Pyramid Mini-Review

Alhambra

Published by Queen Games & Überplay

Designed by Dirk Henn

Graphics by Jörg Asselborn, Christof Tisch, & die basis

60 1¾" square Tiles (Six Starter Tiles & 54 Building Tiles), 108 Money Cards, Two Scoring Cards, 12 Wooden Tokens, Six Reserve Tile Boards, One Scoring Track, One Building Market board, One Black Cloth Bag, & a six-page rules sheet; $34.95

2003 "Spiel des Jahres" winner, Alhambra is a simple-themed tile-laying and resource management game. It's Granada, 1278, and players direct European and Arabic artisan teams to construct the finest, largest Alhambra, Spain's most beautiful palace. Naturally, artisans want paying in their native currencies.

For two to six players, Alhambra has high quality components. The famous Lion Fountain marks Starter Tiles, while various Building Tiles are marked with a purchase value. The Money Deck consists of four color-coded currencies: blue Dinars, green Dirhams, orange Ducats, and yellow Florins. Each Tile Reserve board has space for tiles and scoring details.

Alhambra's heart is the Building Market board, marked with four tile spaces and currency symbols. After a somewhat-complex set-up, a player either draws Money Cards for later; redesigns his Alhambra; or buys a Building Tile with the correct currency, adding it to his Alhambra or Reserve Board. Paying a tile's exact cost grants another turn.

Alhambra design can sprawl or be compact, but placed tiles must align correctly, and adjoining . . .

This article originally appeared in the second volume of Pyramid. See the current Pyramid website for more information.



Article publication date: March 9, 2007

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