Plan B Games PBGEG001 Coimbra, Mixed Colours

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Every turn in Coimbra brings a sense of achievement. While placing dice, taking cards, going on voyages and moving pilgrims around the map, players start to build an engine that ensures that next round they can do or spend more. The benefits of investing in an area of the game are immediate, and actions spent never feel wasted. Even if you don't get to do exactly what you planned because someone took the die or card you wanted, your action will prove useful. Coimbra introduces an innovative new dice mechanism in which the dice players draft each round are used in multiple different ways and have an impact on many aspects of their decision making. While there are many paths to victory, players should always seek to optimize their opportunities with every roll of the dice. Combined with ever-changing synergies of the citizens, expeditions, and monasteries, no two games of Coimbra will ever be the same!

As the head of one of Coimbra’s richest houses, you seek to earn prestige during this prosperous era. In an effort to reserve the best reputation, you must clinch favors from the city’s most influential citizens - scholars, clerics, council members, and merchants - with a bit of coin or a little extra protective detail.Favour Tiles are free. They offer a range of perks. One, for example, pays out an immediate seven shields or seven coins. Another is worth two VP and three free movement for your Pilgrim. While there are many ways to victory, the best of players will always look to optimize their opportunities with every roll of the dice. Coimbra brings a unique dice mechanism wherein the dice players draft will be utilized multiple times every round in various aspects of decision making. Coimbra takes place over four rounds. 2-4 players compete to earn points by buying Character Cards and funding Voyage Cards. Also available is exploration via the Pilgrim Map, which offers further bonuses. There are rewards to claim during (and at the end of) each round, too. As a result, players gain regular boosts. End game scoring can be big – don’t worry, we’ll explain how that works, later. Coimbra introduces an innovative new dice mechanism in which the dice players draft each round are used in multiple different ways and have an impact on many aspects of their decision making. While there are many paths to victory,players should always seek to optimize theiropportunities with every roll of the dice.Combined with ever-changing synergies of the citizens, expeditions, and monasteries, no two games of Coimbra will ever be the same! No it does not. Let’s get this out of the way now – Coimbra’s theme is as weak as a Paul Daniels punchline. Thankfully, Coimbra shines in the gameplay department and I got so in to drafting the best dice for my plans that I forgot why I was moving a meeple around a map at all!

In the 15th and 16th century, Portugal is thriving under its leading role during the Age of Discovery. Nestled in the heart of Portugal, the city of Coimbra serves as a cultural center of the country. As the head of one of Coimbra’s oldest houses, you seek to earn prestige by deepening relationships with nearby monasteries or funding expeditions of the era. To reach this goal, you must vie for the favors of the city’s most influential citizens, even if you must offer a bit of coin or some protective detail. Coimbra introduces an innovative new dice mechanism in which the dice players draft each round are used in multiple different ways and have an impact on many aspects of their decision making. While there are many paths to victory, players should always seek to optimize their opportunities with every roll of the dice. Combined with ever-changing synergies of the citizens, expeditions, and monasteries, no two games of Coimbra will ever be the same! I also noted the vibrant colours of the cover art and game board which is somewhat, um, rare for a Euro game. Does this mean that Coimbra will be a theme embracing game? Coimbra No it does not. Let's get this out of the way now - Coimbra's theme is as weak as a Paul Daniels punchline. Thankfully, Coimbra shines in the gameplay department and I got so in to drafting the best dice for my plans that I forgot why I was moving a meeple around a map at all!Shuffle and draw six Voyage Cards and place these face-up on the six spaces at the bottom of the board. Then place 14 Monastery tiles to their corresponding I, II and III spots on the Pilgrim Map. (Also distinguishable by colour.) Return the remaining Voyage Cards and Monasteries to the box. Note that in Phase E, some cards trigger at this point. For example, some E cards reward you with a return of two coins for every orange dice you drafted this round. Or, in Phase E another card allows the owner an exchange rate of giving up two shields for one VP. In the 15th and 16th century, Portugal is thriving under its leading role during the Age of Discovery. Nestled in the heart of Portugal, the city of Coimbra serves as a cultural center of the country. As the head of one of Coimbra's oldest houses, you seek to earn prestige by deepening relationships with nearby monasteries or funding expeditions of the era. To reach this goal, you must vie for the favors of the city's most influential citizens, even if you must offer a bit of coin or some protective detail. Coimbra is only four rounds long, each divided into a sequence of actions indicated on the player board. Having that as a reference immediately sets out the pace and gives players a clear structure, making the game fairly straightforward, despite its first appearances.

There are six phases to a round in Coimbra: A-F. These are all listed on the Player Boards, as a reminder. Phase A is simple: The start player rolls the 13 D6 dice (3x grey, 3x orange, 3x purple, 3x green and 1x white). For lower player counts, you’ll play with fewer dice for scaling purposes. Let’s explain the aim of the game next, so you have context for what’s you’ve laid out on the table… So, How Do You Win Coimbra? Coming from the designers of Grand Austria Hotel and Lorenzo Il Magnifico, Coimbra had me unreasonably excited. It’s fair to say I didn’t have a lot of gameplay information, other than I knew it involved dice drafting and these little plastic holders for your dice, dice homes as I like to call them. Combined with always changing synergies between available tiles and cards - no game of Coimbra will ever be the same!

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There is definitely a lot to think about and, while it sounds convoluted, the visual assistance of the game really does a good job of holding the player’s hand every step of the way. Try to ensure you can afford a Voyage by the time Phase F comes around. If you draft grey or orange dice, you’ll earn a free boost of shields or coins, remember! It may have too much going on, but Coimbra knows how to handle it well, even with a small misstep. There is a lot to take in, but there is equally a lot to like. Coimbra is a game of choice, specialise or spread yourself out, number or colour, and so on. It plays out in only four rounds, although can be prone to analysis paralysis, particularly when the next group of cards are set-up at the start of a round. Yes, the theme is thinner than Harry Hill's hairline but the art and vibrancy of the graphic design are wonderful.