- Publisher : Cranio Creations
- Designers : Flaminia Brasini, Virginio Gigli, Simone Luciani
- Artist(s) : Klemens Franz
- Players : 2–4
- Playing time : 60–120 Min
- Weight BGG : 3.30
What's this?
Lorenzo de’ Medici, also known as “Lorenzo il Magnifico” (Lorenzo the Magnificent), was one of the most powerful and enthusiastic patrons of the Italian Renaissance.
In Lorenzo il Magnifico, each player takes on the role of the head of a noble family in an Italian Renaissance city, seeking to gain more prestige and fame, i.e. victory points (VP), than anyone else .
To do this, you send your family members to different locations, where they can complete many achievements.
How do you play?
At the start of the round, the first player draws three dice of different colors which will remain unchanged for the entire round. Each player has pawns corresponding to these colored dice, thus introducing the first interesting mechanic of the game: all participants use the same dice for their actions.
Consequently, if an orange die displays a value of 4, the orange pawns of all players will have an identical value of 4. In this game, despite the presence of dice, luck does not intervene, and this is the great strength of Lorenzo! Each player has the same dice to carry out their actions, promoting a common strategic approach.
When it comes to strategy, the main focus is on the four colored towers on the main board. At the start of each round, new cards will be available on these turns, and players will be able to acquire them using their colored pawns.
You can only place one colored pawn per turn, and if there are already pawns from other players, you will have to pay coins. Thus, finding the right timing to position yourself before the others becomes crucial, especially since the locations at the bottom of the board are also limited, favoring the first to arrive.
Collectable cards come in four colors. Generally, having more cards of the same color will result in more victory points at the end of the game. Yellow and green cards represent activatable production cards, blue cards offer permanent powers, while purple cards grant victory points at the end of the game.
There are also two tracks to climb: the military track, allowing you to collect more and more green cards and pay for purple cards by spending military points, and the faith track, generating numerous victory points at the end of the game. part and essential to mount to avoid penalties at the end of each round.
Is it good?
Lorenzo is an excellent game. The shared dice mechanic for all players is ingenious and well thought out. Each round requires strategic adaptation based on the values of these 3 dice, providing tight choices but crystal clear clarity throughout our strategic development. The game offers a depth and satisfaction typical of great games. Although the theme is discreet and the artistic style may put off some, personally, I appreciate this old school side which I find endearing. It has become a classic with us.
To support the site, purchase the game here:
Review Lorenzo Il Magnifico
Positives
- The mechanics of the pawns which is dependent on the dice common to all players
- The different strategies
- Tense choices
Negatives
- The missing theme
- The illustrations
Breakdown
- Components and illustrations 7.5
- Mechanics 10.0
- Thematic 7.0
- Replayability 9.5
- Handling 9.5
- Interaction 9.0
- Originality 10.0
