This pure negotiation game pits the players as Renaissance era families that are engaging in rampant nepotism. Players are seeking positions in the other families' businesses, and to further that pursuit players offer bribes. However, once accepting a bribe, the 'bought' player is under absolutely no obligation to honor the highest briber or any other verbal deal. In a word, this game is vicious.
The new AMIGO edition came out in 2005.
The main difference between the F.X. Schmid and the AMIGO versions are that the the F.X. Schmid version uses five houses/buildings per player, with values of 1,2,3,5, and 10, but the AMIGO version uses four buildings/houses per player, with values of 1,3,6, and 10. Accordingly, the F.X. Schmid version has five professions - knight, merchant, lawyer, writer, and clergy - but the AMIGO version retains only clergy and writer, and adds chemist and doctor.
- deliciously mean negotiation with tangible payoffs
- high social interaction and bluffing opportunities
- rules can be dense and fragile to learn
- deals being non-binding can frustrate some players
- schemes, bribery, political maneuvering
- Renaissance court with scheming nobles and scholars.
- bastardly and chaotic, with backroom deals
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- binding but non-binding deals — Deals are often binding only if money changes hands; otherwise, they can be broken.
- court worker placements and bribery — Players place scholars to earn ducats and influence court decisions.
- inter-player negotiations and shenanigans — Sweet talk and backroom trade aim to secure powerful hires and outcomes.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- meanest board games ever made
- the unofficial tagline is ruining friendship since 1959
- that's mean
- there are so many ways to hurt people in the estates
- the heart of the game is traveling around fighting off beasties and trying to complete tasks vital to your own personal success