|
Game
Overview
In Alhambra each player is a prominent builder
in Europe. The aim is simple - build the
best Alhambra you can by combining Pavilions,
Manors, Mezzanines, Chambers, Gardens and
Towers. The game uses tiles to depict each
of these structures and each structure is
a different colour. A market board is placed
in the middle of the play area and it is
here that the building tiles will be up
for sale. The game uses four currencies
with which to buy the tiles - Florins, Dukats,
Denars and Dirhams. Their values range from
1 to 9. Each currency also has its own colour
for easy identification and each of the
four markets will only accept one of the
four currencies.
Each player starts with some starting capital
and a fountain - this will be the centrepiece
of their Alhambra. All building is connected
to this fountain and other tiles. All tiles
are placed in a drawstring bag and 4 are
selected and placed on the 4 market areas.
The currency deck is shuffled and four currency
cards are turned face-up - play can now
begin. On a turn a player can choose to
purchase a tile by paying the appropriate
currency. They can choose to pay more than
the value of the tile (each tile has a number)
but this will end their turn. If they can
pay the exact value of the tile in that
currency then they earn another action (either
buy another tile or take income). Whenever
a player cannot buy a tile or doesn't wish
to do so they have the option to take money.
They can take any 1 currency card if its
value is 5 or more or they can take as many
cards as they wish as long as the total
is 5 or less. In this way the players can
plan to purchase more expensive tiles in
future turns. The aim of the game is to
score as many points as possible in each
of the 3 scoring rounds. In each round all
6 building types are scored. In the first
scoring round the player with the most buildings
of each type will score. In the 2nd scoring
round the first and second highest number
of each building will be rewarded and in
the 3rd round the top three will earn points.
So the strategy of Alhambra is to watch
what your opponents are building and choose
which structures you build carefully. Paying
the exact amounts as often as possible is
the key to success as it means you are able
to build and take income in the same turn.
At the end of the game a player can also
earn points for each length of wall that
surrounds their Alhambra (many tiles contain
one, two or three wall segments). So careful
planning and design throughout the game
is rewarded also.
|
