Ponte Vecchio
Ponte Vecchio Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 1 three-part plastic bridge
- 60 plastic shops in five different colours
- 1 card deck (55 cards: 5 sets of 11 cards each)
- 1 playing piece: the plastic "Rich Lord"
- 1 set of coins
- 1 game board
- 1 rulebook
Object of the Game
Each player tries, by selling their own goods, to accumulate more money than the others.
Setup
- Build the bridge: the three parts are pushed into the holes provided in the game board.
- Place the "Rich Lord" on one of the two banks of the board, in front of the bridge.
- Remove the coins from the punch sheet and lay them out. They represent the bank.
- Each player receives twelve shops in the same colour, one set of cards, and 100 guilders as starting capital.
- Determine who starts. Then, in turn, the players build their shops on any space of the bridge, taking care that no two shops stand directly opposite each other.
The Bridge
The bridge consists of two side parts and a middle part, each divided into five spaces (steps). This gives 15 steps in total. The building plots for shops are located on the sides of the steps (30 building spaces in total).
The side parts of the bridge are identical. It therefore does not matter which part is placed to the right and which to the left of the middle part.
Course of Play
Each round consists of two different phases:
- Building shops.
- Moving the "Rich Lord" forward.
When the second phase is finished, the next round begins, and so on until the final round, which ends the game.
1. Building the Shops
Shops are built through an auction. The first player determines the opening bid. From then on, all players may outbid the bid (it must always be a multiple of 5: 10, 15, 20, ...) or pass. Players take turns clockwise. When a player has made the highest bid and the other players have passed, that player gets the shop. They pay the bid amount to the bank and build one of their shops on a random step. The second phase follows, in which the "Rich Lord" is moved forward.
From the second round on, the auction is always opened by the player who last moved the "Rich Lord" (see the rules below). A player cannot refuse to open the auction, except when they are unable to do so (because they have no money or no shops left). In that case they must pass, and the player seated to their left takes the turn.
When a player has used up all their shops, they can no longer take part in the auction.
2. Moving the "Rich Lord" Forward
Each player chooses one of the cards dealt to them and places it face down on the table in front of them. When all players have made their choice, they reveal the played card. The player with the lowest card gets the right to move the "Rich Lord" forward.
If two or more players are tied for the lowest card, the right goes to the player whose shop is closest to the "Rich Lord". (Note that only shops that lie in front of the player, that is, within their field of view, are taken into account.) If it is still a tie, those players are excluded, and the right goes to the player who, among the remaining players, played the lowest card.
Example:
- Player A plays the card 10.
- Player B plays the card 10.
- Player C plays the card 10.
- Player D plays the card 50.
A and B each own one shop on the step closest to the "Rich Lord". They are both excluded, so C wins the right.
Played cards are not taken back, but remain face up on the table. In each round, the players place their chosen cards on top of those of the previous round, building a stack of discarded cards. All played cards are taken back only when the cards dealt at the beginning have been used up (which happens in the 11th and 22nd rounds).
Note: it may occur, although it is extremely unlikely, that all players are tied. In this case the round ends and the game moves on to the next round without anything further happening. The played cards remain on the table in any case.
How the "Rich Lord" Is Moved Forward: General Rule
The player who receives the right must move the "Rich Lord" forward a number of steps of their choice (any number of spaces), or transfer this right to an opponent in return for payment. If the "Rich Lord" comes to rest in front of a shop, the owner of that shop receives from the bank an amount equal to the value of the card played by the player who moved the "Rich Lord" forward.
Example: a player receives the right to move the "Rich Lord" forward with a card of value 10, but sells this right to an opponent for 50 guilders. That opponent had played a card of value 100. The opponent now moves the "Rich Lord" to a space on which they own a shop, and earns 100 guilders. (Had the first player not sold the right and played the turn themselves, they would only have earned 10 guilders.)
Exceptions
The players are obliged to move the "Rich Lord" forward. The player who receives the right cannot decide to leave him where he stands.
If necessary, they may place the "Rich Lord" on a step without a shop.
The "Rich Lord" can only be moved forward. However, if he comes to rest on one of the last five steps, the player who moved him forward may also turn him around.
The change of direction can only occur after moving forward, and not in between or beforehand.
Turning around is mandatory if the "Rich Lord" has reached the last space of the bridge, or if after moving forward there are no longer any shops in front of him.
If the "Rich Lord" comes to rest on a step where two different shops stand opposite each other, the player who moved him forward chooses which of the two owners has the right to earn the money.
The Joker
One of the cards available to the players is a special one. This is the Joker: the only card without a numerical value. This card is worth the least (less than 10), but with it a player can earn a lot of money. Unlike the other cards, it makes it possible to earn a very high sum of money, namely 20 guilders for each of one's own shops built on the bridge. Otherwise, all rules already given for the use of cards apply.
Final Round
When the last possible shop has been built on the bridge (the thirtieth), the final round begins. In it, each player plays with their entire set of cards.
In the final round, the sole purpose is to move the "Rich Lord" forward, and the game ends when the last remaining card is played.
Winner
At the end of the last round, the player with the most cash wins. In case of a tie, the number of shops on the bridge is decisive. If that also does not lead to a distinction (which is in any case extremely rare), the game ends undecided.
Tips
Never lose sight of the position of the "Rich Lord" on the bridge, so that you always know which shop is closest to him.
Sometimes it pays to play your highest card, in order to be more likely to gain the right to move the "Rich Lord" forward. However, avoid offering too much money to those who have more money than you, especially the richest player.
Try to remember as precisely as possible which cards were played in the previous rounds, and do not play your cards at random.