Z-Man Games ZMGZM008 Condottiere, Mixed Colours

Product Information

We previously discussed the exciting strategic gameplay as well as a fascinating look at the game’s visuals from the previous edition’s artist. Today, we discuss the flexibility of the ruleset and components to allow for more play options. Modern and Classic A clever 2-player variant, for those times when you are only +1, but still need your Condottiere fix. You end up playing 5 cards. The other two players play 7 weak cards each and end up passing. You win the battle! (Go you!). You have 5 cards remaining (they each have only 3!). You didn’t even play your highest cards! Plenty of good, high value mercenaries and some devilish special cards. No sweat. You’ll get them in the next battle as well. Victory is yours! Condottiere is a hallmark of creative auction board game design. At first glance, it looks like a map-based battle game. Players are issued a hand of numbered cards and cards with special abilities and then compete in auctions (or “battles” in the game’s parlance) for territories. When a player wins a territory, they get to put a piece on it. Once players have linked together a certain number of territories, they win.

The rules are simple and play is straightforward. While there are the special effects cards, new players should become comfortable with them after only one practice round. My kids (ages 9 and 10) had no issues with game play. They even became adept at bluffing and using Scarecrows wisely. The overall game length is listed at 45 minutes, but your mileage will vary depending on the number of players, their experience, and their personalities. Individual rounds can be brisk, gentlemanly affairs where only a couple of players are committed; or they could be mind numbingly chaotic cauldrons of brinksmanship involving the entire table. I would posit that (for 3+) 10 minutes per player would be a reasonable calculation for an average game. No separation of Church and State, here! Over the course of 12 auctions for the right to place little palaces over an interconnected map, players will bid on six mini-auctions simultaneously using cards with symbols of six different types. The catch? The first person to withdraw wins all the mini-auctions for the symbols they have the majority of, then their cards are removed from the bidding. It becomes a rollercoaster of decisions of what to bid, and when to leave and maximize your rewards. The player who wins this final battle wins the game. If this final battle also ends in a tie, then the tied players share the victory.

A Dynamic Duel

On its face, Biblios might resemble For Sale in the two distinct phases of the auction board game. But the overall experience of playing is a dramatically different one. game board representing a map of Renaissance Italy. The game board is divided into 17 regions, each of which is marked by its dominant city. My oldest daughter played clarinet and I got her a middle grade one so we didn't have to rent it. Of course, just after we got it she quits. Note that players are never required to play a card in a battle. That is, a player can choose pass on any of his turns. Even the player who placed the Condottiere token can decide to pass his turn at the beginning of a battle. Pass Mr Monnier, however, mantains a different position on the subject. In repeated interviews with the press he has always asserted that he had the idea for Gwent, like Archimedes, while resting in the bathub:

At the core, an auction board game is about competing to assign value to different objects or game scenarios (in other words, bidding). Because of this loose definition, there are many creative ways to create auction board games outside of the well-known bidding war.

Modern and Classic

All players announce the total strength of their battle lines. The player with the strongest battle line conquers the region. He then places one of his control markers on the conquered region and places the Condottiere token in front of him. Exception: If a player's battle line contains the most Courtesan cards, that player receives the Condottiere token instead of the player that actu- ally won the battle.