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Choose the wrong city and you'll find the table deserted. Choose the right one and you'll watch others with satisfaction as they pick up the crumbs of your perfect path.
WHAT IT'S ABOUT
Barbers on a journey to academic glory
In medieval Europe, trained physicians were extremely rare. Itinerant barbers did their best to treat people, and more than one dreamed of one day achieving the knowledge and reputation of a true Medicus. Stefan Feld, master of modern eurogames, signs this game of strategic planning and routes for Hall Games, with illustrations by Dennis Lohausen.
In Medico, you move from city to city to collect rare remedies to sell at the market, deliver letters on behalf of the Church, seek recipes in monastic libraries, acquire medical instruments, and heal local lords. Each round you secretly choose one of seven destinations: if you plan your route well, you perform secondary actions at intermediate points. With only 8 or 9 turns available, every choice matters. In the end, the player who has accumulated the most points from recipe books, instruments, apprentices, and favors wins.
What they say abroad
A dense spatial puzzle full of decisions, with that familiar Feld tension.
— FroGames
The simultaneous choice of destinations creates moments of pure satisfaction when your plan works.
— FroGames
Medico
FrogScore · FroGames editorial rating · based on rules, international reviews, and play sessionsTools of the trade
What you collect along the journey
Rare remedies
Collect them along the routes and sell them at markets. The more exotic, the more valuable. Those who accumulate complete collections earn extra bonuses.
Letters from the Church
Delivering them earns you the favor of the clergy, which translates into points and privileges. Each letter delivered is a step towards reputation.
Medical recipes
Find them in monastic libraries. Each recipe discovered is knowledge that brings you closer to the title of Medicus. Collect them all for massive bonuses.
Medical instruments
Purchasable in major cities. Each instrument expands your abilities and is worth points at the end of the game. Those who invest in instruments often win.
At the end of the game, the table will be covered with remedies, letters, recipes, and instruments. And someone will have planned better than others.
A five-part game
What happens at the table
Not the rules. The experience.
Everyone looks at the map
The game begins with seven cities before you and one question: where to go first? Everyone secretly chooses a destination, already imagining the optimal route. The tension is silent: you are about to discover if your plan works or if someone else has anticipated you.
The first revelations
Destination tiles are revealed. Someone smiles, someone curses under their breath: two players have chosen the same city, and whoever arrives last loses the best action. The first implicit conflict has just emerged. Those who planned better reap the rewards, the others adapt.
Paths intertwine
Mid-game, the board is alive: intersecting paths, accumulating secondary actions, remedies changing hands. Each turn is a micro-puzzle of optimization: which city to choose, which waypoints to leverage, which objectives to balance. Strategies begin to diverge.
The perfect turn
Then it happens: you choose a distant city, cross three waypoints, perform four actions in a single turn and leave the others watching you with admiration and envy. That moment when everything clicks is what you play Medico for. It's what you'll remember tomorrow.
The final count
The last turn has passed. The table is covered with components: recipes, tools, apprentices, delivered letters. The final point calculation begins. The winner is whoever balanced the scoring paths best, whoever planned ahead, whoever didn't waste a single move.
How to play
The flow of each round
Each turn is a simultaneous choice followed by movement and actions.
Everyone secretly chooses one of the seven cities as their destination for the turn. The choice is blind: you don't know where others will go.
Destinations are revealed. Whoever arrives first in a city has priority for the main action. Those who arrive later pick up the scraps or have to settle for something else.
You move towards your chosen destination. For each waypoint you cross, you can perform a secondary action (if you have planned for it). The longer the route, the more actions you accumulate.
You arrive at the chosen city and perform the main action available there: collect remedies, deliver letters, buy tools, heal the local lord, or search for recipes in the library.
Why it's different from others
Six mechanics that make a difference
Simultaneous destination selection
Each turn everyone secretly chooses where to go. When choices are revealed, you discover if your plan works or if someone anticipated you. The tension is constant, because you can never be sure to arrive first.
Secondary actions along the way
It's not just about the destination, but also the journey. Each waypoint crossed allows you a secondary action. Those who plan long, efficient routes perform more actions in a single turn and accumulate decisive advantages.
Only 8-9 turns available
The game is very short for a eurogame of this weight. Every turn counts, every mistake is costly. There's no time for slow strategies: you must be efficient from the first move.
Multiple scoring paths
You can win by collecting remedies, delivering letters, acquiring tools, healing lords, collecting recipes, or training apprentices. No path is dominant, but you must choose what to focus on from the start.
Cumulative knowledge
The recipes you discover in monastic libraries are permanent knowledge that expands your abilities. The more you collect, the more powerful you become. Those who invest in knowledge play games differently from others.
Critical arrival order
Whoever arrives first in a city has access to the best action. Those who arrive last settle for the scraps. Anticipating opponents is as important as planning your own route.
How it ends
How to win and how to lose
After 8 or 9 rounds, the game ends. Victory points accumulated in all categories are counted.
Victory
- You balanced the scoring paths better: recipes, tools, apprentices, favors from the Church and the lord.
- You planned efficient routes that allowed you to perform more actions than others.
- You anticipated others' movements and arrived first in key cities when it really mattered.
Defeat
- You chose destinations where everyone else arrived before you, losing the best actions.
- You took short routes without utilizing secondary actions along the way.
- You focused on only one scoring path, while others diversified and accumulated points from multiple sources.
Medico is a eurogame of planning and timing where every turn is a puzzle and every path is a gamble. Whoever reads the table best wins.
Frequently asked questions
Medico FAQ
Is it a suitable game for those new to Feld eurogames?
Medico has a leaner structure compared to Feld's classics like Castles of Burgundy or Trajan, but it retains the author's typical decision density. If you've already played medium-weight eurogames, you can tackle it; otherwise, start with something more accessible. The first game requires 20 minutes of explanation and a bit of patience to understand how to optimize routes.
Does it work well with two players?
Yes, but the interaction changes. With two players, it's easier to avoid conflicts and everyone can plan freer routes. With three or four, the competition for key cities becomes fierce, and you have to anticipate opponents. Both experiences are solid, but the game truly shines with three or four.
How long does a game really last?
With experienced players, 60-75 minutes. For the first game, you can easily reach 90 minutes because you need to understand how to optimize routes and prioritize actions. The game has few turns, but each turn requires thought: it's not a filler.
Is there direct interaction or just a race for points?
Interaction is indirect but strong: you occupy cities, block resources, anticipate opponents. If you arrive first in a city, you have access to the best action; those who arrive later pick up the scraps. You don't directly attack anyone, but your choices constantly limit those of others. It's pure competition.
Is it available in Italian?
This is the English language edition. Text on the cards is present but limited (names of remedies, recipes, cities). With an Italian reference card, you can play without problems. The rulebook is available online in several languages.
Medico is a eurogame by Stefan Feld for 2-4 players, 60-90 minutes, ages 12+. Set in medieval Europe, the game uses mechanics of simultaneous destination selection and route planning to create a tight optimization experience. Published by Hall Games with illustrations by Dennis Lohausen, Medico challenges players to balance multiple scoring paths (remedies, recipes, tools, favors) in just 8-9 turns. The pick-up and deliver mechanic merges with the pressure of blind choice, making each turn a spatial puzzle where the journey is as important as the destination. Available on FroGames.it.
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