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. 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!

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. 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.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 theiropportunities 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.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. Try to ensure you can afford a Voyage by the time Phase F comes around. If you draft grey or orange dice, you’ll earn a free boost of shields or coins, remember! 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

Every turn in Coimbra brings a sense of achievement. While placing dice, taking cards, going on voyages and moving pilgrims around the map, players start to build an engine that ensures that next round they can do or spend more. The benefits of investing in an area of the game are immediate, and actions spent never feel wasted. Even if you don't get to do exactly what you planned because someone took the die or card you wanted, your action will prove useful. 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. After Phase F is complete, then some end-of-round clean-up occurs. Any unclaimed Character Cards return to the box. Replace them with 12 more, dealing out as described earlier. Again, place the Crown Tokens on the correct cards. Also return the Favour Tiles next to the Castle. The new First Player rolls the dice (Phase A), and players begin drafting dice once more. Combined with always changing synergies between available tiles and cards - no game of Coimbra will ever be the same! If playing a three or two-player game, place specified Die Tokens in the Upper, Central and Lower City. This is for player count scaling purposes. If you’re playing with four players, ignore this.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. No it does not. Let’s get this out of the way now – Coimbra’s theme is as weak as a Paul Daniels punchline. Thankfully, Coimbra shines in the gameplay department and I got so in to drafting the best dice for my plans that I forgot why I was moving a meeple around a map at all! 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. No it does not. Let's get this out of the way now - Coimbra's theme is as weak as a Paul Daniels punchline. Thankfully, Coimbra shines in the gameplay department and I got so in to drafting the best dice for my plans that I forgot why I was moving a meeple around a map at all!

While there are many ways to victory, the best of players will always look to optimize their opportunities with every roll of the dice. Coimbra brings a unique dice mechanism wherein the dice players draft will be utilized multiple times every round in various aspects of decision making. 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.) 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!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 Also, if your die holder is sitting fifth in queue of dice, there’s a strong chance you won’t even get a card. In which case, you’ll only get two coins and two shields. Gamblers, beware… Note that in Phase E, some cards trigger at this point. For example, some E cards reward you with a return of two coins for every orange dice you drafted this round. Or, in Phase E another card allows the owner an exchange rate of giving up two shields for one VP.