Mille Fiori Review

Mille Fiori has players in the shoes of glass artisans working to make the most profit that they can before the game ends. Much like most Reiner Knizia titles, gameplay is simple. Every round, you are dealt 5 cards. Each player chooses one to play and passes the rest to the next player. Then, in order each player reveals their card and places one of their diamonds on the corresponding section. They'll score points depending on where and how they placed a diamond. Some players may also get to piggyback on your piece and score bonus points of their own. Points are more than plentiful in this game. Each section of the board scores differently from the others. Each section also has a large bonus point parameter. For example, in the residences if you score 4 different unique point values, you get to place a diamond on the highest available point total. Sections also have bonus actions available if you meet the prerequisites. The game is over when players run out of diamonds or if deck depletes and whoever has the most points will be the winner.

The Good: This game is absolutely gorgeous. Everything is so tactile. Also, the players ships are one of the coolest pieces I've seen. The beautiful glass effect they have is perfectly on theme. This is one of the more complex Knizia games that I've played in terms of scoring but it only takes a couple of rounds to have a feel for how everything plays out. It's also more strategic than I expected. I completely neglected a section and my wife cleaned house on it which was a huge swing to the game. I did everything I could to bring it back but it was too late. She's better at games than I am. Maybe she should be the reviewer?

The Okay: Some of the point scoring areas are a bit confusing. Especially around the harbor and merchants area. I also had a hard time determining if/when everyone should score points. I did not catch it in the rulebook but the assumption is when the keyhole symbol appeared on cards you played.

The Not So Good: At two players, the game plays just fine but you'll want to have more players if you can get them. Each two player game ended with one of us running out of diamonds instead of the deck depleting which is to be expected. You'll also miss out on the board becoming even more colorful as the game goes. It works no problem and you can still play but it definitely felt like an oversight.

Final Thoughts: Overall, Mille Fiori is a really simple game that's going to score you a ton of points. It's not a perfect game but it can be played in under an hour if you know what you're doing. I taught and played with my wife and we finished in about 35 minutes for her first game. I'm also a huge sucker for Venetian themed games. Venice is my favorite city I've ever been to and watching these glass artisans was incredible to see. Mille Fiori attempts to be true to the broad ideas and it's a really great game.

Thanks to Devir for providing me with a review copy.