.

Finally, place the remaining lira, workers, and the first player token next to the game board within easy reach of all players. Now you’re ready to start playing Viticulture!

Game flow Round and round we go

Viticulture is a complex and strategic board game where players manage a vineyard, planting grapes, harvesting, making wine, and filling orders to accumulate victory points. The game is divided into multiple rounds, each representing a year, and each round is further divided into seasons which determine the actions a player can take. Here is a detailed breakdown of the game’s structure.

Spring: During the spring phase, players choose their wake-up time for the upcoming year. This determines the turn order for the rest of the year and gives players a small bonus, such as an extra worker or a bonus card.

Summer: In the summer, players take turns performing summer actions, including:

Planting vines: Players may plant grape cards from their hands on their fields, provided they have enough space and the right structures.
Selling grapes: Players can sell their grapes for money.
Giving tours: Players may give a tour of their vineyard to receive money.
Building structures: Players can build structures that will provide benefits later in the game, such as a trellis to plant certain grape varieties or a cellar to store more wine.

Fall: During the fall, players draw visitor cards. There are two types of visitor cards: summer visitors and winter visitors. Summer visitor cards generally provide bonuses related to vine planting and wine production, while winter visitor cards provide bonuses related to harvesting and wine selling.

Winter: In the winter, players take turns performing winter actions, including:

Harvesting fields: Players may harvest their fields to gain grape cards, which can be made into wine.
Make wine: Players can turn their harvested grapes into wine, storing it in their cellar.
Fulfill wine orders: Players may fulfill orders by selling their wine, which earns them victory points and residual payments.
Train new workers: Players can train new workers for the next year.

After the winter actions are complete, the year ends. Players age their grape and wine tokens, collect residual payments, and reset for the new year. The game continues until a player reaches 20 victory points, at which point the current year is finished and the player with the most points wins.

Viticulture is a game of strategy and planning, where players must balance their resources and actions to create the most successful vineyard.

Players'turn One turn to rule them all

In the board game ‘Viticulture’, each player’s turn is broken down into different phases, and within each phase, a player can choose to do various actions, each affecting gameplay in its own unique way. Here’s a detailed breakdown of what happens during a player’s turn:

Spring Phase:

Wake-Up Call: Players choose when they will wake up during the upcoming year. The earlier you wake up, the earlier you get to play, but waking up later can provide you with bonuses like an extra worker, a victory point, or a card.

Summer Phase:

Planting: Players can choose to plant vine cards from their hand into their fields. This is crucial for grape production later on.
Building Structures: Players can build structures that provide bonuses and more options in later turns. For example, building a Tasting Room allows a player to give a wine tour, gaining victory points and money.
Selling Grapes: Players can sell grapes from their crush pad for money. Although this prevents the grapes from being made into wine, it can provide a quick influx of cash if needed.

Fall Phase:

Draw a Visitor Card: Players draw a visitor card, which can provide various bonuses and abilities when played.

Winter Phase:

Harvest Fields: Players can choose to harvest their fields, moving grapes to their crush pad and gaining residual payments.
Make Wine: Players can choose to make wine from their grapes. Wine is necessary for filling wine orders, which provide victory points.
Train Workers: Players can train new workers for the next year. More workers mean more actions can be taken each turn.
Fill a Wine Order: Players can fill a wine order if they have the required wine. This provides victory points and residual payments.

Year End:

Age wine and grapes: All wine and grapes on a player’s crush pad and cellar age one year, increasing their value.
Collect residual payments: Players collect any residual payments they have earned from filled wine orders.
Rotate first player: The first player token is passed to the next player in clockwise order, and a new year begins.

Strategically, players must balance their resources and actions. They need to plant vines and build structures to improve their vineyard, but they also need to harvest grapes, make wine, and fill orders to earn victory points. Additionally, choosing when to wake up and which visitor cards to play can greatly affect a player’s options and strategy. A player’s turn in ‘Viticulture’ is filled with strategic decisions that make for a deeply engaging and rewarding gameplay experience.

End of the game All good games must come to an end

Viticulture is a strategic board game where players aim to develop their vineyard by planting grapes, harvesting, making wine and fulfilling wine orders. The game ends at the end of the year (round) when any player reaches or exceeds 20 victory points during the current year’s end-of-year scoring.

