How to Play Viticulture: Tuscany

Objective of the Game

In Viticulture: Tuscany, players expand their vineyards in the Italian countryside, competing to become the most successful vineyard owner. The game introduces new expansions that unlock progressively, adding layers of strategy. The primary goal is to earn victory points (VP) through winemaking, property management, patronage, and other strategic actions. The game ends when a player reaches 25 or more VP by the end of a winter season (instead of the original 20 VP threshold). There is no maximum point limit.

Preparation (Setup)

Tuscany is a legacy-style expansion pack, meaning expansions are unlocked ("uncorked") one by one based on the winner of the previous game. Follow these steps:

1. Play a few games of the base Viticulture before introducing Tuscany expansions.
2. The winner of each game selects the next expansion to uncork from the available tiers (1st, 2nd, or 3rd).
3. Each expansion modifies gameplay, so ensure all players understand the new rules before proceeding.

Initial Setup: Replace the original board with the Extended Board (side 1) when unlocked. Each player receives:

• 2 regular workers and 1 grande worker.
• 3 property tiles (⑤, ⑥, ⑦) placed over their vineyard fields.
• 6 influence tokens (if using the Extended Board).

Flow of the Game

The game progresses through four seasons (spring, summer, fall, winter) instead of the original two. Key phases:

1. Spring: Place workers on green action spaces or pass to summer.
2. Summer: Use yellow actions (e.g., planting vines, selling grapes).
3. Fall: Draw visitor cards if in wake-up rows 3–7 (or from a cottage).
4. Winter: Complete wine orders and age resources.

At the end of each year, players retrieve workers, age grapes/wine, discard down to 7 cards, collect residuals, and select wake-up positions for the next year.

Actions and How to Play

Key Actions:

• Place or Move Influence: Gain benefits from regions on the influence map (e.g., draw cards, gain VP).
• Trade One for One: Exchange resources (e.g., trade a red grape for a white grape).
• Sell One Wine Token: Discard wine for VP (type matters, not value).
• Build Structures: Pay to place structure cards on your construction mat or empty fields.

New Mechanics:

• Special Workers: Train unique workers (e.g., Farmer, Mafioso) for extra abilities.
• Patronage Cards: Secret goals granting bonus VP if fulfilled.
• Arboriculture: Produce olive oil, tomatoes, or apples for additional scoring.

End of Game and Scoring

The game ends when a player reaches ≥25 VP by winter’s end. Final scoring includes:

• VP from wine orders, sold wine, and fulfilled patronage cards.
• Majority bonuses from the influence map.
• Bonus VP from expansions (e.g., Formaggio cheese sales).

Ties are broken by lira.

Tips for Winning

• Prioritize Structures: Building early saves workers and lira later (e.g., windmill for planting bonuses).
• Balance Influence: Spread stars across regions to secure majority VP.
• Adapt to Expansions: Arboriculture and Formaggio offer alternative VP paths—don’t ignore them!