Image Courtesy of itiswonThis review continues my series of detailed reviews that attempt to be part review, part resource for anyone not totally familiar with the game. For this reason I expect readers to skip to the sections that are of most interest.
Summary
Game Type - Board Game (Tile)
Play Time: 80-90 minutes
Number of Players: 2-6
Mechanics – Set Collection, Tile Laying, Resource Management
Difficulty – Moderate (Can be learnt in under 30 minutes)
Components - Excellent
Release - 2008
Designer <PERSON> -(All things Alhambra, Colonia, Eketorp, Granada, High Tide, Immortals, Metro, Neptun, The Rose King, Shogun, Show Manager,Speculation, Timbuktu, Wallenstein)
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<PERSON> -(All 6 Alhambra Expansions, Flandern 1302, All things Fresco, Indus, LancasterExpansions, Lucky Loop, Maharani)
This is the fifth in a series of reviews that will analyse each of the 5 Alhambra expansions. I will outline each expansion on its own merits and then comment on how well it interacts with other expansions in the Alhambra Family.
As each Boxed Expansion for Alhambra includes 4 Mini-Expansions, I will refer to a box as an Expansion Set and each of the 4 additions within each box as Mini-Expansions. This will hopefully avoid confusion as I discuss each in turn.
At the end of this review is a series of links to help find my other Alhambra Reviews.
NB - Since the time of writing this review initially, a 6th expansion (The Falconers) in this format has been released. I will look to get to this expansion in the near future.
#17 – The New Score Cards
Components - This Mini-Expansion consists of two component types. First there is the Scoring Round Template, which essentially outlines the points available for each round (as per the original Reserve Tile Player Boards).
Image Courtesy of Uncle G
This is essential now though due to the 2nd set of components, which are the alternate Scoring Tokens. There are 18 in all and they effectively randomize the relative values of each building type for each Scoring Round. These are of a size that allows them to sit snuggly into the brackets of the Scoring Round Template.
Image Courtesy of Uncle G
Impact – The New Score Cards have major implications for how a game of Alhambra will play out. 581
Randomising the scoring of each building type means that the building type that is king one moment, may be all but worthless in the next. What results is some careful analysis at the start of the game to calculate the relative value of each building type over the course of all 3 scoring rounds. This will appeal to some and not to others.
The other implication is the availability of each building type. The base game was deliberately designed to have fewer of the lower scoring buildings and more of the higher scoring ones. This meant that there was more competition to gain a majority for the high scoring Towers and Gardens and with a greater number on offer, there was less chance to miss out on them if you were in ‘the wrong place at the wrong time’ which Alhambra can suffer from.
Now of course this is not the case and those 7 Pavillions and Seraglios (blue and red buildings) may now be worth major points. Heaven help the players that are just unlucky to see them come out and get purchased before they have a chance.
Strategy – I’ll state it again, but it is imperative to know the relative values of each building type at the start of the game as this will help you to calculate which buildings are worth overbidding for and which ones are not.
It can also be quite important to gain ‘The Power of the Sultan’ (see Mini-Expansion summary below)!
Interaction with other Expansion Sets – The Power of the Sultan is another Mini-Expansion in this Expansion Box that allows players to nab buildings of a given colour when they are added to the Market. Having one of more <PERSON> cards at your disposal can be crucial in gaining buildings that are in limited supply or are worth big points at scoring.
Naturally the Vizier’s Favour is another very handy power to use at the right time.
Feelings – Personally I am a little conflicted about the value of this expansion. Does it throw up an interesting set of considerations, which adds to the analysis and decision making required to play the game, or is it simply another level of randomness that could possibly throw the final result into total chaos and allow for score blowouts? 755