Alhambra is a game that requires judgement and skill in timing. It’s not just about gathering money but knowing when to buy a tile and when to wait for a better one to turn up. Designing your Alhambra is also fun, knowing where to place the tiles so you can acquire the most points from your wall. Visually it is very appealing, as the different coloured tiles combine to make each individual Alhambra a thing of beauty, and if you manage to build a long extending wall it’s extremely satisfying.

Alhambra (board game) - Wikipedia

Each player is dealt starting money cards one at a time, face up, until the total is 20 or more. After this the player’s hand of currency cards are kept secret. Master builders use currency in the form of numbered cards with different colours to build their own Alhambra. Rather like 7 Wonders, there is no central board but a building marker with four building tiles on display, each square requiring a different colour currency: Blue, green, orange or yellow. The third and final scoring round now takes place. The player who leads on the scoring board after this last round has won. If two players are level the game is a draw. Buy building tiles from the building market – by discarding currency cards totaling the value of the tile or greater. Each space on the building market has a currency type next to it; all cards discarded must be of that currency type, as each builder wants to be paid in their own currency. If the value of cards discarded exactly equals the price of the tile, the player may take another action during the turn. You can either: add your new building tile to your Alhambra or place it on your reserve board. You can have as many building tiles on your reserve board as you want. Redesigning your AlhambraThe Bazaars adds bazaar tiles to the game. Bazaars, when drawn, are placed next to the building market, and may be bought (with exact change only) for the same price as the building of the corresponding currency type being sold. Bazaars score only in the final round of play, and score a point for each adjacent or diagonal building matching the colours on the bazaar. This one requires patience as the more you play, the better you get at making those decisions. I personally find the scoring system a little frustrating, as it’s all too easy to be caught out with too few of certain colours, and unless you score consistently well on every round it’s easy to be left behind by other players.

Alhambra Review | Board Games | Zatu Games UK | Seek Your Alhambra Review | Board Games | Zatu Games UK | Seek Your

It should be noted that there have been many expansions released for Alhambra over the years, and now Queen Games sells them in a massive collector’s edition including the base game and all the expansions. Not having played with any of the expansion sets, I’m not in a position to review them, but they may be worthwhile to research more about when considering whether to own Alhambra. Final Thoughts Utilizing your reserve board can be beneficial in certain situations, whether to snag a building you will need later on or to prevent an opponent from adding it to their own structure. The Worker's Hut introduces worker hut tiles. Worker hut tiles are free to take but count as a player's action. They score nothing if they are placed by themselves, but if adjacent to other tiles of the same colour, they count as 1 extra building of that colour for each they are adjacent to. If you don’t already own Alhambra, then you should definitely invest in the Big Box version rather than the core game. It does cost a little more, but it’s going to provide you with a lot more variety and replayability over the years ahead. It is not allowed to leave any “spaces” (i.e. an empty area surrounded on all sides by building tiles). A player must play currency cards of the correct type, (indicated by the currency above the tile), that total at leastThe Thieves adds 12 thief cards, which are given to the players at the start of the game. A player may play a thief card between turns (except before their own turn) and take a currency card matching the type of thief card played. Redesign their Alhambra – move a building tile from their reserve board to their Alhambra or from their Alhambra to their reserve board, or swap one tile from their reserve board with one already in their Alhambra. The 3rd round of scoring takes place at the end of the game; points are then also awarded to the players with the third highest number of buildings of each kind as shown in the example and on the points table on the tile reserve board.

Alhambra | Board Game | BoardGameGeek

The game ends when - at the end of a player's turn - there are not enough building tiles left in the bag to bring the total up to four again. Each building tile must be accessible “on foot” from the starting tile without crossing a wall and without going off the tiles.When you are redesigning your Alhambra you must still follow the building rules. You are not allowed to remove the starting tile or exchange it for another tile. Rules for building your Alhambra

Alhambra board game: A four-sided review - Go Play Listen Alhambra board game: A four-sided review - Go Play Listen

On the one hand you have a simple, affordable meal that you know that you’re going to enjoy. On the other you could splash out a little bit more for a lot of extra dishes. Some of these are going to enhance your meal, whilst others might leave you feeling bloated and maybe even a little queasy. A player can buy a building tile from the building market. He must pay at least the price shown on the tile and use the currency displayed next to the tile in the building market. Final Score: 3.5 Stars – A decent tile-laying game that will appeal to both newcomers to the hobby and hardcore gamers looking for lighter fare. Troisdorf (2005) is a limited, re-themed edition of Alhambra, with identical rules, set in and only sold in Troisdorf, the town in which Queen Games is based. Alhambra is a tile-laying game for 2-6 players that plays in about an hour. Alhambra plays best with 2 or 3 players. Game Overview Making sure you have buildings of various colors in your alhambra is key for victory.

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My recommendation would be to try all of the modules by playing each of the five expansions separately. That way you can see how each module works and which ones appeal to you and/or your playing partners most. Then whenever you play you can take it in turns to select your own personal favourites. Is Alhambra Big Box For Me? Each new tile must be joined to your Alhambra by at least one side (i.e. it cannot be joined just at a corner). The success of Alhambra has also led Henn to release or re-release some other games under the Alhambra name and Moorish theme: Although there are twenty different modules, they actually impact the game in one of six different ways: The number of points awarded increases each scoring round. The winner is the player who has been awarded the most points by the end of the game.