The Voyages of Marco Polo

Overview

Players are companions of Marco Polo, competing to earn victory points by completing contracts, visiting cities, and establishing trading posts along the Silk Road. Each round, players roll dice and place them on action spaces to gather resources, travel, and fulfill contracts. Each player has a unique character with a powerful asymmetric ability that fundamentally changes their strategy. The game lasts 5 rounds.

Components

• 1 Game board (Silk Road map with action spaces and cities)
• 4 Player boards with contract and dice spaces
• 26 Dice (5 per player in blue/yellow/green/red + 1 white + 5 black)
• 40 Coins, 44 Contracts
• 31 City cards, 18 Goal cards
• Goods: 15 gold bars, 15 silk bundles, 16 pepper bags, 27 camels
• 12 Player figures, 38 Trading posts (9 per player + 2 black)
• 10 Outpost bonus tiles, 6 City bonus markers
• 10 Character tiles
• Score track cards, player aids

Setup

1. Place the board centrally; distribute coins and goods to supply.
2. Place city bonus markers, outpost bonuses (face-down), and city cards.
3. Organize 44 contracts: five 6-card piles + one 8-card special pile. Place face-up contracts on board.
4. Place 10 character tiles face-up.
5. Each player chooses a color, takes player board with 5 matching dice, 9 trading posts, and 1 figure in Venice.
6. Each player selects a character and a starting contract.
7. Starting player gets 7 coins; others get 8, 9, 10 coins respectively. Each receives 2 camels and 2 goal cards.

Turn Structure

The game lasts 5 rounds. Each round:

1. Income (Rounds 2-5 only)

Players receive income from their player boards and city cards.

2. Roll Dice

Each player rolls their 5 dice simultaneously.

• Low Roll Compensation: If dice total < 15, receive 1 coin or camel per point difference.

3. Player Turns

Clockwise, each player places at least 1 die on an action space and performs that action. Continue until all dice are placed, then pass.

4. Cleanup

Return dice, refresh contracts, prepare for next round.

Actions

Main Actions (require dice placement)

Take 5 Coins: Place 1 die (value irrelevant). Always receive 5 coins.

Grand Bazaar: Place dice as required. Lowest die value determines goods quantity. Choose gold, silk, pepper, or camels.

Khan’s Favor: Place 1 die. Receive 1 good (choice) + 2 camels. Next die placed here must have value >= previous die.

Contracts: Place 1 die. Take 1-2 contracts. Die value determines available contracts.

Travel: Place 2 dice. Lowest value = movement spaces. Pay travel costs per space. Place trading post in destination city (mandatory).

City Card Actions: Place 1 die. Must have a trading post in the corresponding city. Once per round per city.

Bonus Actions (no die required, any time during turn)

Complete Contract: Pay required goods/camels; gain VP and rewards.

Take 3 Coins: Place 1 die on money bag. Always 3 coins.

Reroll 1 Die: Pay 1 camel.

Adjust Die by 1: Pay 2 camels (+1 or -1; no wrapping between 1 and 6).

Take Black Die: Pay 3 camels. Roll and add to pool. Once per turn.

Occupied Spaces

Using an already-occupied space costs coins equal to your lowest placed die value. Exception: Khan’s Favor has only 4 spaces total.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

During the Game

• VP from completed contracts
• VP from trading post placement (8th post = 5 VP, 9th = 10 VP)
• VP from outpost bonuses
• VP from city card actions

Final Scoring (after Round 5)

• Goal cards (VP based on personal objectives)
• 1 VP per 10 remaining coins
• Beijing trading post VP (based on space value + 1 VP per 2 goods for Beijing post holders)
• Most completed contracts: 7 VP to leader(s)

Winner: Most VP. Tiebreaker: most camels; shared victory if still tied.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Character Abilities: Each of 10 characters has a unique ability (e.g., one doesn’t need to roll dice, one can teleport, one gains extra contracts, etc.). These are asymmetric and game-changing.
• Trading Post Limit: Maximum 1 per city. Cannot place a second in the same city.
• Contract Limit: Maximum 2 active contracts on player board. Taking a 3rd requires discarding one.
• White/Black Dice: Not considered player colors. Can reuse spaces occupied by your own color dice.
• Venice: Players may return to Venice but cannot place a trading post there.
• Beijing: Special end-of-game scoring based on the space occupied.
• Travel Costs: Each route has specific costs (camels and/or coins). Must pay all costs or cannot travel.
• Contract Refill: Contracts shift left when taken; refill from special pile when empty.

Player Reference

Action	Dice	Effect
Take 5 Coins	1 die	+5 coins
Grand Bazaar	2-3 dice	Goods = lowest die value
Khan’s Favor	1 die	1 good + 2 camels
Contracts	1 die	Take 1-2 contracts
Travel	2 dice	Move = lowest die value
City Card	1 die	City-specific action

Bonus: Complete contract

3 coins

Reroll (1 camel)

Adjust (2 camels)

Black die (3 camels)

Game Length: 5 rounds

Victory: Most VP