The Travels of Marco Polo

In "The Travels of Marco Polo", players embark on an exciting journey along the famous Silk Road, following in the footsteps of the young explorer Marco Polo. Each player is assigned a unique character, each with special abilities that influence their strategies throughout the game. The game takes place over five rounds, where players roll their personal dice, which will determine the actions they can take. The main actions include obtaining valuable resources such as camels, pepper, silk and gold, as well as planning journeys, winning orders and generating money. The dynamics are intense, as the first players to collect resources receive significant advantages, while the rest must manage their dice wisely. As they travel, players advance across the map, from Venice to various eastern cities, each offering opportunities and challenges. By stopping in a city, players can mark their presence and unlock additional actions that impact their progress in the game. At the end of the last round, victory points are counted, taking into account the effectiveness of the journeys made, the number of requests fulfilled and the secret letters received, which can bring surprises and new scoring opportunities. "Marco Polo's Travels" offers an experience rich in strategy and decisions, making it an engaging game for those who enjoy adventure and conquest.

Table of Contents
- How to Play
- Tips for playing
- Game mechanics
- Game components
- Additional Information

To begin, each player selects a character with unique abilities that will affect their style of play. Place the board in the center, distributing the components according to the rules.

Players will begin their actions by choosing between various options such as taking contracts, collecting resources, traveling, or enabling cities. Using the dice rolled is essential to determine the actions to be taken.

During your turn, you can travel around the map spending camels and coins, and position trading posts in cities for strategic benefits. Pay attention to contract requirements and plan your movements to maximize your earnings.

Each round, the positioning of the dice in the available actions can be crucial to blocking opponents or boosting your own moves. Make intelligent use of your character's abilities to gain a competitive edge.

The game continues until the fifth round, where scores are calculated from completed contracts, income earned and trading posts established. The player with the highest score is declared the winner.

Main objective

The main objective of the game "Marco Polo's Journeys" is for players to take on the role of merchants who plan and execute journeys inspired by Marco Polo's legendary journeys, traveling along routes in Asia to accumulate wealth and complete contracts; collecting resources, establishing trading posts and fulfilling specific objectives to earn victory points and thus become the winner at the end of the game.

Tips for playing The Travels of Marco Polo

Here are some tips for doing better in the game The Travels of Marco Polo:

• Focus on completing contracts to earn points. Prioritize contracts that provide extra resources or special abilities.
• Choose your starting character wisely; each one offers unique advantages that can shape your game strategy.
• Plan your routes in advance. Moving efficiently around the board saves valuable resources.
• Manage your resources carefully; balancing the use of gold, spices and camels is crucial to success.
• Don't overlook the special abilities of the locals; temporary bonuses can give you a tactical advantage.
• Adapt your strategy as your opponents make their moves. Be prepared to adjust your plans.
• Use trading posts strategically to facilitate future trips and earn additional rewards.
• Observe what other players are looking for and try to predict their movements to avoid being blocked.
• Make the most of your actions. Seek to maximize the benefits at every turn to maintain a competitive edge.

Video about the game

Mechanics of The Travels of Marco Polo

• Players with Different Skills: Each player takes on the role of a historical character with unique abilities that can strongly influence their strategy. These abilities allow players to explore different paths to victory and increase replayability.
• Data Scrolling: The dice are rolled at the start of each round to determine the actions available to the players. The value of the dice influences which actions players can take, adding an element of controlled luck to their strategies.
• Point-to-point movement: Players move around a map between connected cities, and movement is restricted by specific paths. This requires players to plan their routes strategically in order to complete travel objectives efficiently.
• Contracts: Players collect and complete business contracts to earn rewards and points. Each contract requires the delivery of specific resources, encouraging the efficient collection and management of resources throughout the game.
• Allocation of Data Workers: Rolled dice are used as "workers" to perform actions on the board, with different dice values required for different actions. This creates strategic decisions about how and where to place your dice for maximum benefit.
• Variable preparation: At the start of the game, the setup varies depending on elements such as bonus cards and the initial distribution of resources, ensuring that each match offers different challenges and opportunities.
• Move feature: To move between points on the map, players need to spend camels and coins. Careful management of these resources is crucial, as efficient movement can be the key to completing objectives and contracts.
• Order of the Shift: Claim Action: The order of the players can change each round based on who claims the action available on the turn order track, allowing strategic choices about when to act first in the coming turns.
• Allocation of workers: In addition to the dice, there are limited action spaces on the board that players can occupy during their turn. Occupying these spaces limits the options for other players, increasing the element of direct competition.

Game components The Travels of Marco Polo

See all the items in the game below The Travels of Marco Polo:

• 1 Main tray
• 4 Personal trays
• 10 Explorer tokens
• 6 Municipal Award Markers
• 26 Dice (5 of each color: Blue, Yellow, Green, Red, Black and 1 White)
• 40 Coins (20x1, 10x5 and 10x10)
• 44 Contracts Varieties
• 31 Location Charts
• 18 Mission Letters
• 10 Command Post bonuses
• 15 Gold Bars (12 small and 3 large)
• 15 rolls of silk (12 small and 3 large)
• 16 spice bags (12 small and 4 large)
• 27 Camels (20 small and 7 large)
• 12 figures (3 of each color: Blue, Yellow, Green, Red)
• 38 Trading Posts (9 of each color: Blue, Yellow, Green, Red and 2 Black)
• 4 Score Cards (50/100 points)
• 1 Inaugural Player Marker (Hourglass)
• 4 Player aids
• 1 Game Manual
• 1 Additional Supplement
• 1 Quick Preparation Sheet

Additional Information

• Ludopedia link: https://ludopedia.com.br/jogo/the-voyages-of-marco-polo
• Link Tabletopia:
• Amazon Brazil link: Comprar As Viagens de Marco Polo
• Amazon USA link: Comprar As Viagens de Marco Polo