Welcome to Renaissance Italy, where diplomacy is merely a facade for the relentless pursuit of power. In Virtù, you step into the shoes of an ambitious prince commanding one of the era's city-states. Your goal? Turn your city into the dominant power by applying Machiavelli's concept of 'virtù' — the innate ability to shape the state's destiny through strength and cunning.

The core of the game is 'wheelbuilding'. Instead of a static board, you construct your own wheel of actions on your personal player board. Each player starts with different family cards, and the way you arrange these cards defines your initial strategy. However, you aren't locked into one path: you can acquire and place new cards throughout the game to completely shift your approach and adapt your capabilities as the situation demands.

Interaction between players is intense and constant. You can act indirectly by 'snatching' cards your opponents want or racing to achieve goals first, or go on the direct offensive by sending agents to enemy palaces or even attacking rival cities. To raise your prestige, you'll need allies: artists for culture, merchants for the economy, and diplomats for politics.

An important detail for your group: the game features a dedicated two-player mode that operates differently from the 3-5 player experience, ensuring that the competitive tension remains high regardless of the table size. If you enjoy heavy strategy games with resource management and fierce influence battles, Virtù is exactly what you're looking for.