Century: Spice Road
{{Short description|Tabletop strategy game}}
{{italic title}}
{{Infobox game
|subject_name=Century: Spice Road
|image=Century Spice Road box art.png
|image_size=180px
|caption=Century: Spice Road box cover
|players=2-5
|playing_time=30-45 minutes
|skills= Strategy
}}
Century: Spice Road is a 2017 table-top strategy game designed by Emerson Matsuuchi and distributed by Plan B Games. The game is a simulation of fifteenth-century spice trading, and each player competes for points as they buy and sell spices represented by colored cubes.
Gameplay
Each turn, a player will play a card, buy a card, or take back into their hand cards they had previously discarded.{{cite web|url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2017/12/ars-technicas-ultimate-board-game-buyers-guide/|title=Ars Technica’s ultimate board game buyer’s guide|last1=Zimmerman|first1=Aaron|last2=Anderson|first2=Nate|last3=Mendelsohn|first3=Tom|publisher=Ars Technica|date=2017-12-08|access-date=2021-11-12}} By doing so, the player builds a hand of cards that enable the player to collect or upgrade spices to fill orders that score points for the player.
Reception
The game has received positive reviews. The Guardian calls Century: Spice Road "slick and fast-paced," noting also that the game's "speed and simplicity mask some real depth."Duffy, Owen (2017-06-03). [https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/jul/03/century-spice-road-catch-the-moon-sagrada-games-review-fiendish-fun "Century Spice Road, Catch the Moon, Sagrada Games Review – Fiendish Fun."] The Guardian. Retrieved 2018-10-06. Owen Duffy of Ars Technica calls it a "tight, brain-teasing card game."Duffy, Owen (2018-10-06). [https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2018/10/century-eastern-wonders-makes-cardboard-spice-trading-fun-again/ "Century: Eastern Wonders Makes Cardboard Spice Trading Fun Again."] ArsTechnica.com. Retrieved 2018-10-16. The New Indian Express describes the game as "clever," also praising the game's pace, a facet encouraged by the focus on series of small, quick decisions as opposed to offering many options to consider simultaneously.Sukumaran, Arjun (2018-09-07). [https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/bengaluru/2018/sep/07/get-down-to-spice-business-1869001.html "Get Down to Spice Business."] The New Indian Express. Retrieved 2018-10-06. The game currently holds a rating of 7.4 on the website BoardGameGeek.[https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/209685/century-spice-road Century: Spice Road (2017)] BoardGameGeek.com. Retrieved 2018-10-06.
Another review at Ars Technica states that it is "slightly more complex" than Splendor, and that it is "an absolute joy to play".
Expansions
Two official Century: Spice Road mini-expansions have been published as Bonus Cards Sets with unique mechanisms to introduce new strategies.[https://planbgames.com/century-spice-road-bonus-cards-set-2-plan-b-games-emerson-matsuuchi-mini-expansion-strategy-hand-building-card-board-game-spice-trading-1 "Century spice road bonus cards - 1st pack"] Plan B Games. Retrieved 2022-02-27.[https://planbgames.com/century-spice-road-bonus-cards-set-2-plan-b-games-emerson-matsuuchi-mini-expansion-strategy-hand-building-card-board-game-spice-trading-1 "Century spice road bonus cards - 2nd pack"] Plan B Games. Retrieved 2022-02-27. In addition, Plan B Games released a re-themed version of the game titled Century: Golem Edition. In this new version, players trade crystals and compete to build golems, and it features new art and a new setting, in a fantasy world called Caravania.Stretch, Andrew (2022-03-25). [https://techraptor.net/tabletop/reviews/century-golem-edition-review "Century: Golem Edition Review."] TechRaptor.net. Retrieved 2024-06-02.[https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/232832/century-golem-edition Century: Golem Edition (2017)]. BoardGameGeek.com. Retrieved 2024-06-02.[https://planbgames.com/century-golem-edition-plan-b-games-emerson-matsuuchi-strategy-hand-building-card-board-game-crystal-trading-anime-manga-art-2 Century: Golem Edition]. Plan B Games (PlanBGames.com). Retrieved 2024-06-02.
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://planbgames.com/games/century-spice-road-plan-b-games-emerson-matsuuchi-strategy-hand-building-card-board-game-spice-trading-5 Century: Spice Road] on PlanBGames.com.
- [https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/61330/emerson-matsuuchi Designer Emerson Matsuuchi] on BoardGameGeek.com.