# The Princes of Florence ## General Info - **Year Published**: 2000 - **BGG Rating**: 7.5 - **BGG Rank**: #304 - **Players**: 1-5 (Best with: 5) - **Duration**: 75-100 min - **Weight**: 3.24 / 5 - **Designers**: Jens Christopher Ulrich, Richard Ulrich, Wolfgang Kramer - **Artists**: Arnaud Demaegd, Eckhard Freytag, Lukas Siegmon, Mirco Paganessi, Richard Ulrich, Wolfgang Kramer - **Publishers**: alea, Korea Boardgames, Quined Games, Ravensburger AG, uplay.it edizioni, BGA Plus - **Categories**: City Building, Renaissance - **Mechanics**: Auction / Bidding, End Game Bonuses, Grid Coverage, Tile Placement, Victory Points as a Resource ## Verdict If you love a classic eurogame with tense auctions and deep strategy, 'The Princes of Florence' is a Renaissance feast that can't be missed on your table!Strategic and exciting auctionsChallenging decision-makingImmersive Renaissance themeHigh replayabilitySpace optimizationCan feel a bit dryInitial learning curveIndirect interactionHIGHLY RECOMMENDED ## Description In 'The Princes of Florence', you are a Florentine noble in the heart of the Renaissance, striving to attract the greatest talents of the era to your palace and, of course, become the most prestigious family in Florence. Over seven rounds, the goal is to accumulate as many victory points as possible, with most of them coming from your ability to host brilliant professionals. Imagine having renowned astronomers, organists, and architects working for you! To achieve this, you'll need a keen eye for auctions. Each professional has their preferences: a specific type of building, a landscape feature, or even a level of 'social freedom' they require. Your mission is to acquire these elements and combine them as best as possible to satisfy the demands of your future employees. The more you match their preferences, the more 'work points' you generate. But it's not just about accumulating! Each round, the minimum work point requirement to convert into money or victory points increases. It's a game of constant balance between investing, satisfying the demands of your talents, and ensuring you can convert that work into prestige. With tense auctions, spatial planning in your palace, and resource management, 'The Princes of Florence' is a classic that blends strategy with a rich theme. ## How to Play Objective of the Game Welcome, future patrons of the arts and sciences! In *The Princes of Florence*, you're stepping into the shoes of an influential Italian aristocratic family during the Renaissance. Your goal? To outshine your rivals by supporting the most brilliant builders, artists, and scholars. By inspiring them to create magnificent Works, you'll earn fame and prestige for your family. After 7 rounds, the player with the most **Prestige Points** will be crowned the most prestigious Prince or Princess of Florence! Preparation (Setup) Alright, let's get our Renaissance workshop ready! Here’s how to set up your game: Place the **Game board** in the center of your table. Put the **Round marker** on space "1" of the **Game board's round / minimum Work Value table**. Arrange the **Landscapes**, **Prestige cards**, **Recruiting cards**, **Builders**, **Jesters**, **Buildings**, **Freedoms**, **Bonus cards**, and **Profession cards** on their designated spots on the **Game board**. All cards should be facedown, except for the **Recruiting cards**, which are faceup. For **Freedoms**, use a number of each type equal to the number of players minus one. Return the rest to the box. (e.g., for three players, use 2 Travel, 2 Religion, and 2 Opinion Freedoms). Place the **Money** next to the **Game board**. This is your **Bank**. Give the **Starting Player marker** to the player who has most recently visited Italy. If no one has, choose randomly! Each player takes: 1 **Player board** (choose your preferred side, male or female – it's purely aesthetic!). 1 **Principality board**. For your first game, we recommend using the standard side (A). The **Pawn** in their color, placing it next to their **Player board**. The **Fame disk** in their color, placing it on space "0" on the **Game board's Fame track**. 3 **Profession cards**: Shuffle the 21 **Profession cards** and deal 4 faceup to each player. Each player chooses 3 for their starting hand and returns the 4th. Shuffle the undealt and unchosen **Profession cards** together and place them facedown on their designated spot. The **Player screen** in their color. 