Biblios
You are an abbot of a medieval monastery competing with other abbots to amass the greatest library of sacred books. To do so; you need to have both the workers and resources to run a well-functioning scriptorium. To acquire workers and resources; you use a limited supply of donated gold. In addition; you must be on good terms with the powerful bishop; who can help you in your quest.
The object of the game is to score the most Victory Points. You win Victory Points by winning any of the 5 categories: Illuminators; Scribes; Manuscripts; Scrolls; and Supplies. You win a category by having the highest total number of workers (Scribes; Illuminators) or resources (Manuscripts; Scrolls; Supplies) in that category. This is determined by the numbers in the upper left corner on the cards. At the start of the game; each category is worth 3 Victory Points. As the game progresses; the values on the Value Board will change and some categories will become worth more or fewer Victory Points than others. The game is divided into 2 stages: a Donation stage and an Auction stage. During the Donation stage; players acquire free cards according to an established plan. In the Auction stage; players purchase cards in auction rounds. After the two stages; winners of each category are determined and Victory Points awarded. The player with the most Victory Points wins.
The game involves a good deal of strategic planning; some bluffing; and a little bit of luck. The rules are easy to understand; but you have to play it a few times to develop a playing strategy. It plays differently from 2-4 players; but each game is equally fun and challenging.