- Publisher : Delicious Games
- Designer(s) : Vladimír Suchý
- Artist(s) : Milan Vavroň
- Players : 1–4
- Playing time : 45–150 Min
- Weight BGG : 3.75
What's this?
In Praga Caput Regni, players take on the role of wealthy citizens who organize various construction projects in medieval Prague.
How do you play?
The game takes place over 16 rounds, with each player taking turns in clockwise order. Each turn, players choose an action tile from the action crane, then perform an action based on the chosen tile.
Actions:
➡ Manage mines: This action gives you gold. You have two possible choices: Earn 1 gold and increase your gold mines by 1 or produce gold: earn a quantity of gold equal to your number of gold mines.
➡ Manage quarries: This action works like gold mines but will give you stone.
➡ Improve an action: You place an improvement tile on your action board, on the corresponding hexagon . Each time you perform the action that you have improved, you obtain the bonus printed in the middle of the improvement tile.
➡ Build a wall: You place the tile adjacent to your action board. Depending on how you place the tile, you can gain one or more bonuses.
➡ Build a building: You place the building tile on any authorized construction site (around the squares on the board central). The buildings will give you victory points and bonuses of all kinds depending on their locations.
➡ Build the Royal Road: You advance your marker one space along the Royal Road to try to reach the Charles Bridge to earn victory points, bonuses and resources.
➡ The Hunger Wall and St. Vitus Cathedral: The construction of the Hunger Wall and St. Vitus Cathedral is represented by two three-level grids in the corner of the tray. You will move your marker sideways and upwards to gain end-game victory points.
Players can also perform an additional action by spending resources.
When Each player has played exactly 16 rounds. It is then time to proceed to the final counting of points.
Is it good?
“Praga Caput Regni” is another excellent game by Vladimír Suchý. The game is based on simple mechanics while offering great strategic depth. Players must carefully plan their actions to maximize the use of their limited resources during the 16 rounds of play. These 16 rounds are both an asset in limiting the length of the game and a challenge given the many possibilities offered.
The most ingenious mechanic in the game is the “action crane”, a mechanic that imposes constant choices of adaptability on players. Another central mechanic of the game is the laying of tiles on the main board or around the personal board, which, although simple, presents complex tactical choices thanks to numerous bonuses. Taking into account the Charles Bridge, the construction of the Hunger Wall and the construction of the Cathedral are essential to score many victory points at the end of the game.
However, “Praga Caput Regni” can be intimidating for novice players due to the visual complexity and abundance of elements on the board. Nevertheless, once the rules are mastered, the game offers a rewarding experience, offering multiple strategic possibilities and good replayability.
Overall, “Praga Caput Regni” remains a playful gem that manages to balance accessibility and complexity, providing an immersive and rich gaming experience. Fans of complex games will certainly find this game a real gem.
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Review Praga Caput Regni
Positives
- La direction artistique
- Les nombreux choix stratégiques offerts aux joueurs
- L'innovante grue d'action
- Un jeu tendu
Negatives
- The central board may appear visually busy
- Perhaps an overload of mechanics not always necessary.
Breakdown
- Components and illustrations 9.5
- Mechanics 8.5
- Theme 8.0
- Replayability 9.0
- Handling 8.5
- Interaction 8.5
- Originality 9.5
