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Max Jamelli
United States
Chambersburg
Pennsylvania
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Lucky 13 -- Alhambra
I was introduced to this game in February of 2010 at the Central PA Gamers club meeting. I remember that game day very well, as I was able to learn many new games. Alhambra was the best of the bunch though. What initially made me like the game was the people playing. I guess that's the case with a lot of games for me. I find that playing with certain people just makes the game more enjoyable. There are times I can think of, playing a flat out awful game with good people was fun because we made it fun. Alhambra had another thing going for it though - it's a really good game.
When I first learned it, I saw a few bits and pieces of other games mixed in. The obvious first match was Carcassonne. You have your set of tiles (even the same size) and you try to match them up to create longer walls and give yourself opportunity to expand your area. The way the deck is built and the way that points are scored is very similar to Union Pacific or Acquire. In my comments on the game, I said it had a little San Juan in it too, but aside from having cards I'm not sure where my thoughts were at that time.
Having played twice with the CPGC, I knew it was a game that Jen would enjoy. She had enjoyed Carc, UP, Acquire, and San Juan, so I knew this would fit as well. I was able to score a copy through a Math Trade. I shipped out Bootleggers (A decent game that I bought at WBC, but one that I didn't think would get a lot of table time) and recieved a copy in April of 2010. Since then, I've been able to teach my local group, my mother in law, and Jen's friend Trina. Alhambra is such a good game, and such an easy game to initially learn - I won my very first game, Jen won her second game, Trina won her first game, and my mother in law won her first game. Talk about a game that doesn't show favoratism to experience!
While a new player can be competitive and win, the experienced player may know how many tiles are still going to come out of the bag, and if you're a card counter you may have an advantage in when certain values of money will come out. But all in all, Alhambra's "luck of the draw" keeps everyone at a reasonably level playing field.
Of the gameplay mechanics, the one I like the most is the purchasing of buildings. I like the scoring a lot, but looking over what buildings cost what color money, and seeing what money is available to take - and trying to build your hand with enough cards to buy buildings for the exact cost to get that extra turn is really fun. It's interesting to watch how your opponents are building their Alhambras and see who is competing with you for majorities in each color building.
Final Thoughts
Alhambra is a great game and one that I really enjoy. What makes it realyl great is that Jen also enjoys it. From our combined rating GL,
My rating: 9
Her rating: 9
Total: 18
It ranks 7th overall for us.
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