Princes of Florence is a fun game.

There are several reasons I enjoy it most of which are just little things about the game. Before I go over them here is a brief overview.

Princes of Florence.

An Auction and Action game for 3 to 5 players, played in rounds that begin with the auction and end with the actions.

Items that are auctioned:

1. Jesters - increase work values
2. Builders - help build cheaper and more efficient
3. Forest - increase certain work values
4. Park - increase certain work values
5. Lake - increase certain work values
6. Recruitment card - increase work values and allow recruitment of other players profession cards that have been played previously.
7. Prestige cards - provides goals to work toward for end of the game points

Actions that can be performed - players perform 2 actions per round

1. Purchase a Profession Card
2. Purchase a Freedom
3. Build a building
4. Purchase a Bonus Card
5. Perform a work

The first of these 2 may only be performed once per round by each player. The last may be done twice if desired.

Profession cards are required to perform a work. Performing a work is the only way to get more money (measured in florins in 100, 500, and 1000 increments) It is also one of the ways to get Prestige Points (victory points) as after a work is performed the player that performed it may "purchase" those points with the money earned by that work.

Ways to get Prestige Points(PP)

1. Build buildings - each building earns 3 PP
2. Purchase more than 1 of the same type of landscape - 3 PP for each repeated landscape
3. 3 PP each for the 2nd and 3rd builder hired
4. Perform a work and buy points
6. Perform the best work in a round - 3 PP (ties earn all tied 3 PP)
7. Meet the goal on a Prestige Card at the end of the game - varied amounts of PP

Most players will build at least 2 buildings usually 3. Some may build more, but most players will get at least some of their points that way.

The repeated landscape points are usually rare. I've only seen it happen when a player has a Prestige Card and their points are being jepordized by another player.

More than 1 builder is good as they allow for better building options (buildings may not be placed next to each other unless a player had 2 builders) so often a player will get 3 or 6 points that way.

In my opinion,the best way to get PP is to perform a work and buy points while making sure that I can do the best work for the extra 3 PP. This is done by waiting to do a work until I have the most potential work value points and maybe a good bonus card. Sometimes this means not performing a work until the 3rd round, but by then I hope to be set up for good plays in the next few rounds.

I do not remember ever playing a game where I purchased a Prestige card and have won several times. However I have lost when other players pull out their Prestige cards at the end of the game and then shoot right over my score. So there is something to say about going either route.

Now for the reasons I particularly like the game.


1. It is played over 7 rounds.

Its a set amount that lets you know exactly how many rounds you have to plan for and prepare. Also 7 seems a really good amount. Cuba's 5 rounds seem to few for my taste, while In the Year of the Dragon's 12 a bit too much.

2. There are lots of options.

If during an auction phase, you don't get the jester you want, you can always try for a recruitment card - it won't give you the same benefit, but it is still useful in its own ways, will give half the benefit the jester does, and you will probably get it for less than half what the jester cost (I've seen jesters sell for 1200/1300 florin, but recruitment cards are usually available for the lowest price of 200 florin in the early rounds of the game).

3. When purchasing Prestige cards, Profession Cards, and Bonus cards, there is a mechanic that allows players to look at 5 of the cards and choose the 1 they want.

You also get a choice at the start of the game of which three out of a random 4 Profession cards you want to start with.

These choices allow a player more control of the cards they acquire allowing more planning on what they want to do, what cards will work best with their current set up, etc.

4. Running out of money or not having enough money to outbid someone doesn't necesarily mean you can't do anything.

All auctions and most actions take some money. Buildings cost 700 Florin to build unless you have a builder. Bonus and Profession cards and freedoms cost 300 florin each.

If in the game you run out of money or need more than you have there is a provision in the rules. You may give up 1 point per 100 florins you are short. So if the auction goes to 1200 and you only have 1000, you may give up 2 points for the 200 florin you need.

Its a forgiveness, but a bit of a harsh one as those points cost 200 florin to buy after doing a work.

As money is only a tie-breaker at the end of the game, keeping a balance of how many points you want to buy and how much money you want to get after performing a work can be important.

5. The limited number of freedoms and buildings, and the increased requirements for doing works make planning very important.

The 3 freedoms that players are allowed to purchase each have 1 less available than the number of players in the game, there are only 3 of each type of building, and each round the minimum value of a work is increased (if a work does not meet the minimum value, that work can't be performed).

This means you have to plan for what you want and need. You may only purchase 1 freedom per turn so it is only the luck and persistant that get all 3. Luckily you don't really need all three if you play right.

The limited number of buildings usually isn't that big of a factor, but can be an issue in a 5 player game.

I've seen the increased minimum work value severely wreck some players final turns - true they were usually newbies to the game or those that hadn't played in a long time, but it can be very harmful if you forget about it.

Planning is huge. I've also seen players not be able to do much in that last turn as they completely forgot to bid on a recruitment card or buy that last profession card when they could have.

6. The components are good but also most of them are really efficient.

Buildings and landscapes are double sided and can be placed in any orientation that players like.

The booklet with the rules have a complete list of all bonus cards and Prestige cards in the game so a newbie can look through that to see what is available without goiong through the decks. Also a complete list of professions along with what buildings, freedoms and landscapes they go along with are printed on each player board, so again players can see their preferences without having to have that card in their hand.

The player board also has listings of the auction items, the possible actions a player may take, and a list of what earns a player their Prestige Points (victory points). There is also an established place for each freedom and builder along with the palazzo for any jesters that are hired.

The main board has a score track that is also used to keep track of what player has performed a work in a round and what those works are valued at.

I really like the game. I prefer a 3 or 4 player game and think that 5 player games can get a bit brutal, but still enjoyable.

If you haven't played it yet, give it a try. A friend in my gaming group is the manager of a local game store. He had played Colusseum several times, then played PoF. After I heard him remark that he didn't need to play Colusseum anymore as Princes of Florence was in his opinion better. Its certainly more efficient - boiled down perhaps (though I believe it came first by a few years). Not to disparage Colosseum, but I prefer PoF as well.

Good playing