San Marco

Overview

San Marco is an area-control board game designed by Alan R. Moon and Aaron Weissblum, published in 2001 by Ravensburger. Set in Venice, Italy, the game features six districts where players compete for influence using aristocrats and bridges. The game’s signature mechanic is its unique card distribution system: in a 4-player game, two players draw and divide cards into groups, and the other two players choose which groups to take. The game combines area majority, card drafting, and bluffing over multiple scoring rounds. The player with the most points at the end wins.

Components

• 1 Game board depicting Venice with 6 districts
• Aristocrat pieces (in player colors)
• Bridge tokens
• Action cards (movement, placement, special actions)
• Scoring cards (trigger district scoring)
• Limit cards (force negative effects)
• Doge marker (first player)
• Score track
• Phase marker

Setup

Place the board centrally. Each player receives their aristocrat pieces and places a score marker on the score track. Shuffle the action card deck. Set up initial aristocrat placements as specified. Determine the Doge (starting player).

Turn Structure

The game is played over several rounds, each consisting of:

1. Card Distribution Phase: Cards are drawn and divided using the unique “I cut, you choose” mechanic.
2. Action Phase: Players play their received cards to place/move aristocrats, place/remove bridges, and perform special actions.
3. Scoring Phase: When scoring cards are played, the corresponding districts score points based on area majority.

Card Distribution Mechanic

In a 4-player game:

• Two players (distributors) each draw a hand of cards from the deck.
• Each distributor divides their cards into two groups.
• The other two players (choosers) each select one group from the available options.
• The distributors receive whichever group wasn’t chosen by their corresponding chooser.

In a 3-player game:

• One player draws cards and divides them into three groups (one per player).
• The other two players choose first, and the divider gets the remaining group.

Actions

Aristocrat Placement

• Play movement/placement cards to add aristocrats to districts on the board.
• More aristocrats in a district means stronger presence for scoring.

Aristocrat Movement

• Move aristocrats between adjacent districts using movement cards.
• Strategic repositioning is key before scoring occurs.

Bridge Placement and Removal

• Place bridges to connect districts, potentially benefiting your scoring position.
• Remove opponents’ bridges to disrupt their area control.

Limit Cards

• Limit cards impose negative effects on the recipient.
• When included in a card distribution group, they make that group less desirable.
• The distributor can use limit cards strategically to influence which group the chooser selects.

Scoring Cards

• When a scoring card is played, the corresponding district(s) score immediately.
• The player with the most aristocrats in a scoring district earns the most points.
• Second place may earn fewer points.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

Districts score when scoring cards are played. In each scoring district:

• The player with the most aristocrats scores the highest points.
• The player with the second most scores fewer points.
• Ties are broken by specific tiebreaker rules (generally bridge placement).
• Players with no presence score nothing.

The game ends after a set number of rounds or when the card deck is exhausted. The player with the most total points wins.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Distribution Balance: The “I cut, you choose” mechanic creates interesting dynamics. Distributors want to create groups where both are roughly equal (or where limit cards make one group unattractive).
• Limit Card Penalty: Limit cards force the receiving player to remove aristocrats or suffer point deductions.
• Banishment: Certain action cards allow banishing opponents’ aristocrats from a district.
• Doge Influence: The Doge marker may provide tie-breaking advantage in certain situations.
• Empty Districts: A district with no aristocrats scores nothing for anyone.
• Bridge Strategy: Bridges can extend influence across districts, making them tactically important.

Player Reference

Phase	Action
Distribution	Draw cards, divide into groups, choose groups
Actions	Play cards: place/move aristocrats, bridges, score
Scoring	Area majority in scored districts

Distribution (4 players): 2 distributors divide, 2 choosers pick. Distributors get leftovers.

Scoring: Most aristocrats in a district = most points. Second most = fewer points.