Objective of the Game
"Century: Spice Road" is a strategic card game where players become spice traders. The goal is to earn the most points by trading, transporting, and ultimately exchanging spices for point cards.
Game Setup
- Spices: There are four types of spices, listed in ascending order of value: Turmeric (yellow), Saffron (red), Cardamom (green), and Cinnamon (brown).
- Spice Cubes: These represent the spices in the game.
- Merchant Cards: These cards allow players to collect, trade, or upgrade spices.
- Point Cards: These cards provide victory points and require a specific number and type of spices to fulfill.
A set of five merchant cards is dealt, from which players can acquire cards. Additionally, five point cards are laid out.
Turn Structure
In each round, a player can choose one of four actions:
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Play a card: Play a merchant card from your hand and execute its effect. This may involve collecting new spices, upgrading existing ones, or trading spices.
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Acquire a card: Choose a merchant card from the display. You can choose to place Turmeric cubes onto cards in front of the desired card or take the front card for free.
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Fulfill a point card: Spend the required spices to acquire a point card. The point card is added to your stack.
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Rest: Pick up all the cards you have previously played back into your hand.
The gameplay consists of the above actions and ends when a player acquires a certain number of point cards (which depends on the number of players). The round is then completed.
End of Game
The game ends when one player acquires a specified number of point cards. The round is completed, and then the victory points are tallied to determine the winner.
Strategic Tips
- Card Synergies: Players should focus on acquiring cards that work well together, allowing continuous upgrades or quick access to various spices.
- Valuable Spices: Often, it is more efficient to acquire early game cards that offer good production or trading capabilities.
- Flexibility: Attempt to keep specific goals in mind while staying flexible to respond to changes in the display. Successfully shifting between various actions is key to success.
