leonardo da vinci / maestro leonardo

In this interesting and challenging strategy game each player tries to create certain inventions in his laboratories to earn as much money as possible in the end. The components are nicely made and of high quality, the board is clearly arranged and the graphics are adequate to the topic.

The game consists of 9 rounds, whereas the first seven rounds are separated in 4 phases and the last two rounds are just used for working on finishing the inventions. In the first phase you choose the invention(s) you want to work on. Then you place your wooden prawns (one master and several apprentices) in the different parts of the city, to either get raw materials (which are needed to begin working on inventions) or to directly work on the inventions. You have to prioritise where to put your people at which point of time, as the final order in each part of the city directly affects the costs for the respective goods. In phase three the different parts of the city are scored, meaning you can buy raw materials and work on the inventions in your laboratories. In the last phase you tell which inventions you finished and you get money for it. At the end the player with the most money wins.

As there are no dice in the game, you are not depending on luck (except not knowing which inventions your opponents are working on - which again determines the amount of money you get for them), so you have to think hard about your strategy and the different possibilities. Therefor you are motivated to play again to improve your plans.
If you like strategy games with medium complexity and according playing time (at about 60-90 minutes) you should give this one a try.

Leonardo da Vinci is a "gamers' game" for 2-5 players by Acchittocca (a team of Italian game designers). It's a game where you buy resources to create your brilliant inventions in your laboratories. The game revolves around an innovative process where you deploy the same pawns to power your laboratory as to collect the necessary materials, taking turns committing the pawns at the beginning of each round.

Winner of Tric Trac d'Argent 2006

2-5 players, 60-90 min
author: stefano luperto, flaminia brasini, virginio gigli, antonio tinto
publisher: abacus spiele (germany), mayfair games (united states)
category: renaissance, area control, hand management

leonardo da vinci @ boardgamegeek.com
leonardo da vinci @ luding.org

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buy the game online @ cosimshop.de or coolstuffinc.com
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