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About Hansa Teutonica
Hansa Teutonica is Andreas Steding's game of route building in the Hanseatic League. You place traders on the roads between cities, and when a route is full you claim it to open an office in a city or improve one of your abilities. Pushing opponents off a route costs you but pays them, and offices you own score whenever others pass through. It is plain to look at and tightly interactive.
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Is Hansa Teutonica Right for You?
Best for
Hansa Teutonica is for groups who enjoy tight, interactive route-building with little luck. Every placement affects someone else, and being displaced often helps the victim. It is best at three and four, where the map is crowded but manageable, and it rewards repeat play. Players who like Brass or Concordia and want something shorter and more confrontational should look here.
Maybe skip it if…
It is plain to look at, and the theme barely registers. Players who want a gentle game will find the constant jostling for position tiring, and new players often cannot see why a move was good until several turns later.
How to Play Hansa Teutonica
Setup
Give each player a personal board with most ability discs covered, and a stock of traders and merchants. Place starting bonus markers on the map.
On Your Turn
- Take as many actions as your Actiones ability allows, starting at two.
- Take income from your general stock, place a trader or merchant on an empty route space, displace an opponent's piece, or move your own pieces.
- Claim a completed route to open an office, unlock an ability, or take a bonus marker. Owners of adjacent offices score.
How to Win
The game ends immediately when a player reaches twenty points, the tenth city is completed, or the bonus markers run out. Add end-game scoring; highest wins.
💡 Strategy Tips
Getting displaced is often good for you. You get your piece back plus extras, so do not panic when someone moves in.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Rushing to open offices without improving abilities. More actions and a bigger income are what make later turns strong.
- Panicking when displaced. You get your piece back and place extras, so it is often an advantage.
- Ignoring the end-game scoring. Your largest office network, fully upgraded abilities, bonus markers and control of cities can all swing the final result by a lot.
- Forgetting the three end triggers. A player reaching twenty points ends the game immediately, which can catch others mid-plan.
Advanced Strategy
- Unlock Actiones early. Extra actions per turn are the strongest single improvement in the game.
- Build a connected network of offices. The key ability multiplies the largest network at the end.
- Claim routes that give points to your offices, not to rivals'. Every completed route benefits adjacent office owners.
- Use displacement tactically. Pushing a rival off a route delays them, but gives them extra pieces, so time it carefully.
Variants & House Rules
Hansa Teutonica: East Expansion and Britannia Expansion
Two alternative maps that change routes and scoring. The Big Box collects both with the base game and the Emperor's Favour module.
Video Guides
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Our Verdict
Hansa Teutonica is one of the best pure interaction euros, with a simple core and very little luck. The displacement rule is clever, and it makes every turn a negotiation with the map. It looks dull on the table and takes a game to click, but once it does it plays brilliantly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who designed it?
Andreas Steding. It was first published in 2009 by Argentum Verlag, and the Big Box edition later collected the game with all its expansions.
How does the game end?
When a player reaches twenty points, the tenth city is completed, or the bonus markers run out. Then final scoring is added.
Is it good at two?
It works, but three to five is better. Two lacks the crowding that makes the game interesting.