Wouter & Ymke 
In Codex Leicester, players step into the shoes of Renaissance inventors, aiming to bring their unique designs to life. Drawing inspiration from Leonardo da Vinci’s famed Codex Leicester, inventors navigate through challenges, gather materials, and seek support from influential figures to realize their inventive visions. The key to success is not just about developing ideas but efficiently executing them before competitors do. After seven rounds, the richest inventor will be crowned the winner.
👥 1-5 players, ages 14+
⌛ Playing time: 30-150 minutes
📝 Designers: Changhyun Baek, Flaminia Brasini, Virginio Gigli, Stefano Luperto & Antonio Tinto
🎨 Artwork: Seongho Lee
🏢 Publisher: DiceTree Games (review copy provided)
The game is structured around three main phases within each round. These phases guide players through declaring, working on, and completing their inventions.
📜 Declaring Invention Phase: In this initial phase, players declare their intentions to create new inventions. To do this, they must have the necessary materials and an available workshop. There’s a choice between common and epic inventions, and while players can work towards future inventions, they cannot complete them immediately. Additionally, players can declare the same inventions as their rivals since it’s all about who completes it first, not who declares it first.
👥 Assignment Phase: Now, players strategically place their workers, which include a master and multiple apprentices. The master holds 2 influence power, while each apprentice has 1. Starting with the player at the top of the turn order track, everyone takes turns assigning their workers either to specific areas on the game board or to their workshops. Total influence, determined by the sum of the powers of all workers placed in an area, dictates who acts first. Rules on placing workers vary: apprentices can be grouped, but masters work alone. In workshops, placing workers kickstarts production. This means the Automata (machines inspired by da Vinci) also begin working, though only once when the first worker is placed.
🏛️ Resolving Area Phase: This is where the action on the game board unfolds. Depending on where players have placed their workers, they can gain benefits from different areas, such as the Council, Laboratory, Academy, Markets, and Bank. For instance, in the Council, players determine their turn order for the subsequent round. In the Laboratory, they can expand their workshop, get an Automata, or increase their work rate. The Academy offers new apprentices or materials for purchase. Markets are where materials are bought, though in the last round, players sell instead of buying.
🛠️ Bringing inventions to life: Once all the work is done and the materials gathered, players can complete their inventions. In doing so, they return their used materials and clear their workshops. Although epic inventions are more challenging, they come with significant end-game rewards.
🏆 As the game concludes, players earn additional florins based on the symbols they’ve collected on their inventions and special cards. Collecting diverse sets of symbols yields bonuses, while accumulating many of the same type also offers rewards. Those who completed epic inventions receive further bonuses. At the end of it all, the player with the most florins is declared the most acclaimed inventor of the Renaissance!
Codex Leicester, an update of the 2006 game Leonardo Da Vinci, combines resource management, worker placement, and area majority mechanics into an intriguing midweight eurogame. Created by the Acchittocca designer group with new inputs from Changhyun Baek of DiceTree Games, it caters to 1-5 players, ideal for ages 14 and up. Though the box indicates a broad playing time of 30-150 minutes, in our experience, it typically ranges between 90-120 minutes for 3 to 4 players and a bit less with two.
👥 In terms of gameplay, the game introduces a refreshing take on the worker placement mechanic. It’s not always the player who arrives first at a location who gets to act first. Other players can later bring more workers, hence more influence, to the same location, effectively ‘bidding’ with their workers. This brings an element of area majority into play. Actions are taken starting from the player with the most influence in each area, with each area offering up to four actions, increasing in cost. If a player passes, they take their workers back, and other players have the chance to act, up until a maximum of four actions or everyone passes.
🏆 The competition to complete inventions is central. Although multiple players can target the same invention, the rewards vary based on the completion order. The first player to complete an invention not only gains the most florins but also exclusive access to the invention card’s unique effects or benefits. The second player, while earning fewer florins, receives a symbolic representation of the invention without its core benefits.
🎨 Regarding the theme, Codex Leicester presents a beautiful Renaissance backdrop, but like many eurogames, the theme is more of an aesthetic aspect than a deeply integrated part of gameplay. The historical setting provides context, yet it doesn’t heavily influence how the game is played. Seongho Lee’s artistic contributions are detailed and well-fitted to the era, but players looking for an immersive historical experience might find this a bit lacking.
🔍 The game’s production quality is impressive. It includes dual-layered boards, custom wooden pieces, and detailed resources, with small containers aiding setup and gameplay. The cards are of high quality, and using plastic chips as the game’s currency, florins, adds a nice touch. Additionally, the game has a clear and well-structured rulebook filled with illustrations and examples that make the learning process straightforward and engaging.
💭 Codex Leicester is a eurogame with innovative twists on familiar mechanics. It offers more player interaction than typical games of its genre, emphasizing strategic planning and efficient resource management. The game stands out for its blend of competition and tactical play, making it a good choice for those seeking a familiar yet fresh eurogame experience.
📝 Disclaimer: We received a review copy of this game from DiceTree Games for this review.
