Medici
Overview
Medici is an auction game set in the competitive Renaissance merchant trade. Players are buyers for rival merchant houses, loading ships with goods purchased at auction over three days (rounds). Each day, players bid on lots of 1-3 commodity cards. After all ships are full or the deck runs out, players score florins (money) for the total value of their ship’s cargo and for their position on five commodity tracks. After three days of scoring, the player with the most florins wins.
Components
- 1 game board (money track 0-99, five triangular commodity tracks, Medici family crest scoring area)
- 36 commodity cards: 7 each of cloth, fur, grain, dye, and spice (values 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 5) plus 1 gold card (value 10)
- 6 large ship mats (one per player color)
- 2 smaller ship mats (for 2-player game)
- 36 playing counters (6 in each of 6 player colors)
- 5 red commodity scoring counters
- 2 blue day tracking counters
- 2 scoring aid cards
- 1 start player token
Setup
- Each player chooses a color and takes the corresponding ship mat and 6 wooden counters.
- In a 2-player game, players also take the smaller ship mats, placing them alongside the larger ones (7 spaces total).
- Place the board in the center. Place one counter per player on the bottom (8th) level of each of the five commodity tracks on the gold frame.
- Place one counter per player on the starting space of the money track:
- 2-4 players: start at 40 florins
- 5-6 players: start at 30 florins
- Place red commodity scoring markers on each of the five red “balls” of the Medici crest. Stack the two blue day markers on top of the blue symbol on the crest.
- Adjust the deck based on player count:
| Players |
Cards Used |
Cards Removed |
| 2 |
18 |
18 |
| 3 |
18 |
18 |
| 4 |
24 |
12 |
| 5 |
30 |
6 |
| 6 |
36 |
0 |
- Shuffle the cards in use and form a face-down draw pile. Set removed cards aside unseen.
- Randomly choose a starting player who takes the start player token.
Turn Structure
The game is played over 3 days (rounds). Each day consists of repeated turns until all ships are full or the deck is depleted.
On each turn:
- Select cards for auction – The active player draws 1, 2, or 3 cards from the draw pile, placing each face up for all to see. Once a card is flipped, it is part of the group. The group is then auctioned.
- Auction the group – Bidding starts with the player to the left of the selector, going clockwise. Each player gets one chance to bid or pass. Bids must exceed the previous highest bid. The selector bids last. Minimum bid is 1 florin.
- Load the ship – The winning bidder takes the cards, places them face up on their ship mat, and pays by moving their money counter down the track.
- Next turn – The next player clockwise takes the start player token and selects a new group.
Actions
Selecting Cards
- Draw 1, 2, or 3 cards from the top of the draw pile.
- Each card is revealed one at a time. Once flipped, it becomes part of the lot.
- You may stop drawing after 1 or 2 cards.
- You cannot present a group containing more cards than you can hold yourself.
- You cannot present a group for auction larger than at least one other player can buy.
Bidding
- Each player bids once (or passes) in clockwise order, starting left of the selector.
- The selector always bids last.
- Each bid must exceed the previous bid. Minimum bid: 1 florin.
- A player may not bid more money than they currently have.
- If no one bids (all pass including the selector), the cards are discarded.
Loading Ships
- Ships hold 5 cards (7 in a 2-player game).
- Cards are placed face up on the ship and cannot be returned, traded, or split.
- When a ship is full, that player is out for the rest of the day.
Scoring / Victory Conditions
End of Day Scoring (occurs at the end of each of the 3 days)
Ship Value Scoring:
All players total the values on their ship cards. The player with the highest total ship value receives the most florins; the lowest receives nothing.
| Players |
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
4th |
5th |
6th |
| 2 |
20 |
0 |
|
|
|
|
| 3 |
30 |
15 |
0 |
|
|
|
| 4 |
30 |
20 |
10 |
0 |
|
|
| 5 |
30 |
20 |
10 |
5 |
0 |
|
| 6 |
30 |
20 |
20 |
10 |
5 |
0 |
Ties: add tied payments together and divide equally (round down).
Commodity Track Scoring:
Each of the five commodities is scored separately. Move your counter up the corresponding track by the number of cards of that type on your ship (card value doesn’t matter, only quantity). The Gold 10 card does not count for any commodity.
- Highest position on each track: 10 florins
- Second highest position: 5 florins (in a 2-player game, second place gets 0)
- Ties are added and divided equally (round down)
- Players with zero of a commodity can still score if they tie for first or second at the lowest level
Commodity Track Bonuses:
Players who reach the top three levels of any commodity track receive a bonus of 5, 10, or 20 florins (as marked on the board). If two or more players share the same bonus level, each receives the full bonus (not divided).
Commodity track positions do NOT reset between days.
End of Game
After the third day is scored, the player with the most florins wins. Ties share the victory.
Preparing for the Next Day
- Remove the top day counter from the crest stack.
- Gather all 36 cards, shuffle, and remove the stated number to create a new draw deck.
- The player with the least florins becomes the new start player (ties: randomly select).
Special Rules & Edge Cases
- A player cannot win an auction with a bid of “zero.” At least 1 florin must be bid.
- A player’s money can never fall below zero.
- Players may count the cards remaining in the deck but may never look at them.
- When all but one player have full ships, the last player takes enough cards from the deck to fill their ship for free (no auction). If not enough cards remain, the ship sails with empty holds.
- A day can also end when the deck runs out, even if ships are not full. Discarded cards (from auctions with no bidders) can cause this.
- On your turn, you cannot present a group containing more cards than you yourself can buy.
Player Reference
Turn order: Select 1-3 cards → Auction (clockwise from selector’s left, selector bids last) → Winner loads ship and pays → Next player selects.
Ship capacity: 5 cards (7 in 2-player game)
Starting florins: 40 (2-4 players), 30 (5-6 players)
Day scoring: Ship value ranking + Commodity track position + Track bonuses
Commodity track: Count of cards per type (not value). Gold 10 never counts. Tracks persist across days.