MEDICI is a thoughtfully designed card game of bluffing and bidding which uses a scoring system, in which various different options compete for the winning strategy.

During the game players bid for sets of cards in 3 rounds. In each round a player may only hold up to 5 cards. However the cards are turned over for Auction in sets, and the set size is dictated by the controlling player. You can only bid on sets for which you still have spaces in your hand. So the active player gains a lot of control. The active player also bids last giving them the final option to pick up a desirable set. The other players must bid carefully to ensure that the cost of a high scoring set is also high. But be warned what's good for the active player may not look so good in your hand, if you over bid to drive him high he may duck and leave you looking foolish. What a dilemma!

There are 36 cards in the deck, with five suits of trading commodities: spices, fur, cloth, dyes, and grain. Each suit has 7 cards with values 0 through 4 and two cards with value 5. Additionally there is the very sought after Gold card worth 10.

Each player starts with 30 Florins -really victory points - and you are not allowed to spend below 0.

During the Auction the active player turns over a set the bids are placed in sequence and the highest bidder gets the cards. If no one bids for the set then the cards are discarded.

The Auction is complete when all players have 5 cards, or the deck is exhausted.
The scoring works on three different levels:

• Depending on the number of players, the highest-valued hold scores 30 points, and other places score a less.
• The player with the most cards in each suit also scores 10 points for first place in a suit, second place scores 5 points.
• The number of cards purchased in a suit is cumulative through the three rounds, and each player's progress is recorded on an 8 step pyramidal scoring track on the game board. If you reach the top of the pyramid there is 20 more points to pick up.

A balance of the three methods of gaining point is required to achieve a high score along with careful bidding. The score for each round equates to Florins to spend in the next. So successful early trading will help later, but don't waist those gains on an expensive bid!

Is this game worth having? Definitely YES! It's one of the few games that is very simple to explain and start to play, but it hides a game that requires a flexible strategy and some low down cunning to win.

NB One point to note is that this is an abstract cards game with some interesting graphics. It is not a Renaissance period trading game, the trading theme is a veneer and soon ignored.