by joelangdale7
chas59 wrote:
I've been having a great month tweaking, solitairing, and making a Player Aid for Ventura. But as others have predicted here, it seems to be a hard sell to my other pals, even though they get to try it for free, and with all the tweaked rules I've done to improve the game play. So I just thought I'd set down some of my reasons for playing it, for both those here and also a post I can refer my own pals to.
Why play Ventura in 2024, a game that was discounted heavily and often remains unplayed on the shelf?
1. While its a bit underbaked, I think I've fixed it with a bit of work and the concensus of the Forum here.
2. Its simple, fun to play, and doesn't go on for too long even if you play to more victory points, as I do.
3. It has several innovative mechanisms, such as varying terrain values for some of the board tiles, the card movement and combat system, and etc.
4. It is successfully and sometimes subtly creative in evoking a fascinating historical period's warfare. The Italian Renaissance is usually relegated to trading games. The Italian designers are obviously familiar with the history, as evidenced by the colorful Leader ("Captains of Fortune") card bios, the variety of military units, and an exciting simulation of city-state land warfare. What a find!
5. The system of board markers is easily receptive to the addition of a simple hidden movement system, which enhances play.
6. The economics involved are easy. I hate math, but with a few marker dice added, I can figure out my player income minus maintenance in about 30 seconds!
7. While the Blue Cards are mainstream and useful, the Green Cards are a hoot, and they make me laugh! They combine almost useless rabble units with Event Cards that can situationally swing the game.
8. The components are attractive, and the table presence is intriguing.
9. Replayability is off the charts, due to various varibles such as board construction, card draws, army building, and etc. My first four plays at all the possible player counts have been different adventures! There are a number of different strategic and tactical plays that can be made in different situations.
10. Several rules systems simulate a limited war of the period successfully, where you can neither expand forever nor win by turtling up. The different systems interact with each other in subtle ways to create strong but fragile armies that must be used before they are defeated, or simply cost to much to maintain for too long a period. Deciding when to risk it all and go for it is part of the fun, win or lose!
***
There are lots of games out there, and the marketplace doesn't always treat them well. Some deserve to fade away, but this one, for me, does not! I'm glad I rescued it from my pal's unplayed shelf! You can see my other posts for the rules changes I've made, some exciting solitaires I've played, a few additional FAQ, and other comments.
Why play Ventura in 2024, a game that was discounted heavily and often remains unplayed on the shelf?
1. While its a bit underbaked, I think I've fixed it with a bit of work and the concensus of the Forum here.
2. Its simple, fun to play, and doesn't go on for too long even if you play to more victory points, as I do.
3. It has several innovative mechanisms, such as varying terrain values for some of the board tiles, the card movement and combat system, and etc.
4. It is successfully and sometimes subtly creative in evoking a fascinating historical period's warfare. The Italian Renaissance is usually relegated to trading games. The Italian designers are obviously familiar with the history, as evidenced by the colorful Leader ("Captains of Fortune") card bios, the variety of military units, and an exciting simulation of city-state land warfare. What a find!
5. The system of board markers is easily receptive to the addition of a simple hidden movement system, which enhances play.
6. The economics involved are easy. I hate math, but with a few marker dice added, I can figure out my player income minus maintenance in about 30 seconds!
7. While the Blue Cards are mainstream and useful, the Green Cards are a hoot, and they make me laugh! They combine almost useless rabble units with Event Cards that can situationally swing the game.
8. The components are attractive, and the table presence is intriguing.
9. Replayability is off the charts, due to various varibles such as board construction, card draws, army building, and etc. My first four plays at all the possible player counts have been different adventures! There are a number of different strategic and tactical plays that can be made in different situations.
10. Several rules systems simulate a limited war of the period successfully, where you can neither expand forever nor win by turtling up. The different systems interact with each other in subtle ways to create strong but fragile armies that must be used before they are defeated, or simply cost to much to maintain for too long a period. Deciding when to risk it all and go for it is part of the fun, win or lose!
***
There are lots of games out there, and the marketplace doesn't always treat them well. Some deserve to fade away, but this one, for me, does not! I'm glad I rescued it from my pal's unplayed shelf! You can see my other posts for the rules changes I've made, some exciting solitaires I've played, a few additional FAQ, and other comments.
What are your rule tweaks please?
![Grey Streak, Roscoe Fox – Faith in One City 2008 (2026) [24-bit FLAC]](http://imageurl.xyz/images/2026/07/07/Grey_Streak-Faith_in_One_City_2008-NSR031-24BIT-WEB-FLAC-2026-ENRiCH.jpg)
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