Romaria 2026

Romaria is a thematic tableau-building and card-drafting game inspired by the Romaria de Nossa Senhora d’Agonia, one of the most important traditional festivals in Viana do Castelo, Portugal. Each player takes the role of an organizer responsible for creating the most prestigious parade, bringing together Mordomas, musicians, Gigantones, Cabeçudos and elements connected to the Ribeira.

Each round, players simultaneously choose a card from their hand and add it to their parade, building a layout of up to 12 cards. Cards can only be placed orthogonally adjacent to cards already in the parade, and their values influence both the player's position in the market draft and the amount of Chieira they gain. Players must balance the cards they want to add to their parade with the need to secure priority when choosing new cards from the market. Playing Mordomas also allows players to collect pieces of Lavradeiras, which can later be combined into complete traditional costumes for additional Prestige.

Cards have individual scoring conditions based on their position and on the other elements present in the parade. Players can also acquire Lugares de Viana scoring cards, providing additional objectives to pursue throughout the game. Once all players have completed their 12-card parade, they score their Chieira, growing number sequences, card bonuses, personal objectives and completed Lavradeiras. The player with the most Prestige wins.

—description from the designer