Friends
Alter
Spezial
Embody a noble Family
GONZAGA
and turn it into the mightiest in all of Europe
The Gonzaga family was an old family of noble lineage in Italy. The name is in evidence since the 12th century. In Mantua the Gonzaga reigned from 1328 to 1708. They family knew how to enlarge their area of influence through advantageous marriages and acquisitions.
This policy is the perfect transition to the abstract placement game of the same name. Players try to maximize their influence on an old map of Europe by placement of marriage contracts in the shape of rings and by placement of fiefdoms, hexagonal plastic parts in varying combinations, and thus win the game.
When you buy the game you have acquired a well-filled heavy box full of game components. These components comprise the board showing a map of Europe, 16 scenario tiles, 6 seals, 1 Gonzaga bonus tile, 16 secret task cards, 4 deposit tables, 76 game counters, 1 card “last round”, 92 planning cards, 1 reference sheet and, finally, the rules of the game.
The special feature of this game surely are the nicely shaped plastic fiefdoms which make up the biggest part of the components.
Gonzaga can be played by 2 to 4 players. At the start of the game a scenario tile according to the number of players is drawn. This tile determines the regions in Europe that will be passive or active. The corresponding seals are then placed accordingly on active and passive regions. Then each player draws a secret task card. This card tells the player which locations he must occupy during the course of the game. These cards show two different symbols three times each. The more locations you hold at the end of the game the more additional points you can obtain.
Gonzaga is one more game with the ultimate goal to own the most points at the end of the game. You can score points for the occupation of towns and harbors with your fiefs, three points in an active region and only 1 in a passive region, immediately marked on the scoring track. If thereby you occupy the third harbor with an identical symbol is this the equivalent of a sea treaty and immediately wins you 10 valuable points. If you do not want to place or cannot place a fief you donate something to the church and thus also receive 3 points. At the end of the game the player with the most connected fiefs scores an additional 15 points and each player also scores for his secret task cards.
When each player has chosen a color and all have taken the corresponding material and his action-, fief- and planning-cards and one of them has placed the card „last round“ into his fief deck as the 7th card from the top the game can begin.
All players plan their move simultaneously. At first you turn up the topmost fief card, sort out the corresponding fief piece and set it u. Then you choose an approprioate action- and planning-card, considering where, in which region (Hispania, Francia, Brittania) you want to place the fief and place those cards face-down on the left side of your table. Then all players turn up their cards at the same time. The actions cards not only show how many empty spaces or how many harbors or cities or both of them you can cover with your fief and if you must or can complete a marriage contract also shows the sequence of play for this round. The player with card A goes first, places his fief and marks his score. Then this is done by the player holding card B and then by the one with card C. The card Royal Privilege lets you do your move before card A. TO do so he must discard one of his rings = marriage contracts and then he draws the card from his planning stack, where he did place it in the planning phase.
When identical cards have been turned up the fief card decides the sequence of play, the lowest number begins.
When the last player has placed his fief action and planning card are placed face up to the right sight of the table, they cannot be used in the next turn. From now on players know which cards are not available to their opponents for the next turn and you can plan your move accordingly.
After the 6th round the end of the game is near. When the card “last round” has been drawn you count unoccupied harbors and cities in the active regions. When the number is equal or higher than four, the card “Last Round” is placed under the next fief card and the game goes on. If the count yields 3 or less, this round is finished.
In the course of the game all players must keep an eye on all the features of the game: The quickly scored points from harbors and cities, the sea treaties and all this with the aim to occupy all six cities depicted on your secret task card and also to own the most connected fiefs. This gets even harder in a game of three and four players. As it becomes rather obvious during the first rounds who will want to occupy which cities it will be rather hard to acquire all of them, sometimes it will become impossible because one player has a fief on “my” city and the other one places a marriage contract, represented by a ring, on it.
In a game of three and four it can happen again and again that you cannot place your current fief because the shape thus not fit as there is not enough room for it or because due to its shape a castle would be in the water which of course cannot happen. Then you must donate the fief to the church and are awarded three consolation points. If that really is a consolation is open for debate …
Gonzaga is absolutely playable with 2 players, but it is more fun in a game of three or four because space on the boad runs out quickly and you therefore must plan carefully, and because last but not least you can hand out a dirty trick or two to your opponents. Strategist will have fun finding out which strategy is best to garner the most points. Do you need to get the most sea treaties or is it better to interfere with an opponent by taking away “his” cities or is it better to try to get the most connected fiefs and cities and harbors in active regions? Due to the fief cards there is a certain percentage of chance which does not come into play too heavily. I think to you will not tire too quickly of Gonzaga, especially due to the changing scenarios and secret tasks.
Christian Huber
Spieler : 2 - 4
Alter : ages 8 and up
Dauer : ca. 45 min
Autor : Guglielmo Duccoli
Grafik : Alberto Bontempi
Titel english : identisch
Preis : ca 31,00 Euro
Verlag : dv Gioci / Abacus Spiele 2009
www.abacusspiele.de
Genre : Placement game
Zielgruppe : Mit Freunden
Mechanismen: Place fiefs to score the most points
Kommentar:
Well ordered rules
Easily followed game play
Well-working mechanisms
Lots of material
Low chance element
Vergleichbar mit:
Settlers or Ticket to Ride for the longest connected fief, otherwise games where you want to gain influence
Christian Huber
Gonzaga is an abstract rather dry but well-working placement game for strategists aimed at experienced players.
Meine Bewertung: 5
Zufall 1
Taktik 2
Strategie__ 2
Kreativität
Wissen_
Gedächtnis 1
Kommunikation
Interaktion 2
Geschicklichkeit
Action