Patrician: Towers of Influence

Step back in time to Italy in the thirteenth century. Wealthy families have towers built to show how powerful and prosperous they are. The taller the tower, the greater the prestige. You are the master builder who makes clever use of that. You take on building commissions, stack floor upon floor, and when a tower is finished you are ready to take the credit. Play flows nicely. Each turn you play a building card, which lets you build higher in the matching city. Some cards give you an extra action to help yourself along or to get in your fellow players' way. Then you draw a new card from the pile next to the city where you just built. Whoever controls the tallest towers in a city earns points. Collecting sets of portrait cards also scores you points. At the end, the builder with the most points wins. This edition of Michael Schacht's classic has been completely refreshed and is packed with extra ways to play. With two players you take on the Architetto, a cunning opponent who loves to upset your plans. Want more choices and tougher decisions? Then add the Trade Routes and Delegates modules. That way every game becomes a new adventure.