Shakespeare's First Folio
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The FroGames Sheet
You're down to two coins. The card you just won is worth three. You look at the other printers. One smiles. You pass the turn and the play goes back into the deck. Someone will print it, but it won't be you.
WHAT IT'S ABOUT
The race to print Shakespeare's legacy
London, 1623. Seven years have passed since William Shakespeare's death. His works risk being lost forever. You are a printer competing to collect and publish the First Folio: the first collection of his comedies, tragedies, and historical plays. Kate and Kevin Bertram sign this illustrated historical hybrid by Donal Hegarty, developed in collaboration with the Folger Shakespeare Library.
The game alternates between trick-taking and worker placement. You play card tricks to claim works, but holding onto them costs coins. Then you place workers to gather resources, purchase new works from the central deck, and compete for turn order. The player who accumulates the most points when the last play is printed wins: the most prestigious collection becomes the Folio.
What they say abroad
"Shakespeare's First Folio has players taking the role of printers in the early Seventeenth Century competing to print the first folio of Shakespeare's plays"
— Fort Circle Games
It's a newly released game. Little data, great curiosity. We like the idea of mixing trick-taking and worker placement within a historical publishing race. The sheet will be updated with the first actual plays.
— FroGames
Shakespeare's First Folio
The game supports solo play from the basic rules, likely with a bot system or automatic draws that simulate opponents in tricks and worker placement. The experience loses the tension of reading other players during trick-taking and the direct competition for worker slots.
FrogScore · FroGames editorial rating · first read: based on rulebook and official presentation, updated with first playsOn the table
The pieces of your printing house
Deck of Works
<cite index="1-4">36 cards divided into three genres: Comedies, Tragedies, and Historical plays.</cite> Each card corresponds to a real work and its order in the original Folio. Collect sets for value and bonus points.
Historical characters
<cite index="1-5">A separate deck of historical characters who assist your efforts.</cite> Patrons, publishers, actors: cards that provide permanent or temporary advantages during the game.
Resource Dice and Bag of Fortune
<cite index="1-3">Resource dice, a Bag of Fortune, fortune tokens, wooden resources, worker meeples.</cite> Collect wood, paper, ink to print. Fortune introduces variability between rounds.
Wooden printing press
<cite index="1-3">A wooden printing press and abundant historical documents.</cite> The game includes authentic educational material: Fort Circle always aims to combine mechanics with tangible history.
🎲How to playThe rules in four steps▼
How to play
The flow of each round
Each round alternates a fast trick-taking phase with a more thoughtful worker placement phase. Two mechanics, one precise rhythm.
<cite index="3-1,3-3">Deal the deck, play tricks, keep one card per trick won by paying one coin each.</cite> The others return to the draw deck. Decide what to print and what to let go.
Place your workers on actions: gather resources from the dice at the market, buy plays from the central deck, gain advantages from Characters. Each slot hosts only one player. Whoever places first wins.
<cite index="3-25">The last player to spin the Wheel of Fortune becomes the first player in the next round.</cite> You control the turn order by sacrificing the choice of actions. Critical timing.
<cite index="3-25,3-27">When four or fewer cards remain, the final auction begins. Then points are counted: the player with the most prestigious collection wins.</cite> Complete sets and rare plays reward more.
⏱️Your first gameThe story, moment by moment▼
A game in five moments
What happens at the table
Not the rules. The experience.
The card distribution
<cite index="3-1,3-2">The 36 plays deck is distributed to the players.</cite> You look at your hand: tragedies, comedies, history plays. You know you'll only keep a few. Every choice now already weighs on the final score.
Tricks begin
You play cards like in classic trick-taking. You win a trick, you take a play. But <cite index="3-3">you can only keep one card for each trick won, and you pay one coin for each.</cite> You want to win everything, but your wallet says no.
Worker placement
The game changes pace. You place meeples to gather resources from the dice at the market, buy new plays from the central deck, spin the Wheel of Fortune. Whoever arrives first blocks the best slot. Turn order is played here.
The collection takes shape
You have three comedies, only one tragedy, zero history plays. The others already have complete sets. You spend everything to buy King Lear from the deck. Each play has a value and a place in the original Folio: sets reward, but balance is needed.
