Medico by Hall Games, published by Pegasus Spiele
Friedberg, October 21, 2026: Medico, the latest strategy board game by designer Stefan Feld, has recently been released by Pegasus Spiele. In this game, published by Hall Games, players take on the role of traveling barbers whose goal is to one day become a medicus themselves. To achieve their goal, they must expand their medical knowledge by making the most of the many actions available as they travel across the game board.
In Medico, two to four players aged twelve and up take on the roles of traveling barbers who care for the health of the local population. Over eight or nine rounds, they compete to acquire the most knowledge and ultimately earn the title of Medicus. But becoming a trained physician takes careful planning: players must choose their routes wisely and make the right stops along the way. At the beginning of each round, everyone secretly selects a destination, travels there via the shortest possible route, and performs their main action for the round. Along the way, players can also take a secondary action at each waypoint they pass, such as “delivering letters” or “buying recipe books”.
The unique challenge in Medico lies in planning an efficient route between the seven available locations while keeping an eye on the other players and their travel plans. Although locations cannot be blocked by opponents, some actions depend on whether other barbers, their apprentices, or the neutral Medicus are present. Encountering the Medicus provides valuable knowledge, while meeting other barbers triggers a prestige duel at the end of the round, with an additional main action up for grabs. Apprentices, meanwhile, expect to be paid—a benefit for players who have already invested in training apprentices of their own.
Around 20 different favor cards, earned by treating members of the nobility, add variety to every game. Players can also unlock special abilities using knowledge markers gained by selling previously collected remedies or encountering the Medicus. Another source of competition comes from the Rods of Asclepius, awarded to the first players to meet certain conditions. Together, these elements create new strategic possibilities and ensure that no two games play quite the same way.
Medico is a tightly interwoven game for fans of core games created by the experienced trio of designer Stefan Feld, illustrator Dennis Lohausen, and editor Ralph Bruhn. It marks their fourth collaboration following AquaSphere, The Oracle of Delphi, and Bonfire. In an interview on the Pegasus Spiele blog, the three share insights into the game’s development.
