Catherine: Cities Of Tsarina

Categories: Card Game, Territory Building

Mechanics: Hand Management, Multi-Use Cards, Network and Route Building, Set Collection, Simultaneous Action Selection

Players: 2–4

Ages: 8+

Playtime: 30–45 Min

In Catherine: The Cities of the Tsarina, 2-4 players are transported to the Tsarist Empire of 1762, where they compete to win the favor of the Tsarina through a clever card-driven mechanism. Multiple strategies can lead to victory: Will you focus on the development of fine arts and trade, or will you prioritize securing arms to strengthen the empire?

Each card you hold presents a critical choice—whether to use it for its resources and actions or discard it to trigger a different action. To begin, you'll select three of the six project cards in your hand and place them in your action row. Each project card has a list of cities or resources like cannons, books, and goods at the top, and an action along with a potential bonus at the bottom.

The game spans three decades, with each decade consisting of four rounds. During each round, all players act simultaneously. First, you'll draw two cards, then place one card in your action row and the other in your activation row beneath a project card that hasn't yet been activated. If the activation card matches the color of the action card above it, you can perform that action, such as placing a residence on the map, gaining cards, exchanging cards for points or favor, or acquiring favor through cannons or books. If the action card has a bonus, you'll receive that bonus after performing the action. If the activation card doesn’t match in color or you opt not to perform the action, you’ll draw a project card as compensation.

Exceeding your hand limit earns you 1 point per excess card, and going beyond the favor maximum also grants you 1 point per excess favor.

After every four rounds, an interim scoring occurs, where players compare cannons and books in their action row, then score points based on their residences and position on the favor track. After scoring, you'll discard all cards in your activation row, along with any activated project cards, and draw two new cards.

Following the third interim scoring, players will tally points for cards left in hand, the largest cluster of connected residences, and how well they’ve fulfilled their order card received at the start of the game. To complete orders, you'll need goods from cities, which requires placing residences in those cities—something that demands careful activation of the right cards and ample collection of books.

Whatever strategy you choose, make sure you impress the Tsarina and make her proud!