A couple of years ago, I started hosting a weekly games night. This was the first time I was gaming regularly in several years, and previous game groups tended to be focussed around RPGs, while this group was specifically for board & card games.

One of the first nights (maybe even the first one), a friend of mine brought Alhambra. I don't think I'd ever actually played a Eurogame before, but I was hooked instantly! In fact, when my friend's work schedule changed, and he was going to be unable to make it out regularly, I had to go out and buy myself a copy of the game.

The Alhambra is a palace/fortress in southern Spain, once the home of the Muslim rulers of Granada. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alhambra In Alhambra, you take the role of one of these rulers, trying to build the most glorious palace.

In Alhambra, there are 6 different types of buildings (colour-coded), and 4 different types of currency. At any given time, there will be 4 building tiles available, one for each type of currency. There will also be 4 face-up currency cards. Each player, on their turn, can perform one of three possible actions:

(1) Buy a building tile, paying the price on the building tile, using the currency based on the position it is in.
(2) Pick up currency: Either one of the face up cards, or a combination of cards that adds up to 5 or less. (Currency cards are numbered 1-9).
(3) Rearrange tiles in their Alhambra (in a specified manner)

If a player purchases a building, and has exact change, they can take another action.

At the end of the player's turn, the buildings available for purchase and the currency cards are replenished.

Buildings purchased are arranged in a connected fashion in front of each player. Each building has up to 3 wall segments on the sides of the tile, which restrict how buildings can be arranged.

Scoring is done in 3 phases: In the first phase, the player with the most buildings of each colour gets points; In the second phase, the players who rank first and second in each building colour get points; and in the final phase, the top 3 players in each building colour get points. Players also receive points, at the end of each phase, for their longest external wall segment.

(The way we originally read the rules, we thought that the wall segment was only scored at the end of the last phase. However, it is actually scored at the end of each phase.)

Alhambra is a game of balance. You need to avoid being too generalized or too specialized. If you try to have all types of currency, you may not have enough of the right type to buy the tile you need. (Or, you may not be able to make exact change, and get an additional action.) If you concentrate too much on one or two types of currency, the tile you need may come up on the currency you don't have. If you try to buy all different types of buildings, you may never get the big points for being first, but if you concentrate too much on one or two types of buildings, you may find yourself short those few points that could have been won by coming third in one of the other buildings. If you build a long external wall, you will get extra points every round, but you may end up blocking yourself from adding a tile you'd really like to buy.

2-Player Variant:
The difficulty with playing Alhambra with only two players is that one of the players will always be first with any building type, and the other will always be second. The 2-player variand in the rules gets around this issue by introducing a phantom third player, named "Dirk". (In a remarkable coincidence, this is also the name of the game's designer.)

Dirk is randomly given building tiles at the beginning of each of the three phases of the game, and players may also give Dirk tiles that they purchase (possibly giving Dirk a lead over their opponent). Dirk's buildings are scored as usual, but he does not receive any points for wall segments.

The 2-player variant works well. Dirk never wins (barring some really strange circumstances), but he has enough of an effect on play to affect your decisions.


What I like:
This game seems to have a "pure elegance" about it that I really enjoy. There are expansions available, but I have not purchased any - I just can't bring myself to alter what seems like a perfectly-designed game! (I have played the dice game, which is also good, but it is a separate game.)

The need to find a balance between generalizing and specializing in different areas makes for some interesting choices in gameplay, and offers different paths to victory.

My wife loves the feeling that she's "getting a deal" when she pays exact change and gets a free action.

The game is simple to learn. A new player can usually pick up the game in a few minutes, and can often be competitive in their first game.

I also have a special fondness for Alhambra, as my first Eurogame.

The game plays well with anywhere from 2-6. My wife and I will get it out to play together, or I can get it out when we have a good turnout on games night.

What I Don't Like:
With 5 or 6 players, the downtime between turns can be a little long. (It can also be frustrating to see the tile you really need, and you have the money for, come up & get purchased before you get a shot at it!) With moderately experienced players, turns should be pretty quick, but this can be an issue.

Sometimes the theme and the mechanics just don't make sense together. Why does each builder have to be paid in their own currency, and why, exactly, do they not give change? This isn't really a significant negative for me, but some people do like their themes a little more "solid".