Catherine: The Cities of the Tsarina whisks you straight into the heart of the Tsarist Empire of 1762, where the goal is to win the Tsarina’s favor. It’s more than a card game; it blends hand management, multi‑use cards, and route building into a historical strategy puzzle. Each player starts with six project cards in hand and must pick three to place in their action row. These cards feature a top list of cities and, at the bottom, an action and usually a bonus. The game unfolds over three decades, with four rounds per decade, totaling 12 simultaneous‑action rounds.

In practice, the simultaneous action selection forces all players to choose an action card and an activation card at the same time. If the activation card’s color matches the action card above, the player performs the action – placing a residence in a city, gaining cards, trading for points or favor, or even earning favor for having cannons or books. If it doesn’t match, the player receives a project card as compensation. Hand and favor limits add a layer of tension: exceeding the limit earns extra points but also forces tough decisions.

Periodically, after four rounds, an interim scoring occurs. Players compare cannons and books, earn points for residences, and advance on the favor track. After three interim scores, the final phase tallies points for cards in hand, the largest contiguous group of residences, and completing the order received at the start – which requires goods from cities, residences, and books. In short, Catherine is a game that mixes resource planning, network building, and a dash of Russian history, all in a pace that keeps the group engaged.

What makes Catherine stand out? It’s how cards can be used in multiple ways, the need to balance resources among cities, cannons, and books, and the constant pressure to maintain the Tsarina’s favor. If you enjoy games that require juggling multiple fronts and adapting to others’ moves, Catherine is a choice that will surprise you and maybe even make you feel like you’re really in Catherine’s palace.