How to Play The Voyages of Marco Polo: The New Characters

Game Objective

Refer to the manual for details on this section.

Preparation (Setup)

To set up the game with the "The New Characters" mini-expansion, you will need a copy of the base game "The Voyages of Marco Polo". The base game rules remain the same, with some additions from this expansion.

1. Shuffle the 15 Gifts and form a face-down pile next to the main board.
2. The City Bonus Markers are placed randomly on the 6 small cities (refer to page 15 of the base game rules for details).
3. The remaining City Bonus Marker is returned to the box, as it will no longer be needed. It is recommended to use the 'D' City Bonus Marker (the one with the '?').

Game Flow

Refer to the manual for details on this section.

Actions and How to Play

Using Gifts

When a player receives a Gift, they take the top one from the pile and examine it:

• Gifts without a lightning bolt: If the Gift does not have a lightning bolt, the player keeps it in front of them. They can use this Gift at any time during their turn. After using it, the Gift is discarded face-up next to the Gifts pile.
• Gifts with a lightning bolt: If the Gift has a lightning bolt, the player must immediately take the bonus represented or perform the described action. Then, the Gift is discarded face-up next to the Gifts pile. For example, if a Gift with a lightning bolt shows 2 camels, the player immediately takes 2 camels and discards the Gift.

If the Gifts pile becomes empty, simply shuffle the discarded Gifts and create a new pile.

Additional Action Spaces

You have 2 additional action spaces to use. To use them, simply place 1 of your dice in one of these spaces. This counts as one action of your turn. This die will be retrieved during the roll at the beginning of the next round, as usual. This means these action spaces can be used in each new round.

When one of these action spaces is used, all players receive something, not just the active player. The active player receives the largest demonstrated reward (e.g., goods or money). All opponents will receive what is demonstrated after the symbol.

End of Game and Scoring

Refer to the manual for details on this section.

Tips for Winning

• Use Gifts without a lightning bolt strategically, saving them for the most opportune moment of your turn.
• Pay attention to Gifts with a lightning bolt to get immediate bonuses that can boost your strategy.
• Consider using the 2 additional action spaces, even if your opponents also receive benefits, as the reward for the active player is greater and can be crucial for your strategy.