Patrician

Raise medieval towers floor by floor and pick the right family to serve at just the right moment.

Designer: Michael Schacht
Published by: AMIGO
Editions by: Mayfair Games, Korokorodou

The taller the tower, the more important the family: that is the old saying behind Mayfair's Patrician, a 2007 game not to be confused with the video game series of the same name. You play master builders who profit from vain families by raising their towers floor by floor. You hold three cards and decide where to build and which patrician family to serve, with the right place at the right time being everything. The box has 149 wooden tower pieces, 55 building cards, 20 prestige tokens and a double-sided board, and each city ends the game with two towers. Fifty minutes, best with three.

149 wooden tower piecesA hand of three cards to playEach city ends with two towers

Who it's for

You like compact area-majority card play with a pleasant physical look as the towers rise.

Not for you if…

You want a long, deep game. This one is quick and tactical, not a big economic epic.

Vibe's take

Tidy and tactical. A small hand of cards forces tight choices, and the board fills with a skyline you all helped build.