Libro d'Oro 2024

At the end of the thirteenth century, the Venetian patriciate instigated legal restrictions to participation in governance, resulting in the Serrata del Maggior Consiglio, or Closing of the Great Council, and established a directory of eligible families, the Libro d’Oro, or Golden Book. This game represents those close-knit and fiercely competitive family alliances, their political intrigues, and economic enterprises, as Venice grew into a wealthy and influential Renaissance power.

Upon setup, each player takes charge of one family of the Great Council of Venice and collects starting wealth and influence. Each turn then proceeds through three phases: Crisis, Actions and Resolution. The Crisis phase simulates generational challenges that impact the state of the city and its domains, including fire, plague, war, and conspiracy. The Actions phase is the heart of the game: players in turn expand their family network through marriage alliances and grow their power in the city’s districts and domains through placement of influence in political, religious, military, and economic spheres. The last phase entails crisis resolution, scoring of victory points, collection of player and state income, aging of families, and the election of a new Doge to lead the Republic. After six turns, a final scoring accounts for which player has attained the most prestige and legacy in the history of La Serenissima.

—description from the designer