The Voyages of Marco Polo (2015) Board Game

The Voyages of Marco Polo is a board game designed by Simone Luciani and Daniele Tascini, released in 2015 by Hans im Glück. The game is set in the 13th century, where players take on the roles of different characters traveling along the Silk Road, following in the footsteps of the famous explorer Marco Polo.

Game Components of The Voyages of Marco Polo

Game Board: Depicting the Silk Road from Venice to Beijing

Dice: Color-coded dice used as worker placements

Player Boards: Each player has a unique character board with special abilities

Resource Tokens: Gold, silk, spices, and camels

Contract Cards: For completing merchant contracts

Secret City Cards: For additional victory points

Trading Posts: To mark cities on the board

Pawns: For tracking player progress on the board and scoring track

How To Setup The Voyages of Marco Polo

To set up the game, place the game board in the middle of the table. Each player selects a character and places their pawn on the city of Venice and on space 50 of the scoring track. Shuffle and deal the secret city cards to each player. Form stacks of resource tokens and contract cards near the board. Players roll their dice to determine the starting player.

Gameplay Mechanics and Game Objective

Dice Rolling: Players roll their dice at the beginning of each round to determine available actions.

Worker Placement with Dice: Players use their dice to perform actions such as collecting resources, acquiring contracts, and traveling.

Point to Point Movement: Traveling across the board from Venice to Beijing.

Resource Management: Managing resources (gold, silk, spices, and camels) to complete contracts.

Variable Player Powers: Each character has unique abilities.

Contracts: Completing merchant contracts for victory points.

Secret Objectives: Fulfilling secret city cards for additional victory points.

Game Objective: The player with the most victory points, earned through completing contracts, reaching Beijing, and fulfilling secret objectives, wins the game.

Player Experience

Players embark on a strategic journey along the Silk Road, managing resources and using dice to perform various actions. Each character has a unique power that can significantly impact gameplay, adding an asymmetrical layer to the game. The game is praised for its engaging mechanics, especially the use of dice as workers, which adds a layer of strategy and resource management. Players need to balance traveling, collecting resources, and completing contracts to maximize their victory points.

Pros

Strategic Depth: The game offers a lot of strategic options and variable player powers.

Unique Mechanics: Using dice as workers adds a fresh twist to worker placement games.

Thematic Integration: The game theme is well-integrated with the mechanics.

Replayability: High replayability due to variable setup and different character abilities.

Engaging for Multiple Players: The game plays well with 2 to 4 players.

Cons

Learning Curve: The game has a moderate to high complexity level, which can be daunting for new players.

Luck Factor: Dice rolling introduces an element of luck, which may not appeal to all players.

Setup Time: The setup can be somewhat lengthy due to the various components and character abilities.

Personal Thoughts on The Voyages of Marco Polo

The Voyages of Marco Polo is ideal for fans of euro-style games and those who enjoy strategic gameplay with a historical theme. It’s perfect for players who like resource management, worker placement, and variable player powers. The game’s unique mechanics and high replayability make it a great addition to any board game collection. However, it may not be the best fit for casual gamers due to its moderate to high complexity level.

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