Plan B Games' Century: Spice RoadPhoto: Plan B Games / Next Move Games
Cards, spice cubes, bowls and coinsPhoto: Plan B Games / Next Move Games
Collect spices to fill point cardsPhoto: Gameistry
Coins for the first orders filledPhoto: Plan B Games / Next Move Games
Turmeric, saffron, cardamom and cinnamonPhoto: Gameistry
The four spicesPhoto: Achim Raschka, CC BY-SA 4.0
The spice trade the game is aboutPhoto: exfordy (Flickr), CC BY 2.0
Video

Card game

Century: Spice Road

Trade turmeric, saffron, cardamom and cinnamon in a quick card game

2–5players · best with 2-4
30–45 minplaying time
8+recommended age
Learning curve
Easy2 / 5
EasyDemanding
Luck & skill
Mostly skill
LuckSkill
Interaction
Low
Set-up
About 5 min
Reading
None

The quick verdict

Full verdict ↓

Great for Families with children aged 8 and up who can plan a few steps ahead

Think twice if You want lots of player interaction: you race for the same cards but never attack each other

How we rate it

Learning curve. Four actions and icon-only cards, so it teaches in minutes; the challenge is planning a chain of cards, much like Splendor (a 2 on our scale).

Luck & skill. The order in which merchant and point cards come out is random, and a strong card in the free slot can help whoever is next, but planning your hand decides most games.

Interaction. You compete for the same merchant and point cards and the coins, but nobody can attack or take things from you.

Set-up. Deal five point cards and six merchant cards, put out the coins, sort the cubes into the four bowls and hand out caravan and starting cards with each seat's starting spices.

Reading. Cards show spice cubes and arrows only. The rulebook is in English.

Learning curve: 1 = UNO or Connect 4; 3 = Catan; 5 = a heavy strategy game. These describe the experience, not an overall score.

Buying link pausedWe haven’t found an available Amazon listing for this edition.

Is Century: Spice Road right for you?

Great if

  • Families with children aged 8 and up who can plan a few steps ahead
  • Splendor fans looking for a fresh engine-building puzzle that takes up to five players
  • Quick strategy evenings: four simple actions and short turns
  • Indian homes, where the four spices are already kitchen favourites, which makes the rules easy to remember

Skip it if

  • You want lots of player interaction: you race for the same cards but never attack each other
  • You usually play with five: there is more waiting between turns
  • You want a strong story or theme: the spice trade is mostly a backdrop

How Century: Spice Road plays

Set-up: lay out five point cards face up, with gold coins above the first and silver coins above the second (two of each per player), then lay out six merchant cards. Each player gets a caravan card and two starting cards, one that makes two turmeric and one that upgrades spices. Starting spices depend on your seat: the first player gets three turmeric and later players a little more.

  • Time to teach: about 10 minutes.
  • Reading and language: Cards show only spice cubes and arrows, so there is nothing to read during play and you can teach it in any language. The rulebook is in English; there is no Hindi edition.
Collect spices to fill point cards · Photo: Gameistry

Century: Spice Road - How To Play · Watch It Played

Choose a video · Watch right here

If this creator doesn’t allow embedded playback, watch on YouTube ↗.

A turn, step by step

  1. 1
    Choose

    Do one thing: play a card, acquire a merchant card, rest to take your played cards back, or claim a point card.

  2. 2
    Trade

    Played cards give, upgrade or swap spices, from turmeric up to cinnamon; your caravan holds ten.

  3. 3
    Claim

    Pay the spices shown on a point card to take it; the first two slots also carry a gold or silver coin.

  4. 4
    Win

    After someone claims their fifth point card (sixth with two or three players), finish the round; most points from cards, coins and non-turmeric spices wins.

Read the official rules (PDF)Century: Spice Road – Rules (English, 2024) · English
The full explanation: how a game of Century: Spice Road goes

On your turn you do one of four things. Play a card from your hand: spice cards give you cubes, upgrade cards move a spice one step up the ladder (turmeric, then saffron, then cardamom, then cinnamon), and trade cards swap one set of spices for another. Acquire a merchant card: the leftmost is free, and for any other you leave one spice on each card you skip. Rest: take all your played cards back into your hand. Claim: pay the spices shown on a point card and take it.

Your caravan holds at most ten spices. Claiming the first or second point card also earns the gold or silver coin above it. The game ends after the round in which someone claims their fifth point card (their sixth with two or three players). Add up point cards, gold coins (3 each), silver coins (1 each) and 1 point for every spice except turmeric; the most points wins, and a tie goes to the player who took a turn last.

Tip: cards you play stay out until you Rest, so the heart of the game is building a hand whose cards feed each other. Cheap point cards can end the game quickly while others are still building up. The yellow, red, green and brown cubes stand for haldi, kesar, elaichi and dalchini, which gives Indian families an easy way to remember which spice is worth more.

What's in the box

Cards, spice cubes, bowls and coins · Photo: Plan B Games / Next Move Games
  • 5Caravan cards
    one per player, holds up to 10 spices
  • 10Starting merchant cards
    each player begins with two
  • 43Merchant cards
  • 36Point cards
  • 105Wooden spice cubes
    yellow turmeric, red saffron, green cardamom and brown cinnamon
  • 4Spice bowls
  • 20Metal coins
    gold and silver
  • 1Rulebook

Box: 27.6 × 19 × 7 cm, 0.8 kg. Handy to know for gifting and travel.

