Image Courtesy of <PERSON>
This 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.
If you liked the review please thumb the top of the article so others have a better chance of seeing it and I know you stopped by. Thanks for reading.
Summary
Game Type - Board Game (Tile)
Play Time: 50-70 minutes
Number of Players: 2-6
Mechanics – Set Collection, Tile Laying, Resource Management
Difficulty – Pick-up & Play (Can be learnt in under 15 minutes)
Components - Excellent
Release - 2003
Designer -Dirk Henn -(All things Alhambra, Atlantic Star, Colonia, Eketorp, Granada, Metro, Rosenkonig, Shogun/Wallenstein, Show Manager, Speculation, Timbuktu)
Having reviewed each of the expansions to this great game, I figured it was time I returned to the game that started it all and give it the detailed review treatment. You can find links to each of the expansions at the bottom of this review.
The Theme
In Alhambra each player is seeking to build the greatest Alhambra of all time. To do so they need to use the skills of various craftsman from Europe and Asia to build the various areas that make an Alhambra. Each Alhambra will feature Pavilions, Manors, Mezzanines, Royal Chambers, Gardens and Towers.
In truth the craftsman themselves are not present but their various nationalities are represented through the inclusion of 4 different currencies, which are supposedly required to pay for their services. These currencies include Florins, Dirhams, Denars and Dukats. Well that’s my interpretation anyway.
The end result is a thin but interesting theme and one that encompasses a somewhat worldly feel.
The Components
Alhambra represents ‘componenty’ goodness and with the help of an excellent tray insert, it all fits into a moderate sized box.
There is a flip-fold board which serves as the score track. It goes up to 120, which is a rather odd number. This score is likely to be achieved and surpassed by a player that has a good game. The score board is nicely illustrated featuring all of the building types featured in the game and each player’s fountain. It is slightly wider and longer than the scoreboard used in Carcassonne.
Image Courtesy of Gelatinous Goo
A 2nd board is provided and serves as the Marketplace. 470
It is dominated by 4 squares with a different currency type attached to each of the squares. Each square is also numbered, the reason for which I will explain later. This board is exactly half the size of the score board.
Image Courtesy of <PERSON>
Six smaller boards are provided for each of the 6 potential players. These are the Reserve Boards and as well as allowing a player to store tiles during the game, they also provide information regarding the Scoring Rounds and the number of Building Tiles that are available to be purchased. These boards are half the size of the Marketplace Board.
Image Courtesy of Lurch104
Cloth Bag – A nice black cloth bag is also provided. This is used to hold the building tiles, which are drawn from the bag throughout the game.
Image Courtesy of EndersGame
There is a total of 54 Building Tiles. There are 6 different types and each type comes in a different colour. They include – Pavilions (Blue), Manors (Red), Mezzanines (Brown), Chambers (White), Gardens (Green) and Towers (Purple). Each tile may have a number of walls around the edges and each tile also contains a numerical value from 2 to 13, which denotes their cost to purchase.
It's also interesting to note that some editions of the game use different names for some of the tiles.
Image Courtesy of garion
In all there are 108 Money Cards. Money comes in 4 colours to denote the various currencies used in the game. They include - Florins (Yellow), Dirhams (Green), Denars (Blue) and Dukats (Orange).
Each Money Card has a value ranging from 1 to 9. It is important to note that there is no correlation between the colour of the Money Cards and the colour of the Building Tiles.
Image Courtesy of garion
There are also 2 Score Cards, which are used to engage the 1st two Scoring Rounds. They feature the points on offer for particular Scoring Rounds.
Image Courtesy of EndersGame
A set of 6 wooden player markers are also provided and come in vibrant colours.
Image Courtesy of EndersGame
The rulebook is well presented, includes excellent examples and diagrams to explain rules and also includes sidebars and sections that stand out. 84