Medici: The Dice Game Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Getting Ready to Play
• Playing the Game
• Entering Your Dice
• Scoring at the End of a Round
• Game End
• Credits

Getting Ready to Play

Each player receives a score sheet and a pencil.

Each score sheet has 2 main sections: on the right side, there are spaces to mark what goods you have collected and loaded into your 3 ships, including spaces to write your scores for the current round on the very far right; and on the left, there are 5 vertical colour columns (the "monopolies").

The monopolies tracks are on the left. Your first ship load of goods is tallied at the top right, with the space where you mark your scores each round beside it. Below that is your second ship load, and below that your third ship load, where you write your final score.

The oldest player will be the starting player, then play progresses clockwise.

Playing the Game

When it is your turn, start by rolling all 5 dice into the bottom of the box (or simply, onto the table), and proceed in the following way:

1. Choose 1 to 3 dice for yourself: Choose 1 to 3 dice from the 5 that you rolled, and place them in front of you. Then enter these dice into your score sheet – see below. The player may never choose more dice than they can fit into their current ship.
2. All the other players choose 1 die: All the other players now enter any one of the remaining dice into their score sheet. The other players can only do so after you have chosen your dice. The other players can select the same die as each other, as the remaining dice are available for all the players.

Attention: In some situations, the players may want to base their choice on the choice of the other players. Therefore, a player may request that the other players must make and announce their choice of die in clockwise order. Furthermore, all the score sheets should be open during the entire game so that all the players can easily review them. We recommend that the other players always announce which die they choose.

When all the players are done, the next player takes all 5 dice and rolls them, then selects the 1 to 3 dice they wish to use and so on...

Entering Your Dice

Enter each die you choose into your score sheet in the following way:

1. Ships: First, note the number on the die into the left-most empty space of the upper row of spaces in your current ship. Into the space below this, note the total of all your entries in the upper row so far. This is done so that all the players can easily review the values of the ships as they are being loaded.
2. Monopolies: Any '5' gold you have selected does not make a contribution to the monopolies and nothing further happens. Otherwise, cross out the first space in the colour column that corresponds to the colour on the die (representing spices, dye, grain, fur and cloth), filling the columns from top to bottom. Any '0' die you select makes a double contribution to the monopolies, therefore, cross out 2 spaces in the corresponding colour column.

Example: Adam starts, rolls all 5 dice into the middle and chooses 3 dice for himself: the gold '5', the dye '4', and the dye '0'. He enters these 3 dice's values into the current ship on his score sheet. Note that Adam was then able to cross off three dye boxes because he chose a '0' that is worth 2. Also note the running tally of his ship's value beneath the dice numbers he selected.

The remaining 2 dice: the fur '3' and the grain '2', are now available for the other players. Each of the other players chooses 1 of these dice.

If a player has completely loaded their current ship, they no longer participate in the current round. The other players continue. If a player takes their turn when all the other players have already completely loaded their ship, this final player rolls all 5 dice once and then has to fill their ship with these dice – even if they have to choose more than 3 of the dice to do so. This concludes the round. To remember who continues the play, the player who is next to roll places all 5 dice in front of themselves, but in the meantime score the round.

Scoring at the End of a Round

1. Ships: First, compare the total values of the loaded ships. Depending on the number of players, points are distributed for the most valuable ships. (In a 2 player game, the most valuable ship load each round scores 20 points, and second place scores 0, but in a 4 player game, first place scores 30 points, second scores 20, third scores 10, and last place scores 0.) Each player records the point score for their ship in the space to the right of their ship load.
2. Monopolies: Now compare the monopolies in each of the 5 colour columns. The player with the most crosses in a column receives 10 points. Furthermore, with 3 and 4 players, the player with the second most crosses receives 5 points. (With 2 players, only the first player scores!)
   • Each player who has 9 or more crosses in a column receives an additional bonus of 10 points. This bonus increases to 20 points if the player reaches 12 crosses. More than 12 crosses cannot be entered into a column, and further crosses are ignored.
   • Record these points on the right side of the score sheet, beneath your ship load of the corresponding round. (Note, that a player who has no crosses in a column cannot score any points for this column!)

Finally, record the total of all your points from the current round in the space provided between the space for your ship load score and your monopolies score.

Ties: If several players have ships of equal values, all these players receive the higher point scores. If several players have the same number of crosses in a colour column, all these players also receive the higher monopoly points. (Note that in a tie for most, the following, lower point score is then not awarded.)

Example: All the first ships have been completely loaded in a 4 player game and the first round is now scored. Adam's total value for his ship load this round was 17. This was the third best total between the players. In a 4 player game, third place scores 10 points. He has written this to the right of his load. Adam has collected the most blue (dye) goods so far, scoring 10 points. He came second in grain with one cross so scores 5. In purple cloth he tied for second with two crosses, so he and another player scored 5 points. This totalled 20 points for his monopolies. Adam's total score this round is 30 points.

Game End

After the round has been scored, play progresses to the next round.

When scoring the individual rounds, only compare the current ships that have just been loaded, but always consider all the crosses in the colour columns for the monopolies (they do not reset).

The game ends after the third round has been scored. Now all the players record the total of all their points (from the 3 round total spaces) into the yellow grand total space in the bottom left hand corner of their score sheet. The player with the most points is the winner!

Ties: If several players finish with the same highest point score, these players compare their monopoly columns. The player who has the column with the most crosses wins the tie break and the game. (If this does not resolve the tie, compare the columns with the second most crosses, and so on.)

Credits

Game design: Reiner Knizia Illustrations: Vincent Dutrait

Reiner Knizia thanks all the playtesters who contributed to the development of the Medici dice game, in particular Iain Adams, Sebastian Bleasdale, Drak, Gavin Hamilton, Ross Inglis, Kevin Jacklin, and Dave Spring.

Also thanks to: Karen Easteal, Arnaud Charpentier.

Medici: The Dice Game is ©2020 Dr Reiner Knizia. All rights reserved. This production is ©2020 Grail Games. Grail Games and the Medici: The Dice Game logo are © Grail Games. All rights reserved.