Designed by: Emanuele Ornella
Released by: Mind the Move Games
3 – 5 Players, 1 – 1 ½ hours
Review by: Greg J. Schloesser


Editor's Note: This review first appeared in Counter magazine.

Designer Emanuele Ornella and his company Mind the Move Games caused quite a sensation at the Spiel in 2004 with Oltre Mare. The trading and collecting game was one of the show's hits, prompting a second printing and a big box edition released by Amigo at this year's event. I'm sure I wasn't the only person eagerly awaiting their new release, and I was most curious to see if it would be as good as Oltre Mare.

I need not have worried; Il Principe is actually better. Set in the familiar age of Renaissance Italy, players represent leaders of prominent families who are attempting to become THE most influential family in the country. They accomplish this feat by acquiring titles in the areas of culture, religion, politics, nobility and business, as well as developing their influence in the various provinces and cities of northern Italy.

The game contains a variety of mechanisms, most of which are not new and very familiar. There is the tried and true – and some would say tired – majority control aspect, as players attempt to gain the most influence in the various regions. There are auctions. There are titles which convey special powers. However, these traditional mechanisms are intertwined with some seemingly fresh ideas to create a game that is tight and tense.

The building card deck contains five different suits, which are basically just colors. These are associated with five different roles, or titles, representing the five areas mentioned above. The cards are also required to construct cities, an accomplishment which grants the building player and certain title-holders influence points. The cards also are used to obtain the various titles. The operative phrase regarding the cards is "multi-tasking".

The second deck is the city deck, which contains only 15 cards. Each card depicts one of the cities on the accompanying map, as well as a variety of data. This data includes the combination of building cards and money required to construct it, the victory points it awards (4, 6 or 8), and the number of influence tokens a player can place into the regions adjacent to the city. Constructing cities is critical, as it not only grants influence, but allows the player to add the cards required for its construction to his personal card collection, which is used to award titles.

While certainly a step-up in quality from Oltre Mare, the board, while functional, is still a bit small for some tastes. I personally find it perfectly suitable, but several folks with whom I've played have commented on its diminutive size. The non-folding board depicts five regions of northern Italy, along with fifteen cities located on the borders of the regions. The influence track rings the map, and there is space for the five major and five minor titles below.

Each turn, players are dealt four cards, keeping two and placing the other two into the auction pile. The cards to be auctioned are sorted by suit (color), and auctioned in groupings. Personally, I've grown a bit weary of the overused auction mechanism, especially when it is the primary mechanism used in a game. Here, however, it is only a part of the overall picture. Further, money is very tight, with players usually only having a handful of florins with which to bid. Thus, the auctions are usually very quick, as due to the limited funds, there is no likelihood that the proceedings will drag on and on.

When a player wins an auction, he takes the cards into his hand and may immediately construct one of the four cities which are face-up. To do this, however, he must have the correct combination of cards, as well as the necessary funds. As mentioned above, constructing a city allows the player to place influence markers onto the map, as well as earn the influence points indicated on the card. Further, the cards played are placed in front of the player, grouped by suit. At the end of each round, the players with the most and second-most cards in each suit earn the title plaques, which are very important sources of influence points. You see, when cards are played to construct cities, the players holding titles matching the suit of the cards played earn influence points: 2 for the major title, and 1 for the minor title. These points add-up quickly, so grab as many titles as you possibly can.

After all groupings are auctioned, each player, beginning with the Il Principi (the winner of the final auction) has a chance to either construct a city (as described above) or play cards into his personal collection. When playing cards into a display without constructing a city, a player may only play cards of one suit. The idea here is to play enough cards to capture a majority or secondary position in a suit so a title can be acquired. Since play begins with the Il Principi, the player who is last in this round does have a significant advantage. However, the Il Principi has an advantage if he opts to construct a city, as he has first shot at the available cities.

Finally, roles are distributed according to majority and secondary status in each suit. Ties are resolved by auctions, which can further deplete severely limited funds. The roles grant special powers, such as the awarding of influence points, building cards, or gold, or the placing of influence shields onto the map. Whenever a player captures a major title, he must invert half of the cards in the corresponding suit. This helps serve as an equalizer, and prevents one player from monopolizing a title for the entire game.

The game continues until there are less than four cities to construct, or until there are not enough cards to distribute four to each player at the beginning of a round. In this latter instance, an abbreviated turn is played, which allows players to construct cities or play cards into their display. Final influence points are then tallied, with points being awarded for major and minor roles, most money, most building cards in hand, and even points for building cards in player's personal display … but only in the suit in which the player has the least number of cards. Very Knizia-esque. And don't forget those influence shields on the map; this is where the majority control aspect surfaces. Each region is tallied, with points being awarded for majority and secondary control. These points can be quite significant and should not be overlooked.

While it can be somewhat confusing and perhaps even a bit overwhelming, I like how the various mechanisms are intertwined, and how one aspect of play directly affects other facets of the game. Cards used to construct cities go into personal displays, which will help earn titles, which can earn influence points when opponents construct cities. Players are competing for titles, to construct cities, and for influence in the five regions. There is constant competition and frequent tense moments. Sometimes it can be difficult to ascertain how well you are performing and discern who is in the best position, but the system does seem to keep most players in contention throughout the proceedings. That is a very good thing.

Money management is also critical, as funds are used in auctions to acquire building cards, construct cities, and in auctions to break ties for titles. As in real life, there just doesn't seem to be enough money to pay all of one's expenses. Often, a player will bid a bit too much to acquire needed cards, only to find himself short on cash and unable to construct the desired city. That hurts.

My complaints are minor: the player tokens use coats of arms, which creates difficulty when tallying points. While the coats of arms are visually appealing, colors would have been more functional. The font size in the rules is miniscule … but that may just be a function of my aging eyes. Further, if the board were foldable, the game could have fit inside a box half its current size. With my shelf space at a premium, this would have been preferable.

These, however, are just minor quibbles. The game itself is very engaging. I've played numerous times, winning only once, but always being in close proximity to victory. I have been engaged throughout, and am always left with the desire to play it again soon. These are all marks of a very good game … and Il Principe certainly earns these high marks.