PLAYED FOR YOU

Palio

Niccio, Leocoino or Aquila?

Palio di Siena is a horse race that is run in July and August each year, a race of city boroughs, or contrades, ten out of 17 contrades participate each year. The contrades have their own colors, coats of arms and banners and pay the jockeys. The game simulates the race including the selection and assignment of horses and the three laps around Piazza des Campo.

Players control one contrade and a starting budget of seven movement cards of values 3-6. The horses of three different ability levels are randomly assigned to the contrades. You pay for a jockey with a movement card of his value and you can also spend movement cards on alliances. The starting positions of the horses are determined in a procedure called Mossa. During the race you move your horse with cards and then replenish your hand to hold three cards again, chips can be used to speed up or slow down a horse. You can attack opposing jockeys or horses or play a joker card in order to avoid an attack, change movement cards, move first in case of a tie or to annul the start. The simulation goes on in the race, horses and riders jostle, a rider can fall and get lost - the winner is the first horse that crosses the finish line with its head dress in place, be it with or without jockey.

Sounds complicated, but in reality is a simple game with harmonious components and an enormous amount of background information on the Palio of Siena. In this new edition the designer has revised the rules; there is only one die and only five can play instead of six. All in all, Palio offers a well-made and easy-to-play simulation of one of the world’s most famous horse races!

Players: 2-5

Age: 8+

Time: 45+

Designer: Massimo Pesce

Artist: Paolo Vallerga, Danilo Paparelli, Micaela Calliero, Giorgio de Michele

Price: ca. 30 Euro

Publisher: Massimo Pesce 2012

Web: massimopescegames.blogspot.com

Genre: Race game

Users: For families

Version: multi

Rules: de en fr it

In-game text: no

Comments:

Very beautiful historical simulation

Attractive components

Complex events simulated with simple rules

Compares to:
Palio and other horse race games with horse movement by cards

Other editions:

First edition 2008

Chance (pink): 2

Tactic (turquoise): 2

Strategy (blue): 2

Creativity (dark blue): 0

Knowledge (yellow): 0

Memory (orange): 0

Communication (red): 0

Interaction (brown): 2

Dexterity (green): 0

Action (dark green): 0