Eric Brosius
United States
Needham Heights
Massachusetts
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As GM for the The Princes of Florence tournament at the recently-concluded World Boardgaming Championships, I made a detailed record of the final game (I've been doing this for several years; you can read the earlier reports at the following links.)
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/336950
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/432675
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/553168
The 2011 final was a 5-player game. The players were Randy Buehler, Jason Levine, Greg Thatcher, David Platnick and Eric Freeman. I'm posting this report to provide an example you may play through and perhaps learn something about the game. I encourage any finalists who are BoardGameGeek members to post additional thoughts about the final game below. I'll use dollar signs in my write-up, even though money comes in florins.
Because of the perception that some seats (especially Seat 2 in a 5-player game) are better than others, I use bidding to determine seating order in the semi-finals and finals. Randy was first to bid, and he bid $200 to play Seat 2. Jason raised him, bidding $300 to play Seat 2. Greg then bid $100 to play Seat 1, and David bid $0 for Seat 3. Eric now bid $100 for Seat 3, and Randy bid $400 for Seat 2. Jason now took Seat 4 for $0 and David took Seat 5 for $0. We rearranged the seating order accordingly and each player paid his bid to the bank.
Seat Cash
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1 Greg 3400
2 Randy 3100
3 Eric 3400
4 Jason 3500
5 David 3500
Round 1 --- Auction
As 1st player, Greg started by auctioning a Jester that Randy bought for $1100. Greg then auctioned a Builder that Jason bought for $600. He auctioned a Recruiter, which Eric bought for $800. Greg then put up a Prestige Card for $200 and got it, as David did not bid. David now took a Forest for $200.
Round 1 --- Actions
1. Greg bought a Profession Card for $300 and Freedom of Travel for $300
2. Randy bought a Profession Card for $300 and Freedom of Religion for $300
3. Eric bought a Profession Card for $300 and Freedom of Travel for $300
4. Jason bought a Profession Card for $300 and Freedom of Religion for $300
5. David bought a Profession Card for $300 and Freedom of Opinion for $300
There was no Best Work
Seat Cash PPs
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1 Greg 2600 0
2 Randy 1400 0
3 Eric 2000 0
4 Jason 2300 0
5 David 2700 0
Round 2 --- Auction
Randy auctioned a Jester and Eric bought it for $1000. He then auctioned a Recruiter and bought it himself for $800. Jason auctioned a Builder and bought it for $700, gaining 3 PP for a second Builder. David auctioned a Prestige card and got it for $200. This allowed Greg to take a Forest for $200.
Round 2 --- Actions
1. Randy bought a Profession Card for $300 and played #20 Astronomer for 11 WV, taking $1100 + 0 PP
2. Eric built a Studio for $700 (gaining 3 PP) and played #15 Painter for 14 WV, taking $1400 + 0 PP
3. Jason bought Freedom of Opinion for $300 and a Bonus Card for $300
4. David built a University for $700 (gaining 3 PP) and played #3 Philosopher for 14 WV, taking $1400 + 0 PP
5. Greg bought Freedom of Opinion for $300 and a Bonus Card for $300
Eric and David each earned 3 PP for Best Work
Seat Cash PPs
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1 Greg 1800 0
2 Randy 1400 0
3 Eric 1700 6
4 Jason 1000 3
5 David 3200 6
Round 3 --- Auction
Eric auctioned a Jester and Randy bought it for $900. He auctioned a Recruiter to David for $700, and then took a Forest for $200. Jason auctioned a Builder to Greg for $500, which allowed him to take a Park for $200.
