Plan B Games PBGEG001 Coimbra, Mixed Colours

Product Information

On some of the Character Cards, there are diploma symbols in five different colours. You’ll score points for each unique diploma you have (12VP if you have all five). Last of all, players will add up their remaining coins, shields and any crowns. Then they’ll divide that number by two and earn that many points. The player with the most points is the champion of Coimbra! Top Tips to Triumph at Coimbra Coimbra takes place over four rounds. 2-4 players compete to earn points by buying Character Cards and funding Voyage Cards. Also available is exploration via the Pilgrim Map, which offers further bonuses. There are rewards to claim during (and at the end of) each round, too. As a result, players gain regular boosts. End game scoring can be big – don’t worry, we’ll explain how that works, later.

Coimbra is only four rounds long, each divided into a sequence of actions indicated on the player board. Having that as a reference immediately sets out the pace and gives players a clear structure, making the game fairly straightforward, despite its first appearances. Euro-style, ‘point salad’ games like Coimbra are usually bland and beige, right? Wrong. Chris Quilliams’ artwork is a wake-up slap to the senses. The Eggerspiele box art is a funky seafoam green. Dominant purples, greens and oranges feature throughout the board and components. Players draft chunky dice, then sit them in delightful plastic, castle-shaped die holders.

Coming from the designers of Grand Austria Hotel and Lorenzo Il Magnifico, Coimbra had me unreasonably excited. It’s fair to say I didn’t have a lot of gameplay information, other than I knew it involved dice drafting and these little plastic holders for your dice, dice homes as I like to call them.

In the 15th and 16th century, Portugal is thriving under its leading role during the Age of Discovery. Nestled in the heart of Portugal, the city of Coimbra serves as a cultural center of the country. As the head of one of Coimbra’s oldest houses, you seek to earn prestige by deepening relationships with nearby monasteries or funding expeditions of the era. To reach this goal, you must vie for the favors of the city’s most influential citizens, even if you must offer a bit of coin or some protective detail. Coimbra introduces an innovative new dice mechanism in which the dice players draft each round are used in multiple different ways and have an impact on many aspects of their decision making. While there are many paths to victory, players should always seek to optimize their opportunities with every roll of the dice. Combined with ever-changing synergies of the citizens, expeditions, and monasteries, no two games of Coimbra will ever be the same! Then, not even a full turn in, something almost magical happens. Everything starts arranging itself into a logical robust structure laid out so well that the initial apprehension disappears completely. While not every aspect becomes immediately clear – you’ll still find yourself looking up a symbol or two in the rulebook on occasion – the rest of the game becomes almost intuitive. It may have too much going on, but Coimbra knows how to handle it well, even with a small misstep. There is a lot to take in, but there is equally a lot to like.I also noted the vibrant colours of the cover art and game board which is somewhat, um, rare for a Euro game. Does this mean that Coimbra will be a theme embracing game? Coimbra There is definitely a lot to think about and, while it sounds convoluted, the visual assistance of the game really does a good job of holding the player’s hand every step of the way. Coimbra is a game of choice, specialise or spread yourself out, number or colour, and so on. It plays out in only four rounds, although can be prone to analysis paralysis, particularly when the next group of cards are set-up at the start of a round. Yes, the theme is thinner than Harry Hill's hairline but the art and vibrancy of the graphic design are wonderful. Last of all, Phase F is where players can contribute towards one Voyage Card. These are rewards that cash out as end-game scoring. They cost between 5-8 shields or coins, each. (One of the Favour Tiles lets you invest in two Voyage Cards this turn, both at a -2 discount. You can contribute towards one in Phase C when you take the Tile, and another in Phase F.) Coimbra introduces an innovative new dice mechanism in which the dice players draft each round are used in multiple different ways and have an impact on many aspects of their decision making. While there are many paths to victory, players should always seek to optimize their opportunities with every roll of the dice. Combined with ever-changing synergies of the citizens, expeditions, and monasteries, no two games of Coimbra will ever be the same!

Coimbra is a game of choice, specialise or spread yourself out, number or colour, and so on. It plays out in only four rounds, although can be prone to analysis paralysis, particularly when the next group of cards are set-up at the start of a round. Yes, the theme is thinner than Harry Hill’s hairline but the art and vibrancy of the graphic design are wonderful.The forums at BoardGameGeek often have good discussions about gameplay.We have selected some of the best links below. (Links will open in a new window or tab) Solo ideas and discussions There are six phases to a round in Coimbra: A-F. These are all listed on the Player Boards, as a reminder. Phase A is simple: The start player rolls the 13 D6 dice (3x grey, 3x orange, 3x purple, 3x green and 1x white). For lower player counts, you’ll play with fewer dice for scaling purposes. Shuffle and draw six Voyage Cards and place these face-up on the six spaces at the bottom of the board. Then place 14 Monastery tiles to their corresponding I, II and III spots on the Pilgrim Map. (Also distinguishable by colour.) Return the remaining Voyage Cards and Monasteries to the box. In the 15th and 16th century, Portugal is thriving under its leading role during the Age of Discovery. Nestled in the heart of Portugal, the city of Coimbra serves as acultural center of the country. As the head of one of Coimbra's oldest houses, you seek to earn prestige by deepening relationships with nearby monasteries or funding expeditions of the era.To reach this goal, you must vie for the favors of the city's most influential citizens, even if you must offer a bit of coin or some protective detail. Instead, it could be an instant, one-time benefit (a lightning bolt symbol). Some of the instant benefits include gaining immediate coins or shields. Others gain nice-and-easy victory points. Others gift a certain number of free movement for your pilgrim towards Monasteries.