Economic games are about generating income in some way and trying to be the player with the best finances at the end of the game. Economic games usually include some form of market system, which could be straight-up stock trading but could also include trading between players or buying and selling from a central market. Economic games encourage players to manage a system of production, distribution, trade, and/or consumption of goods. The games usually simulate a market in some way.

In Century: Spice Road, players are caravan leaders who travel the famed silk road to deliver spices to the far reaches of the continent for fame and glory. Players are competing to earn victory points by trading in spices (represented by cubes) for Point Cards. The game will end in the round when a player has taken their fifth Point Card, and at that point the player with the highest score will win. The main part of the game is centered around acquiring cubes or converting them using the Merchant Cards.

Century: Spice Road is tense, addictive, and incredibly fun. This is a phenomenal family-weight strategy game which is easy to learn and teach. The theme is not really strong but the gameplay offers interesting decisions from the first turn. You need to build a hand of cards to efficiently acquire, upgrade, and convert spices cubes. So the question becomes which Merchant Cards you need… and at what price. You’ll need cards that work well together, but you also need versatility to adapt as new Point Cards come into the market. Despite that depth and interesting decision space, gameplay is extremely fast-paced around 30-45 minutes. Try it to improve your strategic and tactical planning abilities!