Round 3 --- Actions
1. Eric bought Freedom of Religion for $300 and played #12 Choreographer for 13 WV, taking $1100 + 1 PP
2. Jason bought a Laboratory for $300 (gaining 3 PP) and played #4 Botanist for 14 WV, taking $600 + 4 PP
3. David built a Chapel for $700 (gaining 3 PP) and played #21 Organ Maker for 14 WV, taking $300 + 6 PP
4. Greg bought a Laboratory for $300 (gaining 3 PP) and a Bonus Card for $300
5. Randy bought a Bonus Card for $300 and played #10 Cartographer for 17 WV using the Personalities in Hand Bonus, taking $1700 + 0 PP
Randy earned 3 PP for Best Work
Seat Cash PPs
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1 Greg 700 3
2 Randy 1900 3
3 Eric 2300 7
4 Jason 1100 10
5 David 2100 15
Round 4 --- Auction
Jason put a Jester up and bought it for $700. David then auctioned a Recruiter to Eric for $800. David then took a Forest for $200, gaining 3 PP for a second Forest. Greg bought a Lake for $200, which allowed Randy to take a Prestige Card for $200.
Round 4 --- Actions
1. Jason built a Workship for $300 (gaining 3 PP) and played #8 Goldsmith for 16 WV, taking $1000 + 3 PP
2. David bought two Bonus Cards for $600
3. Greg played #6 Physicist for 19 WV using the Categories Bonus, taking $1700 + 1 PP, and bought a Bonus Card for $300
4. Randy bought Freedom of Travel for $300 and built a University for $700 (gaining 3 PP)
5. Eric bought a Bonus Card for $300 and played #14 Sculptor for 22 WV using the Freedoms Bonus, taking $800 + 7 PP
Eric earned 3 PP for Best Work
Seat Cash PPs
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1 Greg 1900 4
2 Randy 700 6
3 Eric 2000 17
4 Jason 1100 16
5 David 1300 18
Round 5 --- Auction
David auctioned a Recruiter to Greg for $600 and then a Jester to Eric for $600. He then bought a Forest for $200, gaining 3 PP for a third Forest (!). Randy then bought a Lake for $200. This allowed Jason to take a Builder for $200, gaining 3 PP for a third Builder.
Round 5 --- Actions
1. David recruited #8 Goldsmith from Jason, built a Workshop for $700 (gaining 3 PP), and played #7 Watch Maker for 15 WV using the Forests Bonus, taking $500 + 5 PP
2. Greg Recruited #12 Choreographer from Eric, built an Opera for $300 (gaining 3 PP), and played #12 Choreographer for 15 WV, taking $300 + 6 PP
3. Randy played #1 Mathematician for 20 WV, taking $1000 + 5 PP, and built a Theater for $700 (gaining 3 PP)
4. Eric built a Workshop for $700 (gaining 3 PP) and played #9 Bell Maker for 20 WV, taking $600 + 7 PP
5. Jason built a Hospital for $0 (gaining 3 PP) and a University for $0 (gaining 3 PP)
Randy and Eric both earned 3 PP for Best Work
Seat Cash PPs
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1 Greg 1300 13
2 Randy 800 17
3 Eric 1300 30
4 Jason 900 25
5 David 900 29
Round 6 --- Auction
Greg put a Jester card up for auction and bought it for $800. Randy then bought a Park for $200. Eric put a Prestige Card up for auction and Jason bought it for $700. Eric now put a Forest up for auction, and David's second bid was enough to claim it for $500, gaining 3 PP for a fourth Forest (!!). This allowed Eric to buy a Lake for $200.
Round 6 --- Actions
1. Greg built a Hospital for $300 (gaining 3 PP) and played #17 Physician for 17 WV, taking $300 + 7 PP
2. Randy played #2 Theologian for 20 WV, taking $0 + 10 PP, and played #19 Poet for 20 WV, taking $0 + 10 PP
3. Eric recruited #7 Watch Maker from David and #12 Choreographer from Greg. He then played #12 Choreographer for 16 WV, taking $0 + 8 PP, and bought a Bonus Card for $300
4. Jason built a Theater for $0 (gaining 3 PP) and played #16 Pharmacist for 16 WV, taking $400 + 6 PP
5. David bought a Bonus Card for $300 and played #11 Jurist for 16 WV, taking $800 + 4 PP
Randy earned 3 PP for Best Work
Seat Cash PPs
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1 Greg 500 23
2 Randy 600 40
3 Eric 800 38
4 Jason 600 34
5 David 900 36
Round 7 --- Auction
Randy put a Lake up for auction and, after some bidding, he bought it for $600, gaining 3 PP for a second Lake. Eric then put a Jester up for auction and Greg bought it for $500. Eric then put a Park up for auction and Jason bought it for $700, giving up 1 PP for the last $100, but then gaining 3 PP for a second Park. Next, Eric auctioned a Prestige Card, which David bought for $500. This allowed Eric to take a Builder for $200.
