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Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood of Venice is a co-operative miniature board game taking place in the heart of the Italian Renaissance through a story-driven campaign of 26 "memories" in Venice, in 1509. Choose your assassins according to their unique abilities, level up during the campaign, and unlock new skills for each of them.
Fight or stay incognito thanks to the equipment found in chests or manufactured by Leonardo Da Vinci. Evade your pursuers by climbing on roofs and towers, then synchronize to reveal new game elements. Bribe your enemies, use secret hideouts to escape patrols, and flip mechanisms to change the level layout. After each memory, fall back to your headquarters to heal your wounds, grow your brotherhood's fame, and craft special equipment. The game features a save system that allows the number of players to vary between each campaign and the level of play adjusts according to the number of players.
The retail edition of Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood of Venice features the same scenarios as the original Kickstarter release and therefore the same gameplay experience. What has changed is that all of the miniatures other than the five detailed assassin figurines have been replaced with standees, so the game includes 5 miniatures, 139 standees, 6 secret envelopes, 41 tiles, and more than 400 cards.
Many surprises await in the sealed envelopes. Meet the many famous personalities you've encountered in the Assassin's Creed video games as well as four unique ones created especially for this game.
- strong thematic feel that fits the Assassin's Creed universe
- stealth-first design with meaningful tension
- open campaign structure and loot/equipment progression
- vibrant production with hay piles and rooftop action
- very large box with many miniatures/options, costly
- retail version uses standees, not miniatures
- rulebook is messy, can hinder new players
- can be mean/ punitive when alarm goes off
- stealth-focused assassination campaign set in the Assassin's Creed universe
- Renaissance Venice, within the Assassin's Brotherhood
- campaign-memory missions with open-ended objectives and loot progression
- V-Sabotage
- Batman Gotham City Chronicles
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Action Point Allowance — each assassin has three actions per turn, can be taken in any order
- Action points — each assassin has three actions per turn, can be taken in any order
- alarm escalation and reinforcements — alarm escalation changes tempo and increases enemy spawns, altering strategies
- campaign/memory mission structure — 26 memory missions with objective-based win/lose conditions
- Combat: Dice — combat and stealth outcomes are determined by dice rolls tied to weapons and enemy stats
- concealment and alarm system — assassins conceal themselves; being spotted replaces concealed base with red; alarm triggers reinforcements
- Dice-based conflict resolution — combat and stealth outcomes are determined by dice rolls tied to weapons and enemy stats
- loot, gear, and equipment management — collect loot, equip gear, and activate abilities or save actions for future turns
- Scenario / Mission / Campaign Game — 26 memory missions with objective-based win/lose conditions
- tile-based movement with rooftop traversal — move orthogonally on tiles, climb rooftops, use ladders, and hide in water
- Tile/Map Shifting — move orthogonally on tiles, climb rooftops, use ladders, and hide in water
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- the best thing about this game is it really feels like Assassin's Creed
- I'd recommend it most for one to two players who want to play through a full campaign with a heavy stealth and planning Focus
- the rule book's a bit of a mess too
- I really like the change in tempo on this game when the alarm goes off
- it's a big box game with a ton of miniatures; therefore it's not an easy commitment to make in terms of money
- and if you like the feel of Legacy games where you get open stuff but I hate destroying things this one could be for you
References (from this video)
- Promises a big campaign experience with thematic setting and minis (standies).
- Initial positive vibes in the early game session.
- Dice tutorial poorly implemented; learning curve is confusing.
- Rulebook formatting is unconventional (no standard page references).
- Differences between Kickstarter and retail versions complicate learning.
- Stealth can fail quickly; apprentice mechanic weakens core experience.
- Stealth/assassination
- Venice, Renaissance
- campaign/legacy-style progression
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- campaign progression / legacy structure — Large campaign with scenarios and evolving content.
- dice-based tasks with a tutorial — Dice tutorial is intended to teach but is hampered by implementation issues across versions.
- stealth mechanics — Stealth status and alarms heavily influence mission outcomes.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- the rule book is just one of those uh cases where it makes you go through so much work learning it and there's just no reward
- it's a very poor use of the IP
- I hated that why don't you just let me keep using my assassin
- this game is confusing to learn
- these tiny epic games are not known for that
- the rule book is atrocious The Learning Experience is atrocious