Contents are from the publisher's English Century page; the French page lists the same items, counting the 10 starting cards among 53 merchant cards. The play mat that some reviewers mention was sold separately. Golem Edition has different components.

Where to buy

Buying link pausedWe haven’t found an available Amazon listing for this edition.

How to make sure you get a genuine copyEditions and the details worth checking.

About the editions

There is no Indian or Hindi edition of Century: Spice Road and we found no Indian distributor. Look for Plan B Games’ English edition, the original Spice Road that started the series. Our buying link is paused until an available offer is confirmed.

Before you choose

  • The box should carry the Plan B Games name and credit Emerson Matsuuchi, with art by Fernanda Suárez
  • The barcode should read 826956400004, and the item code PBG40000EN
  • It is a box of about 28 x 19 x 7 cm, weighing around 0.8 kg
  • Inside: 5 caravan cards, 53 merchant cards, 36 point cards, 105 wooden cubes in four colours, 4 spice bowls and 20 metal coins
  • An unusually cheap copy, plastic cubes, cardboard coins or missing bowls are warning signs

What reviewers and players say

Reviewers call Century: Spice Road a polished, quick strategy game for families and friends: four simple actions, fast turns and a satisfying puzzle of chaining cards to turn cheap spices into valuable ones. Many compare it with Splendor; some prefer Century's variety and theme, others find Splendor's steady acceleration more exciting, and one suggests owning both. The metal coins, spice bowls and card art get praise. The complaints are that the trading theme feels thin, there is little direct interaction, five-player games involve more waiting, and a few reviewers expect it to feel samey after many plays.

What people love

  • Teaches in a few minutes, with only four actions
  • Fast turns and little waiting with two to four players
  • Satisfying chains of cards that turn cheap spices into valuable ones
  • Metal coins, spice bowls and striking card art

Common complaints

  • The spice-trading theme feels pasted on
  • Little direct interaction, and more waiting with five players
  • Some reviewers expect it to grow stale after many plays
Based on 4 reviews and discussions

Summarised in our own words from the sources above. We don't use Amazon reviews or ratings.

More like Century: Spice Road

SIDE BY SIDE

Which game is the best fit?

Our picks if Century: Spice Road isn't quite right.

Swipe to compare every game

Century: Spice Road and alternatives: reasons to consider them, players, play time, age, rules and Indian editions.
Compare
the games.The details that make a difference.		 YOU’RE VIEWING
Century: Spice Road box Century: Spice Road
ANOTHER WAY TO PLAY 7 Wonders Duel box 7 Wonders Duel ANOTHER WAY TO PLAY Splendor box Splendor ANOTHER WAY TO PLAY Azul box Azul
Why consider itThis game

Trade turmeric, saffron, cardamom and cinnamon in a quick card game

A different fit

A deeper card-building strategy game if you mostly play as a pair

A different fit

The game Century is most often compared with: buy cards that make later buys easier and race for points

A different fit

Also from Plan B Games: a calm, quick family strategy game for 2 to 4

Players2–522–42–4
Best with2-422-32-4
Play time30–45 min20–30 min30 min30–45 min
Age8+10+10+8+
RulesEasyMediumEasyEasy
Indian editionImportedImportedImportedAvailable
On this pageExplore 7 Wonders Duel Explore Splendor Explore Azul

Questions people ask about Century: Spice Road

Is Century: Spice Road better than Splendor?

They are close cousins: in both you gather resources to buy cards and race for points. Reviewers who prefer Century like its card chains, more varied strategies and five-player option; those who prefer Splendor like its simpler set-up and steady sense of growth. If you enjoy one, you will probably enjoy the other.

Is Century: Spice Road available in India?

Century: Spice Road has an imported English edition from Plan B Games; we found no Indian or Hindi edition. The Amazon buying link is paused while no available offer is confirmed.

What is the difference between Century: Spice Road and Century: Golem Edition?

Golem Edition is the same game re-themed: instead of trading spices on the spice road, you trade magic crystals to build golems, with new fantasy art. Buy one or the other, not both, unless you collect the art.

Is Century: Spice Road good for two players?

Yes. It plays 2 to 5, and with two the game runs until someone claims six point cards, so you still have time to build up. Turns are quick and there is little waiting, which makes it a good pick for couples.

What age is Century: Spice Road for?

The box says 8 and up. There is nothing to read on the cards, so children who can count spices and think a couple of moves ahead can play; the four kitchen spices make the upgrade order easy to remember.

Game facts

Designed by
Emerson Matsuuchi
Publisher
Plan B Games (now Next Move Games)
First published
2017
Players
2–5
Barcode
826956400004
Language
No reading – Cards show only spice cubes and arrows, so there is nothing to read during play and you can teach it in any language. The rulebook is in English; there is no Hindi edition.
Box size and weight
27.6 × 19 × 7 cm, 0.8 kg
Sources & photo creditsThe references behind this guide.

Facts on this page come from the publisher, the Indian maker or distributor, and the sources below. Photos are credited under each one.