Victory Conditions:

The main victory condition in Viticulture is to be the player with the most victory points at the end of the game. Victory points are earned by fulfilling wine orders, giving vineyard tours, and building structures.
The game ends at the end of the year in which at least one player has reached 20 victory points. All players finish the current year before the game ends, which means players who haven’t yet taken their turn get to do so. This allows for multiple players to exceed 20 victory points.
In the case of a tie, the player with the most remaining lira (money) wins. If there is still a tie, the player who reached the victory point threshold first is the winner.

Actions before Final Scoring:

Before the final scoring, players must complete their turns for the current year. This includes all seasons (Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter).
Players can perform actions to earn victory points, such as fulfilling wine orders, using the “sell grapes” action, or using visitor cards.
Players should also ensure they have harvested their vines and made as much wine as they can, as having wine and grapes left over does not score any points at the end of the game.
Players must also pay any outstanding costs or penalties before the end of their final turn. Failure to do so may result in a loss of victory points.

Scoring Did you outsmart your rivals?

In the board game ‘Viticulture’, players earn victory points (VPs) for various actions related to vineyard management. The player with the most VPs at the end of the game is declared the winner. Here’s a detailed explanation of the scoring system:

Victory Points Breakdown

Vineyard Cards: Players earn points by planting vine cards and producing wine. Each vine card planted in your field doesn’t directly give you VPs but they allow you to harvest grapes which can be turned into wine. You earn VPs by fulfilling wine orders which require specific types and quantities of wine.
Visitors Cards: These cards provide various benefits including opportunities to earn VPs. The Summer and Winter Visitor cards have actions that if taken, can provide VPs.
Building Structures: Though building structures does not give you direct VPs, some structures allow for actions that can earn you VPs such as the Tasting Room which earns you 1 VP for each wine you give for a wine tasting.
Wine Order Fulfillment: Filling wine orders is the main way of earning VPs in Viticulture. Each wine order card has a VP value attached to it ranging from 2 VPs to 6 VPs.
Bonus Points: Bonus points are awarded at the end of the game for any remaining lira (the game’s currency). Every 5 lira is worth 1 VP.

Tie-Breaking Rules

In the event of a tie at the end of the game, the tie-breakers are applied in the following order:

Residual Payment: The player with the most leftover lira wins.
Wine Cellar: If there is still a tie, the player with the most total value of wine in their cellar wins.
Grape Vines: If a tie still persists, the player with the most total value of grapes on their crush pads wins.

Particular Cases and Exceptions Wait… is that legal?

Viticulture is a complex and intricately designed board game. While mastering the game’s basic rules is crucial, understanding some of the special rules, exceptions, and clarifications can enhance your gameplay. Here are some of the important points to consider:

1. Grande Worker:

The Grande Worker is a unique exception in Viticulture. Unlike the regular workers, the Grande Worker can be placed on an action space even if it’s full. However, it’s important to note that each player only has one Grande Worker, so strategic use of this piece is crucial.

2. Visitor Cards:

Visitor cards can provide a wide range of effects, and some may seem to bend or break the usual rules of the game. However, these cards are designed to be powerful and game-changing, so their effects are indeed intended. It’s important to read each card carefully and apply its effect as written.

3. The Wake-Up Chart:

In Viticulture, turn order is determined by the Wake-Up Chart, not in clockwise order from the start player. This is a common point of confusion for many players.

4. The Sell Grapes Action:

The Sell Grapes action allows a player to sell grapes from their crush pad. However, a common misinterpretation is that a player can sell wine tokens with this action, but only grape tokens can be sold.

5. Aging Wine and Grapes:

In Viticulture, wine and grapes age at the end of the year. Many players mistakenly age their wine and grapes after the harvest, but it should be done at the very end of the year.

6. Building Structures:

When building structures, players often forget that you can only build each structure once. You can’t build multiple copies of the same structure.

7. Making Wine:

When making wine, it’s important to note that white grapes can only be used to make white wine, and red grapes can only be used to make red wine. However, both types of grapes are needed to make blush and sparkling wines.