Marijampolė is an educational strategy inspired by the history of the city of Marijampolė. In the game, 2-4 players are tasked to build a thriving city. However, as history teaches us, every city builder has its own vision and agenda, so it's not an easy task. And in some cases, it can become quite competitive. By building historical buildings, establishing companies, using the strengths of famous Lithuanian historical figures, and surviving the difficult times that affected the whole of Europe, Marijampolė players are able to shape this city as a trading stop, an industrial metropolis or a cradle of culture.
The game features two distinct rule sets. The beginner's version will allow the whole family to take part in building a city while the advanced rule version is for board game enthusiasts who don't mind longer and more strategic play sessions. In addition, “Marijampolė” can also be a good educational tool. Each card in the game is a real historic building, event, or person and has a detailed fact-checked description. All players build their own vision of Marijampolė but the most prosperous player wins the game!
During the game, players take turns collecting cards from a shared market and playing those cards in front of their tableau by paying the required resources. Game cards are also treated as resources so hand management is an important mechanism in "Marijampolė". Greater points are scored by having the most cards in the tableau corresponding to the state of the city, that will often change depending on what cards are being played. Sometimes a player will gain points by building wondrous churches while at other times initiating commerce will grant the most progress points.
The game also has Leader cards that grant players unique powers helping to achieve their goals and manipulate the board. In order to slow down the opponent's progress, the player can play special Crisis cards that trigger hardships for the city. It may be used to stop other players from gaining points but prolonged crises can also continue for multiple turns. In the game, each action has a strong effect on other players' scoring potential. Players can cooperate with other players to gain more progress points or counter them by going in a different direction.
—description from the designer