Rio Grande Games Princes of Florence

Had ordered this game but the package and the in-game items were damaged. The box is also torn out from the edges.

Princes is one of the best board games on the market. It is a positively stunning 4- or 5-player game in terms of balance, playability, and durability. The components are beautiful and well-made. The game mechanics are almost unique. The game is one of scarcity--players must carefully plan resources and actions, as there are limits on both. Over the course of the game, each player can buy 7 critical resources at auction, with no second chances, and can take 14 actions. It's easy to take a wrong step. The game has proved very popular in strategy gaming circles because of the limited reliance on chance (although the game is card-driven), and the excellent game balance.

I really like this game so far. It has an auction theme combined with a money & time management theme. Each turn is divided into two phases in which you first bid on a certain set of items and then you may purchase other items at a fixed price and/or play cards. It is relatively quick as it has a fixed seven turns each game. I would advise anyone playing for the first time, however, to carefully read over the rules before playing and at setup. I had read the rules and had a basic understanding of the game, but kind of rushed the setup the first time I played and ended up missing a couple of really important aspects of the game, which made it seem much less fun than it actually is. Also, this game comes with an expansion. I have yet to try out the expansion, but it is a nice bonus, as there is no mention of the expansion in the description.

I have so far only played with 2 people or 5 people, and each game has been drastically different. The strategies also have to change so much between small groups and larger groups. What I really love about this game is that there are so many different ways you can get Prestige Points and that there is very little luck involved. Also, since prestige cards and big bonus card plays can really change up the order of players on the fame track, it feels pretty neck and neck the whole time.

This is a really good game. It's hard to call any game great these days with so many solid games coming out. This one is a little older so you may have passed it by. If you like Ra, Power Grid, etc, you should enjoy PoF. Various strategies to win, resource constrained.

Bought this game for my son. He says it's a great game to play with his "game group" friends when they get together.