Century: Spice Road is a set collection, card management game designed by Emerson Matsuuchi which was released in 2017.

Players: 2-5
Game Time: 30-45 min
Age: 8+

Century: Spice Road is the first in a series of games that explores the history of each century with spice-trading as the theme for the first installment. In Century: Spice Road, players are caravan leaders who travel the famed silk road to deliver spices to the far reaches of the continent for fame and glory. Each turn, players perform one of four actions:

  • Establish a trade route (by taking a market card)
  • Make a trade or harvest spices (by playing a card from hand)
  • Fulfill a demand (by meeting a victory point card’s requirements and claiming it)
  • Rest (by taking back into your hand all of the cards you’ve played)

The last round is triggered once a player has claimed their fifth victory point card, then whoever has the most victory points wins.

The theme of spice-based commerce in the 15th century plays out through a smoothly conceived card game, where each player gradually builds up a hand of spice-trading action cards and has to play them to earn point-scoring combos. The four kinds of spice are represented by wooden cubes, which come in neat plastic bowls, adding a valuable ‘component feel’ to an already engaging system. There’s already a sequel (Eastern Wonders) out, which involves tile-based spice-island hopping, and is just as deliciously satisfying.

Rating: 7/10

Pros:

  • Great Game very replayable due to all the options for earning points

Cons:

  • May be hard for inexperienced players

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