In Medici, you join the mercantile ranks of the legendary Medici family and set sail across Europe and beyond. Three rounds of bargaining, where each bid is a gamble on your own fortune, decide who will dominate the market. The game blends one‑round auctions – each player makes only one bid per round – with the collection of varied goods, from grains and spices to fine fabrics and, who knows, even gold. What sets Medici apart is that victory points are not just bonuses; they’re the currency you use to place bids. Thus you must balance buying high‑value cards with keeping enough cash flow to keep competing. At the end, the player with the largest stock of a single commodity and the most valuable cargo load earns extra points. The visual component is simple yet elegant: modular board, wooden pieces, and a deck of merchant cards that bring color and historical detail. The game is quick, with sessions around 60 minutes, and works well in both small groups and larger tables, though the auction dynamic becomes more interesting with more than three players. If you enjoy auction, trade, and resource strategy games, Medici offers a tense and rewarding experience with a gentle learning curve and high replay value thanks to the variety of goods and the risk decisions involved.