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Rhein: River Trade
- 2–5 players
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The Doge Ship
2012
Rules assistance for The Doge Ship
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–5 players
- 90 min
- 13+
- Complexity 2.7/5
Rules assistant for The Doge Ship
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
The Doge Ship is a board game released in 2012 for 2–5 players, 90 minutes per game, and ages 13 and up. It was designed by Marco Canetta and Stefania Niccolini and its main mechanics are Auction / Bidding, Dice Rolling, and Action Points.
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About the game
Venice, five centuries ago – In order to celebrate the glory of Venice, the Doge, the maximum authority of the Republic, ordered the construction of a new state ship. In The Doge Ship, the players play the role of the most skilled shipbuilders of Venice who are called by the Doge to cooperate on the construction of the new ship. Each player has to build parts of the Ship in order to earn victory points, but also Gondolas to get money, and Barriers for the protection of the shipyard and the city. The task is not easy: At the beginning of each round, the cost of the actions might change, as well as the demands of the Doge. When the construction of the ship is finished, only one will be the winner and will gain the favour of the Doge. In this game players have to manage their five actions per round competing with other players on these available. Players can work on a part of the Doge Ship to gain VP, on Gondolas to make money, or on Barriers to protect Venice from High Water effects and save their shipyard. Manage money is fundamental as all materials costs something. The game ends when the Doge Ship is complete.
Categories
Designers
Publishers
- Rio Grande Games
- Giochix.it
Questions and answers
The Doge Ship supports 2–5 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for The Doge Ship is 90 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists The Doge Ship for ages 13 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
The Doge Ship has a complexity rating of 2.7 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
The Doge Ship belongs to these categories: Economic and Renaissance. Its main mechanics are Auction / Bidding, Dice Rolling, and Action Points. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of The Doge Ship are: Marco Canetta and Stefania Niccolini. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists The Doge Ship as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.