Tips & Strategy

Turn early income and travel into a flexible scoring engine.

Plan a route and its costs together

Before taking Travel, choose the destination and total the movement fare plus every route cost. The action’s lowest die caps the number of steps; pay the complete cost before moving. One travel action places at most one post, so choose the city where that post will matter most.

Build recurring income

A Small City can repay its travel cost over multiple rounds through its recurring benefit. Balance that long-term income against the Coins and Camels needed to reach it. Complete Contracts that help finance movement, and keep space for a Contract that fits the route you are already taking.

Use the character’s exception

Characters bend core rules, so identify the action or cost your ability makes easier before choosing a first route. Do not treat a character’s bonus as permission to ignore the rest of an action’s costs.

Venice module

The Venice board extends the post network and provides new action opportunities. The first post has a required starting location; later placements must connect and may cost resources. Consider whether a small Palace’s recurring benefit is worth the connection cost before placing there.

New Characters

Gifts with a lightning bolt resolve immediately; other gifts are saved for your turn. With Fratre Nicolao, choose the gift that best supports your current plan and use the token to keep two only when both have a clear use.

Secret Paths

A Secret Path can bypass a costly connection for its owner. Keep routes that shorten a planned trip, and sell a path whose endpoints do not support your goals.

Videos

• The Voyages of Marco Polo videos on BoardGameGeek — includes rules explanations, reviews and playthroughs.
• The official rulebook files are the source for costs, timing and scoring; video strategy is advice rather than a rules authority.