DON'T DROP THAT TILE!

Playing the Long Game in...

- Pete Mesling

Azul is a game that is intricately designed, both visually and in terms of gameplay. Thematically, you're laying wall tiles for a royal palace in Portugal. This is attributed to a visit King Manuel I made to Southern Spain, where he observed the decorative Moorish tiles of the Alhambra Palace and ordered that similar tiles adorn his palace.

The learning curve for Azul seems steep when you dive in, but its interior logic is consistent and the fun of it all soon takes over. Still, the game is layered and nuanced. As a result, so is the path to developing a successful strategy. It's worth the effort, though, because if your opponents show more of a knack for coming out on top than you do, it's game over before you I have a chance to hit your stride. Each round is divided into three phases, and any hope of strategizing effectively has to be planned in the first phase.

THE THREE PHASES OF A ROUND

Factory offer - Players take turns drafting all tiles of the same color from any one factory display or the center of the table, then add them to one of their pattern lines.

CE Wall-tiling - Players simultaneously move a tile from each completed pattern line to their walls, scoring points for each one.

Preparing the next round - Tiles are drawn from the bag to refill all of the factory displays.