GOTW – Azul

Azul

Players: 2 – 4

Playtime: 30–45 Min

Ages: 8 +

Azul is tile drafting game designed by Michael Kiesling which was released in 2017. This game number one in the family category of Board Game Geek. It’s a perfect game for families and friends alike and will work for any board game night.

Azul has been very popular amongst the board gaming community over the past few years. This game has been highly praised for its simple yet highly strategic gameplay, many have come to realise that this game is almost perfect and flawless as both an introductory game to newcomers and one that should be a staple of anyone’s collec­tion. The quality of the components in the game, along with its beautiful and elegant tiles, has placed this game into a niche collection of games that need to be in everybody’s collection. Azul will exceed all expectations as an introductory game as it has a level of strategy that also keeps it competitive and highly replayable.

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.

Azul is a simple game as first with an easy to understand rulebook and set of rules. The joy of this game comes from being able to try all sorts of different strategies in order to try and generate the most number of points. The concept of taking a risk with where you take tiles and where you place them can create some interesting moments, especially with more players as the street becomes littered with a lot of different coloured tiles. As a two player game, this is an absolute must in any collection and it plays extremely well with 3 or 4 players too.

Do yourself a favour and grab a copy of this award-winning game now.

Rating: 8.5/10

Pros:

• Good quality tiles. The patterns are eye-catching while still easy to look at
• Easy to pick up and catch on to, but difficult to master a consistent strategy due to the game changing every time
• Extra variation of having a blank board to work with while still following the same rules. This version of the game is difficult but so much fun.
• Super quick setup and easy to teach

Cons:

• Any bump on the table can cause your score marker to move. Would have been nice to have the spaces there cut out to prevent this from happening.

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