3500 **Florin** in **Money** (2 x 1000, 2 x 500, and 5 x 100), placing it behind their **Player screen** to keep it secret. The Turn of Play The game unfolds over 7 exciting rounds, each with two main phases: the **Auction phase** and the **Action phase**. Auction Phase This is where you'll bid against your rivals for valuable "objects" that will enhance your **Principality**. There are 7 stacks of objects: **Forests**, **Lakes**, **Parks**, **Prestige cards**, **Recruiting cards**, **Jesters**, and **Builders**. **Basic Rules:** Each player can acquire at most 1 object per round. Once you get an object, you're out of bidding for the rest of the round! Only 1 object can be acquired from each stack per round. If a stack runs out, no more of that object type can be acquired. You *can* bid more **Money** than you currently have! If you win, you'll move backward on the **Fame track** to cover the cost (100 Florin per space). However, you can never go below 0 **Prestige Points** this way. Keep your **Money** secret behind your **Player screen**! **Flow of the Auction:** The **starting player** chooses one of the 7 stacks and kicks off the bidding at 200 **Florin**. In clockwise order, each player either increases the current bid by exactly 100 **Florin** or passes. If you pass, you're out for this object this round. When only one player remains, they pay their bid to the **Bank**, take the object, and place their **Pawn** on (or next to) the stack. This shows that stack is unavailable and they can't bid again this round. If the player who started the auction *didn't* win, they choose another remaining stack and start a new auction at 200 **Florin**. If the player who started the auction *did* win, the next available player (those with their **Pawn** still in front of them) in clockwise order chooses a remaining stack and starts a new auction. A player whose turn it is to choose a stack can instead remove themselves from all auctions this round by placing their **Pawn** next to the **Game board**. If only one player has their **Pawn** still in front of them, they can pay 200 **Florin** to the **Bank** for any available object, or choose to pay nothing and take nothing. Once all players have either acquired an object or opted out, the **Auction phase** ends, and everyone takes their **Pawns** back. **What do these objects do?** **Prestige cards:** When acquired, draw 5, choose 1, and keep it facedown. These can earn you up to 8 **Prestige Points** at game end if you meet their requirements (e.g., having the most of certain objects). Ties for "most" earn half points. **Landscapes (Forest, Lake, Park):** Place these on empty spaces in your **Principality**. They increase the **Work Value** of certain **Profession cards** (Forests +3 for 9 professions, Lakes +3 for 7 professions, Parks +3 for 5 professions). Each additional Landscape of a type you already have scores you 3 **Prestige Points**. **Recruiting cards:** Use immediately or later to "steal" a faceup **Profession card** from an opponent's display, replacing it with the **Recruiting card**. This doesn't count as an action. **Builders:** You can acquire up to 3. 1st Builder: Building cost reduced to 300 **Florin** (from 700). 2nd Builder: You can now build **Buildings** adjacent to each other (including your **Palazzo**). You also earn 3 **Prestige Points**. 3rd Builder: Building cost reduced to 0 **Florin**. You earn another 3 **Prestige Points**. **Jesters:** Place on your **Theater Stage**. Each **Jester** increases the **Work Value** of any Work you complete by 2. They're super valuable! Action Phase After the bidding frenzy, it's time to get to work! In clockwise order, starting with the **starting player**, each player performs up to two actions. You must complete your first action before starting your second. Here are your action choices: **Complete a Work:** (Can be done twice per round) Play a **Profession card** from your hand faceup next to your **Player board**. Calculate the **Work Value** of this Work. It starts at 0 and increases based on your **Principality's** features: +3 if you have the desired **Landscape**. +3 if you have the desired **Freedom**. +4 if you have the preferred **Building**. +2 for each **Jester** on your **Theater Stage**. +1 for each **Profession card** or **Recruiting card** in your hand or on the table (including the one just played). +X for each **Bonus card** you play (see "Acquire a Bonus card"). The **Work Value** must meet or exceed the minimum for the current round (shown on the **Game board's** table). If not, you can't complete the Work! You earn 100 **Florin** from the **Bank** for each **Work Value** point. You can immediately exchange any amount of this **Money** for **Prestige Points** at a rate of 1 **Prestige Point** per 200 **Florin** not taken. Place your **Pawn** on the **Fame track** at the space matching your **Work Value** (not **Prestige Points**). If you complete a second Work, place your **Pawn** at the higher of the two **Work Values**. **Build a Building:** (Can be done twice per round) Pay the building cost (700 **Florin**, or 300 with 1-2 **Builders**, or 0 with 3 **Builders**) to the **Bank**. Take an available **Building** from the supply and place it in your **Principality**. Immediately earn 3 **Prestige Points**. **Building** rules: Place it completely within the grid, in any orientation. Cannot overlap other **Buildings** or **Landscapes**. Cannot be directly adjacent to another **Building** or your **Palazzo**, *unless* you have 2 or 3 **Builders**. Can be adjacent to any number of **Landscapes**. You can only build each **Building** type once. Once placed, **Buildings** and **Landscapes** cannot be moved or removed. **Take a Profession card:** (Only once per Action phase) Pay 300 **Florin** to the **Bank**. Draw the top 5 **Profession cards** (or all if fewer) from the deck, choose 