Kevingston Boardgames. Cambridge, England
Gazebo Games'
Whenever you mention an 'Art Auction' game everybody assumes you mean Masterpiece, and turn off. Modigliani is most definitely not Masterpiece, it is one of the better family games to appear in the few years, so read on.
| The basic components are those of a 'standard' family
game; there is a board, money, event cards, six widgets
and two dice. In addition there are 42 'paintings', cards
which depict, in glorious full colour, paintings by
everyone from Goya to Constable. My personal favourite, a
Morbelli, is shown here but the scanner just hasn't done
it justice. No artistic knowledge is required at all (which is good because I previously thought Canaletto was something like Ravioli!). |
 |
The paintings are organised to be (in general) one from each combination of country-of-origin (Britain, France, Italy, etc.) and period (Renaissance, C18, Impressionist, Modern, etc.). The aim is to collect as many 'collections' of paintings as possible, a 'collection' being a set of four of one country or period. Collections can cross, so you can have a set of French paintings, and a set of Modern paintings, where there is a French Modern card shared between the sets.
You start the game with some money and one secret painting each. The rest of the paintings are put in the centre of the board, the topmost card being visible. Everyone takes a turn, rolls the dice and moves their widget around the board. Some squares result in a card being taken and some action being followed, but these are fairly rare.
After every movement round there is an auction, and this is the real core of the game. There are a variety of ways by which a player may be allowed to bid which means that in general most players can be involved in most auctions. The painting on show starts at the price specified by the card, but then it's a free-for-all auction. Having a dedicated and independent auctioneer is highly recommended (although the rules don't specifically suggest it) otherwise the game can drag on. The more hectic the auction the better.
The prices rocket as you get more and more desperate to form that set. There is a vicious twist, (as in all the best games), as an opponent has a slim chance of converting that painting you desperately wanted into a worthless forgery. Rather neatly, there is a significant chance that they will end up with it instead!
The paintings you have purchased are all publicly visible, so your opponents know exactly what cards you are going to bid for and will try to outbid you. The real strategy comes in managing your cash flow, and trying to ruin theirs.
The rules are clear and well presented, all the components are of a high standard, and it all comes in a good solid box. One minor niggle is that the corners of the square cut cards can be irritatingly sharp. The only criticism I have of the gameplay is that the chancy 'Sales Fortune' cards are rather extreme in their effect.
Overall Modigliani is a well presented and entertaining game. A thoroughly enjoyable way to spend a couple of hours with friends or family, which is what this sort of game is all about.