Round 7 --- Actions
1. Randy gave up 3 PP to get $300, bought a Bonus Card for $300, recruited #4 Botanist from Jason, and played #4 Botanist for 20 WV using the Lakes Bonus, taking $0 + 10 PP
2. Eric built a Tower for $300 (gaining 3 PP) and played #7 Watch Maker for 24 WV using the Landscape Types Bonus, taking $0 + 12 PP
3. Jason built a Chapel for $0 (gaining 3 PP) and played #18 Dramatist for 22 WV using the Building Size Bonus, taking $0 + 11 PP
4. David bought a Bonus Card for $300 and played #8 Goldsmith for 21 WV using the Personalities on the Table and Large Buildings Bonuses, taking $100 + 10 PP
5. Greg played #5 Alchemist for 19WV, taking $100 + 9 PP, and #13 Composer for 26 WV using the Jesters/Freedoms and Prestige Cards/Freedoms Bonuses, taking $0 + 13 PP
Greg earned 3 PP for Best Work
Seat Cash PPs
--------------------
1 Greg 100 48
2 Randy 0 50
3 Eric 300 53
4 Jason 0 50
5 David 200 46
It was time to reveal Prestige Cards to determine the winner.
Greg earned 7 PP for a Builder, a Jester and 2 Landscapes
Randy earned 6 PP for Most Lakes
Eric had no Prestige Cards
Jason earned 6 PP for 4 Buildings, 2 Freedoms and 4 Works
David earned 5 PP for 2 Large Buildings
Final Scores
Seat Cash PPs
--------------------
3 Greg 100 55
1 Randy 0 56
4 Eric 300 53
2 Jason 0 56
5 David 200 51
Since Randy and Eric were tied for PPs and for Cash, the winner was determined by the special 2nd tie-breaker I use for the tournament. The player with the lowest-numbered Profession Card on the table at the end of the game is the winner.
Randy had #1 Mathematician on the table at the end of the game, while Jason's lowest-numbered Profession Card was #16 Pharmacist.
Randy was declared the tournament winner. This was the closest final game I've seen since I started GMing the tournament for WBC.
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Avri Balofsky
Israel
Beit Shemesh
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Wow what a great game.
Thanks for the report.
(And yay for Randy, who was the only name I recognized b/c of M:TG)
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John Weber
United States
Laurel
Maryland
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This is no doubt the closest final game ever of Princes of Florence at WBC, and probably at any tournament. I was the GM the first two years and can't ever remember having to go to the lowest # profession card as the tiebreaker. Congrats to Randy for the win and to all the players in the final, especially Jason who beat me handily in the semis this year.
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Wouldn't highest profession card be a better tiebreak, since the lower numbers are generally "better", which means having the higher number means you won with crappier professions.
Actually, even better might comparing the lowest numbers, and the higher of the two lowest numbers wins, a la T&E.
Another option would be best work at any point during the game. Or best work in the final round of the game.
I love PoF, and I dislike arbitrary tiebreaks. 
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Eric Brosius
United States
Needham Heights
Massachusetts
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I did think about this, David. The WBC rules require that all ties for tournament winner be broken, so I had to pick something. There were two main considerations:
(1) Profession #1 is the Mathematician, and I am a Mathematician by training.
(2) If possible, I wanted players to have the opportunity to affect their tie-breaker status. The main way to do this is by using Recruiters to take the preferred cards. To me it seemed this would be more practical if I gave preference to Professions that correspond to multi-Profession buildings, since it's more likely (for example) that multiple people have Universities than Chapels.
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