1, and add it to your hand. Place the unchosen cards facedown at the bottom of the deck in any order. Cannot do this if the **Profession deck** is empty. **Introduce a Freedom:** (Only once per Action phase) Pay 300 **Florin** to the **Bank**. Take the desired **Freedom** from the **Game board** and place it on your **Player board**. This **Freedom** adds 3 to the **Work Value** of a Work if it's important to the artist/scholar. You can only introduce each **Freedom** type once. Cannot do this if the desired **Freedom** is unavailable. **Acquire a Bonus card:** (Can be done twice per round) Pay 300 **Florin** to the **Bank**. Draw the top 5 **Bonus cards** (or all if fewer) from the deck, choose 1, and add it to your hand. Place the unchosen cards facedown at the bottom of the deck in any order. **Bonus cards** can be played when completing a Work to add to its **Work Value**. Each card can only be played once. Cannot do this if the **Bonus deck** is empty. Earning Money You can get more **Florin** in two ways: By **Completing a Work**: 100 **Florin** per **Work Value** point. By moving your **Fame disk** backward on the **Fame track**: 100 **Florin** per space moved backward. Remember, your total **Prestige Points** (including your 50/100 disk) can never go below 0! Round End **Best Work:** All players compare their **Work Values** for the round (shown by their **Pawns** on the **Fame track**). The player(s) with the highest **Work Value** score 3 **Prestige Points**. If no one completed a Work, no one scores. After scoring, all **Pawns** are removed from the **Fame track**. **New Round:** The **Starting Player marker** passes to the player on the left. The new **starting player** moves the **Round marker** to the next space on the table. End of Game and Scoring The game concludes after the 7th round. **Prestige Card Scoring:** Each player reveals and scores their **Prestige cards** based on whether they fulfilled the requirements. **Final Prestige Points:** Sum up all **Prestige Points** earned throughout the game (including any from your 50/100 disk). **Winner:** The player with the most **Prestige Points** wins! **Tie-breaker:** If there's a tie, the player among them with the most **Money** wins. If still tied, tied players share the victory. Tips for Winning To truly become a Prince or Princess of Florence, keep these strategies in mind: Specialize Early with Builders: Acquiring **Builders** early can drastically reduce your building costs and open up more flexible placement options. Getting to 3 **Builders** means free **Buildings**, freeing up your **Florin** for other crucial auctions. Balance Work Value and Prestige: While a high **Work Value** gets you more **Money**, remember you can convert that **Money** into **Prestige Points**! Decide when to take cash for future investments and when to convert for immediate **Prestige** to stay ahead on the **Fame track**. Strategic Auction Bidding: Don't just bid on what you need. Sometimes, it's worth bidding up an item an opponent desperately wants, forcing them to spend more **Florin** or even go backward on the **Fame track**. Pay attention to what your rivals are collecting! ## FAQ ### How many players can play The Princes of Florence? The game is suitable for 1 to 5 players, but the experience truly shines with 3 or 4, where the auction competition becomes more intense and fun! ### What is the average playtime for a game? Prepare for a session of 75 to 100 minutes. It's a game that requires planning, so set aside enough time to enjoy each round. ### What is the complexity level of the game? It's considered a medium-to-heavy weight game (3.24/5 on BGG). It's not a 'filler', but it's not a monster either. It has clear rules, but the strategic depth requires a few plays to master. ### Is The Princes of Florence a good game for eurogame beginners? It can be a good challenge for bolder beginners, but it might be better to start with something a bit lighter to get the hang of auction and optimization mechanics before diving in. ### What are the main components of the game? You'll find a main board, individual palace boards, profession cards, freedom cards, building tiles (polyominoes), wooden markers, and plenty of money (in-game, of course!). All with art that evokes the Renaissance. ### Are there any expansions for The Princes of Florence? Yes, there is an expansion called 'The Princes of Florence: The Muse & The Princess', which adds new cards and a new game element, the muse, for those who want more options and challenges. ### Does the game have language dependency? The language dependency is moderate. The profession and freedom cards contain text that is important for gameplay. Having a translated reference sheet or translated cards can greatly help players who are not fluent in English. ## Price Comparison ### Best International Offers - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 42.13 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=1666706&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - See all on BoardGamePrices: https://boardgameprices.com/item/show/1039/the-princes-of-florence?utm_source=boardgamesbot.com