Why yes, there’s a reason Medici is a classic

I have long known that Medici is considered to be one of Knizia'a classic designs. Back in the day, it was considered to be part of Kniza's Auction trilogy, a concept so sprawling that it eventually became Kniza's two auction trilogies. And, intellectually, I have always appreciated it. However, I had almost never played it. Mostly because no one in any of my circles owned a copy so I was much more familiar with Modern Art, and Ra and High Society and Aman-Re, among other Knizia designs. (Sadly, I have yet to play any incarnation of Dream Factory, also considered a highlight of his auction games)

That changed during a recent reunion with old gaming buddies. One of them had added Medici to their gaming library and it became the game we played more than any other during that weekend. And my intellectual appreciation of Medici became a true appreciation.

Out of all Knizia's auction games that I've played (and I'm honestly not sure how many the man has published), Medici is the absolute purest. Even High Society, which is arguably less complex, has more little twists. In Medici, there is only one type of auction, one around with the current dealer going last. You are competing for majorities in categories that don't change. And points and money are one and the same, which makes things both simpler and more anxiety inducing at the same time.

Scarcity is what gives Medici its edge. Players are merchants in Rennaissance Florance, which I guess makes this sort of a trading in the Mediterranean game (Is that joke still a thing?) You are loading up boats but each boat has cargo space for only five cards. Over the course of the three rounds of play, you will only get fifteen cards. Unless the game gets nasty. Then you might get less. You have no room for chafe. And you have to focus on only a couple of types of good. If you can't corner a couple markets, you will discover the sorrows of bankruptcy.

Where the game really lets you learn to hate each other and the number random generator gods is dealing out the cards for each auction. The dealer can deal out one to three cards but there has to be at least one player who can take that number of cards and if the load is bigger than your empty spaces, you can't make a bid. if you're not getting locked out of bids, everyone is being too nice. And the dealer can push their luck and end up with a lot that adds up to garbage.

Every element of Medici is simple. And that's something that Knizia often does. So many of his games aren't intricate but instead offer complex choices in a simple framework. Medici is a shining example of this. It offers a much fuller, richer game experience than an overview would make you expect.

Medici isn't perfect and it can be very unforgiving. If you go into the third round underwater, I honestly don't think you will be able to pull ahead. You have to have a gameplan from the start. I think Ra is more forgiving, so I do like it more, particularly for a general audience. However, there is a reason Medici stays in print and stays on the table.