Azul: Stained Glass of Sintra, or “Azul 2.0,” is a visually appealing tile drafting and placement game that challenges players to efficiently complete their window panes. This new version has some of the same mechanics as the original Azul (our review can be found here), while introducing some new and more intricate interactions and scoring.
Summary
- Game Type : Abstract Strategy
- Play Time: 30-45 minutes
- Number of Players: 2-4
- Ages: 8+
- Mechanics: Drafting, Pattern Building, Tile Placement, Set Collection
- Difficulty: Light+
- Release: 2018
- Designer/Publisher: Michael Kiesling/Next Move Games
Components
- 9 Factory Displays
- 4 Palace Boards (1 of each color)
- 32 Patterned Strips (8 of each color)
- 4 Glaziers (1 of each color)
- 8 Markers (2 of each color)
- 100 Pane Pieces (20 of each of the 5 colors)
- 1 Scoring Board
- 1 Starting Player Tile
- 1 Bag, 1 Glass Tower
As I think we’ve come to expect from Next Round Games, the components are of the highest quality – thicker than normal cardboard, lots of color, and a decent insert for storage. The glass tower is a bit flimsy and will probably wear after repeated use (folding and unfolding), but I am happy that there is a place to store the completed panes, as this was an issue with the original Azul!
Overview
If you’re familiar with the original Azul board game, then you are off to a good start with Sintra as the basic principal still applies: draft tiles (this time around its panes) of 1 color and add them to your board to complete a window. There are ways to score both in turn and at the end of the game, and you can also be penalized points for over-drafting.
Set-Up
Start by placing the Factory Displays in a circle where everyone playing can reach. 2-Players = 5 Factories, 3-Players = 7, 4-Players = All 9. Place the Glass Tower near the factories.
Each player will select a Palace Board and the 8 corresponding Patterned Strips of the same color. Both of these components are double sided, which allows for nearly infinite variation in gameplay. It’s suggested that you start with the “A” side of the Palace Board and the only condition for the Strips is that there can be no Joker (grey spaces) showing at the onset of the game. Each player has only 1 Strip that has Jokers on it. Shuffle up the Strips and connect them to the Palace.
Next, place your Glazier (pawn) above the left-most Palace Strip, 1 of your Color Markers (small cube) on 0 of the scoring track and the second at the top of the Broken Glass Track (negative scoring track).
You’ll now select 1 Color Pane Tile of each color, shuffle them, and place them one at a time on the round indicator, starting on Round II. Then select an additional pane at random from the bag and place it on Round I.
Lastly, place the 1st Player Tile in the center of the factories and select at random 4 Panes at a time, placing them on each Factory.
Game Play
1 – Draft and Place Pane Tiles or Rest your Glazier
At the beginning of every turn players can either draft all of the pane tiles of 1 color from single factory or from the center (we’ll let you know how they get in the center), or rest their Glazier back to the leftmost Strip. When you select your colored Panes you are able to place them on a Strip that is either occupied by your Glazier or any to its right. Panes drafted can only be placed on 1 Strip at a time and can’t be saved for future use. If you were to end up with extra (drafted 3 Oranges but you only had space for 2), any additional panes would move you down the same amount of spaces on the Broken Glass Track.
When you select Panes from a Factory, all of the leftover Panes are sent to the center area with the 1st Player Tile. Any player can decide to draft Panes from the center on their turn (eventually it may be your only option). If you are the first to select from the center, you must take the 1st Player Tile. This allows you to draft first on the next round, but also moves you down one on the Broken Glass Track.
If you decide that it’s in your best interest to rest your Glazier and move it back to the left most Strip, then that will be your turn. This is advantageous when there is nothing for you to draft (or too much of the wrong color) available to you based on the Glazier placement, to set yourself up better for the next round, or to make you opponent draft something they may not want (we’ll talk about strategy later).
2 – Check to see if your Strip is complete
Once a Strip is complete, immediately select one Pane from the strip to place in the first open spot below it on the Palace Board. Place all of the remaining Panes into the Glass Tower. You will immediately score the number below the newly placed pane AND all of the slots that have panes to the right. In addition, if any of the Pane colors match the Round Color on the score tracker, add an additional point for every Pane that matches. You will then flip over the Strip to reveal the other side. If it had already been flipped, remove it from the board. For example, in the picture below I just completed the Strip with the Yellow Pane, worth 1 point. If the round color was Yellow, then I would earn an additional 4 points (the strip had 4 Yellow and 1 Blue. The top of the Strip tells you what is on the other side) If I were to then complete the first Pane on the left, I would score 4 points PLUS the 1 point for the Strip with the Yellow Pane. The number of Panes on the Palace space (1 or 2) have no bearing on the scoring.
End Game Scoring
End game scoring will happen differently depending on which of the two versions of the Palace Board that you play. The “A” side will reward you for groupings of Panes on the Palace Board around the 4 small “ornaments” on the board, while the B side rewards you for removed Strips (completed twice) times the highest numbered color of Panes on your Palace Board. With this in mind, it only matters which Pane colors you select to place on your Palace Board when playing the “B” side. You’ll also need to subtract any of the negative points your’ve acquired on the Broken Glass Track.
Tips and Strategy
- Don’t be afraid to rack up negative points – Sometimes the gain is far greater than the loss of points. You’ll discover that its worth it to take the 6 Magenta Panes even though you only need 4 because in the moment it will score you 14 points while you will only lose up to 6 at the end of the game. Sometimes taking negative points is the only way to actually score positive points.
- Keep an eye on your opponents board – Is there a color that your opponent really needs? Can you afford to draft it and stop them from scoring? Then do it!
- Are you having trouble deciding which of two colors to take? See if you opponent needs the same color. If they don’t need one of them, draft the other now as the second color will most likely still be there the next turn.
- Know when to rest your Glazier – Sometimes it’s obvious and you’ll be forced to. Other times you may want to because it will force your opponent to draft something that they may not want, like when they rested right before you and they must draft Panes. Reseting near the end of the round always gives you the maximum potential to land the right Panes the next round.
- Completing the left most Strips near the end of the game will yield you the highest scores. Since you score the completed Strip and all of the completed Strips to its right, starting with the right Strips and working your way back to the left is a great strategy, but can be tricky because you will be Resting your Glazier more often.
Overall Impressions and Comparison to Azul 1.0
After 3 games (a 4 player and two 2 players), I have to say that I enjoyed this version of Azul a lot more than the original. The reason being that there are added elements of strategy that make it more compelling to a strategy hawk like myself. The simple, yet elegant, nature of the Glazier dictating where you can place tiles, and allowing you to essentially “skip” your turn changes the math of the game. In the original you could basically count the number of turns that were left and who would potentially get stuck at the end. Resting the Glazier adds another strategic dimension that elongates the round and can really change the outcome. Another added strategic element I really enjoyed was the color bonus points per round. There were many times that I would deliberately not complete a Strip because the majority of the color on the Strip was the bonus for the next round. I also enjoyed having more flexibility with where I was able to place my Panes vs. original Azul since there were 8 Strips vs. 5. Lastly, the player board will inevitably always be different because of the shuffling of the panes.
Verdict
Azul: Stained Glass of Sintra, will be a staple game in my collection, more than likely usurping the original Azul. I loved the additional strategic considerations that are needed, and they multiple ways of scoring during and at the end of the game. I would highly recommend Sintra to you if you enjoyed the original Azul or if you like simple, yet strategic, drafting games!
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