Customer Reviews

Alhambra Strategy Game - Spiel Des Jahres Game of the Year 2003 by Rio Grande

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Alhambra is a great game plain and simple. It is suitable for children who can perform basic math and people who are not "gamers".

The basics: Everyone is dealt money cards and the object is to by pieces of your Alhambra (castle or house, if you will). If you pay the exact amount then you get another turn. At the end of each round, whomever has the most of one color gets X points. There are certain rules that govern how you may place your tiles, for example, you must be able to get to the center of your structure without leaving it (so your walls can not isolate different rooms from the center). The tile laying is the most complex part of the game but that is not saying too much. If you can't buy a piece of your Alhambra then you can draw money instead. There is a little more to it but that is the basics.

Quality: Everything from the board to the cards is really very nice. The scoring markers are made out of wood and not plastic, the cards are nice, the board is decorative, even the box that contains the game has specific compartments where all of the pieces fit.

Conclusion: If you are looking to expand from normal games like Monopoly to something a little different then this is a great start. It is no harder to learn than Monopoly or Risk and is just as fun. It is not a very "confrontational" game meaning that you can't pick on any one person so it is a good family game that will keep everyone involved throughout. The box can look a little intimidating but don't let it, expand your horizons and check this one out. It will last for years.

I've recently been able to play a number of games of Alhambra with my family. Cutting to the bottom line: Alhambra is a lot of fun. I highly recommend the game for those who have begun to explore the world of non-traditional board games. Now, for the details:

Alhambra is an attractive game with well made pieces. It should stand up well to a lot of play. The general idea is to get money pieces and use them to buy buildings to add to your garden/palace of Alhambra. Each player builds there own Alhambra, and points are awarded 3 times during the game to the player with the most (and second most, and ultimately third most) of each type of building. Sounds pretty simple, and it is. Middle schoolers and up should have no trouble figuring out how to play the game.

What makes this game fun? Alhambra has a moderate degree of luck (which money and buildings are available for each player, and when the first two scoring rounds occur) mixed with opportunities for strategy. Generally, each round the player is choosing between getting money or buying a building. The complications arise because it is sometimes possible to do both (or even more), but doing so may require taking money rather then buying buildings that the player may really want. Also, it is possible to purchase a building but not be able to use it immediately. Is it worth buying a building if a turn must be wasted later to actually use it? Hmmm. And which building should be purchased? One for which the player has exact payment (allowing an extra action)? Or one the player may need more, but for which the player doesn't have the exact payment? These kinds of decisions constantly keep me wishing I could do just a bit more each round.

What's wrong with this game? Well, the money colors versus the building colors can be confusing. I made need the blue money to purchase the green building, but often I instinctively look at my green money. It would have been better if there were no overlap between money colors and building colors. Still, this is a minor quibble.

Who's going to like this game? Anyone who enjoys competitive board games without direct head-to-head conflict. I can't destroy your buildings or steal your pieces or stop you from getting money. I'd say if you like Ticket to Ride or Carcasonne, you'll probably enjoy Alhambra. If hundred piece tactical wargame simulations are your thing, Alhambra probably isn't for you. If you love deeply analytical games with no luck, Alhambra may be a little light for you. For everyone else who enjoys fun, easy to learn games that will keep them thinking and wanting to play again, I say, buy Alhambra.

Being fans of Settlers of Catan and Ticket to Ride, we thought that we had to give another recipient of the Spiel Des Jahres Game of the Year award a try. Though there are a lot of pieces and a lot of different strategic points to bear in mind as you play, it's easy to learn and you pick up the subtleties over time. Sure, I have yet to win a single game that we've played, but I'm getting closer.

I own dozens of games, many of them the German-style games (like Alhambra) that are more based on strategy than luck. This game is probably my favorite one of all. It is a tile-laying game, where you try to build up your own complex by buying additional tiles. It only takes a few minutes to learn but turns out to be rather thought-provoking. I also like that there isn't really a destructive component to this game (i.e. like in other games where you can "take" or "destroy" parts of what other players have built up). Each player merely sets out to build as big a complex as possible, while keeping in mind that different types of additions to one's complex allows one to be dominant in this field. (For example, you can have a smaller complex than your opponent, but have more tiles of greater worth in the category of "gardens," hence meaning you are dominant in this sub-category. This is where strategic calculation really comes in play.) If you are only going to buy one game, I would buy this one!

We gave this to my husband for Christmas and now we play it often. My teenagers are as interested in it as my husband and I. Even my younger kids will watch us play and give suggestions. It is fun seeing them planning strategy. The instructions were clear and we played through only once before feeling comfortable and familiar with the game play. I am impressed to see that we look for and try new strategies each time we play. I'm glad to know that we will not get bored of the game soon. Another great game from Rio Grande!

Most of the other reviews adequately cover the game, I felt I should just add a couple of things:

-The game is less about your tile placement (as in, it's hard to mess up how you place stuff) and more about how you draft the money and which tiles you purchase. So it is only superficially similar to Carcassonne. (and it should be noted, the original "Stimmt So!" game was a stock market game... the tile laying component was the major change when it was updated to Alhambra)

-The game is acceptable at 3 players, but the drafting mechanic on the tiles and money scales quickly into an uncontrollable and uninteresting exercise with more- even though the game says it handles up to 6 players, I would only grudgingly say it can somewhat handle 4 players, at most.

A pretty good gateway game. Played with a few non-gamers and they have enjoyed it. Not on the short list of "ooh, let's play that", but a good gateway game in that it's timed, has little direct competition, and you can easily adjust the game to be shorter / longer to give people a taste of it (just cut out 25-30% of the tiles and/or 25-30% of the money).

Drawbacks are that it requires 3 people for it to be truly interesting, the scoring is semi-random / obtuse (ie: randomly decided when to score so there is a clear "beginning, middle, end", as well as a "wall bonus").

Benefits again are that the rules are fairly straightforward and that you can pretty much always still be playing the game (never an elimination) and if you're not in first place it's still pretty fun to compete to get "higher" in the end rankings (very rarely is there a huge gap in score between everybody ... sometimes there is a huge gap between first place and the rest). Also there is a nice mix of luck and strategy- Do you go for spending money on the "expensive buildings"? Do you get a variety and look for good opportunities? Do you just try to be the "wall lord"?

Lots of expansions (that I haven't played) so if you like the style you can add to it.

--Robert

One of my favorite board games. Like many other of my favorites, it is one we are able to play with a 9 year old girl (though she never wins because she cannot yet grasp the strategy). Expansions are good and fun, but not necessarily "must haves."