{"product_id":"condottiere","title":"Condottiere","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIt is 13th century Italy. Trade is flourishing between the city-states and the Levant. Venice, Florence, and Genoa are all bursting with wealth. However, each city-state is also plagued with a weak national army, leaving them defenseless against invasion from their envious neighbors. Enter the \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCondottiere\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs veteran English soldiers returned from the Crusades, Italy found itself with an influx of desperate and capable men. These hired swords were contracted to fight for individual city-states by an agreement known as a condotta. The most elite of these men were the mercenary leaders known as the\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCondottiere\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe object of\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCondottiere\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eis to acquire four connected provinces in renaissance Italy. To do this players auction off different provinces on the board and bid on these provinces with a hand of cards representing mercenaries, seasons, scarecrows, and political figures. However, unlike standard auctions in which only the highest bidder loses their bid, in\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCondottiere\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eevery player loses their bid. Players are, in effect, bidding the number of troops they are willing to lose in order to win a province. However, several special effect cards shake the contests up and keep the players guessing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\n","brand":"Z-Man Games","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46274455732460,"sku":"ZM008","price":25.59,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0752\/3572\/1452\/files\/pic4211268.jpg?v=1742334339","url":"https:\/\/www.slickmimics.com\/products\/condottiere","provider":"Boardlandia Appleton","version":"1.0","type":"link"}