Final auction
<cite index="3-25">When four or fewer cards remain in the deck, the final auction for the remaining plays is triggered.</cite> Coins against points. Those who saved now buy. Those who spent everything hope it's enough. The last play is printed: points are counted.
🐸Good to know beforehandThree honest things, from friends▼
Good to know beforehand
Three things to consider
It's a new game, few reviews
Release summer 2026, still few public tests. No consolidated verdict from the community or international reviewers. The BGG rating is based on 5 votes: promising but not yet validated by the general public.
Trick-taking requires familiarity
If you've never played classic trick-taking (briscola, hearts, etc.), the first game will slow you down. The game assumes you know how to follow suit and evaluate the cards in your hand. A gateway for those who know cards, less so for absolute beginners.
Dense historical theme
<cite index="1-3">Includes historical documents in addition to the rulebook.</cite> Fort Circle makes educational games: if you're only looking for pure mechanics, you'll ignore half the box. If you love literary history, it's a huge added value. Otherwise, it's just extra paper.
🏆Victory and defeatWhat the ending rewards▼
How it ends
How to win and how to lose
The game ends when the last play from the deck is taken. Points are counted: printed plays, complete sets, Character bonuses.
Victory
- Collect the most points from printed plays: each card has a point value.
- Complete genre sets (Comedies, Tragedies, Histories): sets give substantial bonuses.
- Utilize historical Characters for multipliers and exclusive final advantages.
You lose points if
- You spend all your coins too early and can't buy in the final auction: those who save win the best plays.
- You win many tricks but keep few cards: each card kept costs money, you need to balance quantity and budget.
- You ignore turn order: arriving last in worker placement means poor slots and worse resources.
Shakespeare's First Folio is a gamble: it combines consolidated mechanics in a unique historical guise. If you like the idea of printing Shakespeare's legacy while competing in trick-taking and worker placement, it's an experiment worth paying attention to.
💬Frequently asked questionsQuick answers before checkout▼
Frequently asked questions
FAQ about Shakespeare's First Folio
Is the game suitable for those unfamiliar with Shakespeare?
Yes. You don't need to know the plays to play: the cards have numerical values and genre symbols. The historical theme enriches but is not necessary to understand the rules. The included historical documents are a cultural bonus, not a prerequisite.
How long does a game actually last?
<cite index="3-9">The box states 45-60 minutes with 1-4 players.</cite> Trick-taking is fast, worker placement slows down with 4 players because everyone has to choose slots. First game: count on 75 minutes to explain the intersection of the two mechanics.
What mechanics does Shakespeare's First Folio use?
<cite index="3-6">Set Collection, Trick-taking, and Worker Placement.</cite> The game alternates phases of trick-taking (to claim Shakespearean plays) with worker placement (to gather resources, buy new cards, spin the Wheel of Fortune, and control turn order).
Does it play well with 2 players?
<cite index="3-9">Officially supports 1-4 players.</cite> In 2 players, trick-taking loses tension (less competition for tricks), but worker placement remains tight. Probably better with 3-4 players where tricks have more chaos and board blockages matter more.
Is it available in Italian?
No. The edition for sale is in English. The game includes text on the cards (names of Shakespearean plays, Character effects) and historical documents in English. Basic knowledge of the language is required. No official or fan-made Italian translations currently exist.
The people behind the game
Who invented it, who designed it, who publishes it — and what else they've done.
Shakespeare's First Folio is a historical board game for 1-4 players, lasting 45-60 minutes, ages 10+. Designed by Kate and Kevin Bertram for Fort Circle Games, it combines trick-taking, worker placement, and set collection in a competition to print the first collection of Shakespeare's works in 1623. Players win card tricks to claim comedies, tragedies, and history plays, then place workers to gather resources and buy new plays. Available on FroGames.it.
Frequently Asked Questions
The answers you're looking for, no beating around the bush.
📸Do the images match the actual product?
The photos on the website often come from BoardGameGeek and are intended to give you an idea of the game. They may vary slightly from the version you receive. The content declared by the publisher is always binding.
📦Does the content of the box match what is indicated?
We always strive to provide the correct content, but minor variations are possible due to reprints or updates. The information comes directly from the publishers. If you have any questions, please contact us!
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