Azul
| Availability: | In stock (2) |
Introduced by the Moors, azulejos (originally white and blue ceramic tiles) were fully embraced by the Portuguese when their king Manuel I, on a visit to the Alhambra palace in Southern Spain, was mesmerized by the stunning beauty of the Moorish decorative tiles. The king, awestruck by the interior beauty of the Alhambra, immediately ordered that his own palace in Portugal be decorated with similar wall tiles. As a tile-laying artist, you have been challenged to embellish the walls of the Royal Palace of Evora.
In the game Azul, players take turns drafting colored tiles from suppliers to their player board. Later in the round, players score points based on how they've placed their tiles to decorate the palace. Extra points are scored for specific patterns and completing sets; wasted supplies harm the player's score. The player with the most points at the end of the game wins.
Ages: 8+
Players: 2-4
Length: 30-45 minutes
This is one of our favorite games to play with our friends and family who don’t love long complicated strategy games. It’s a short playing time, easy to explain, but has a nice amount of strategy as well. We also love it as a family game. Our 6 year old even plays and it’s a great game to start teaching kids strategy.
I can't tell you how much my roommates and I enjoy this game! It's a quick play once you've gotten the hang of it and definitely harder the more people you have playing. A mix of strategy and luck, you've got endless possibilities with the gamecards having 2 sides - one patterned, one blank. Even thought the end goal is always the same, it is easy to end up playing multiple games in a row as each one feels different.