Azul (board game)

Azul is an abstract strategy board game designed by Michael Kiesling and released by Plan B Games in 2017. Based on Portuguese tiles called azulejos, in Azul players collect sets of similarly colored tiles which they place on their player board. When a row is filled, one of the tiles is moved into a square pattern on the right side of the player board, where it garners points depending on where it is placed in relation to other tiles on the board.

Azul
Designer(s)Michael Kiesling
Illustrator(s)Philippe Guérin, Chris Quilliams
Publisher(s)Plan B Games
Publication date2017
Players2–4
Playing time30–45 minutes

Gameplay
Tile repositories. When tiles of a color are taken from any of the cardboard discs, the leftover tiles on that disc are moved to the center.

From two to four players collect tiles to fill up a 5x5 player board.[1] Players collect tiles by taking all the tiles of one color from a repository, and placing them in a row, taking turns until all the tiles for that round are taken.[2] At that point, one tile from every filled row moves over to each player's 5x5 board, while the rest of the tiles in the filled row are discarded.[3] Each tile scores based on where it is placed in relation to other tiles on the board.[4] Rounds continue until at least one player has made a row of tiles all the way across their 5x5 board.

The basic game dictates where tiles of each color go on their player board, while an advanced version allows players to place them anywhere.[5]

Development

In an interview with Pretzel Games, Kiesling described the design process as a two-phase process, with the question of how the tiles would be distributed.[6]

Reception

Keith Law, writing for Paste Magazine, said "The theme doesn't really tie into or matter for the game play, but the artwork is just fantastic and...will give Azul a ton of shelf appeal in a market where maybe publishers don't pay as much attention to that aspect of marketing."[1]

Nate Anderson of Ars Technica described it as "an ideal weeknight game, or a game night opener, or a family title."[7]

Emily VanDerWerff, writing for Vox, said "Azul has made the leap from hardcore hobbyist circles to the shelves of Target and other stores where it might be selected by grandmas shopping for their grandkids...absolutely every aspect of playing the game is at once instantly understandable and agreeably fun – right down to how those tiles feel in your hand."[8]

Awards and nominations

Azul has won a number of board gaming awards and received numerous nominations:

  1. 2018 Spiel des Jahres award[9][10]
  2. 2018 Origins Award for Best Family Game and Fan Favorite[11]
  3. 2018 Dice Tower Award for Best Family Game[12]
  4. 2018 As d'Or – Jeu de l'Année Winner[13]
  5. 2018 Mensa Select Certification[14]
  6. 2017 Meeples' Choice Nominee[15]
  7. 2017 Cardboard Republic Architect Laurel Winner[16]
  8. 2017 Golden Geek Best Family Game of the Year[17]
  9. 2017 Golden Geek Board Game of the Year Runner-up[17]

Sequel/Series

Plan B Games has released a second title in the Azul line, Azul: Stained Glass of Sintra, which increases the game's complexity via clear tiles and two sided window panes on the player boards.[18]

A third game in the series, Azul: Summer Pavilion, was released in the fall of 2019.[19]

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References
  1. Law, Keith (September 28, 2017). "It's Time for Some Game Theory with the Beautiful Azul". Paste Magazine. Retrieved December 24, 2017.
  2. Sukumaran, Arjun (December 16, 2017). "Roll it the azulejo way". The New Indian Express. Retrieved December 24, 2017.
  3. Law, Keith (December 17, 2017). "The 10 Best Board Games of 2017". Paste Magazine. Retrieved December 26, 2017.
  4. Anderson, Nate (November 24, 2017). "The best board games we played at PAX Unplugged". Ars Technica. Retrieved December 24, 2017.
  5. Cordero, Raf (October 17, 2017). "Build A Gorgeous Mosaic Fit for a King on Your Tabletop in 'Azul'". Geek & Sundry. Retrieved December 24, 2017.
  6. "Dialogue with a Designer, Michael Kiesling – Azul – Pretzel Games". www.pretzelgames.com. Retrieved 2017-12-24.
  7. Anderson, Nate (July 28, 2018). "Review: Azul, board game of the year?". Ars Technica. Retrieved 2018-11-22.
  8. VanDerWerff, Emily (December 22, 2018). "The confoundingly simple yet deep design of Azul, the best board game of 2018". Vox. Retrieved 2018-12-28.
  9. Anderson, Nate (July 23, 2018). "2018's "Board Game of the Year" award goes to… Azul!". Ars Technica. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
  10. Fitzpatrick, Michelle (December 26, 2018). "German board games guru's offerings includes Trump, Nazis". Times of Israel. Retrieved December 28, 2018.
  11. Dean, Jason (July 31, 2018). "Fun and Games at Origins 2018". Twin Falls Times-News. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
  12. Young, Michael (July 6, 2018). "Dice Tower Awards 2017". Dice Tower. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
  13. Larvor, Loeiza (December 21, 2018). "Jeux de société. Il y en a pour tous les goûts". Le Telegramme. Retrieved December 28, 2018.
  14. "Winning games". American Mensa's Mind Games. Retrieved 2018-04-24.
  15. "2017 Meeples Choice Award Winners". The Opinionated Gamers. 2018-06-23. Retrieved 2018-11-22.
  16. "The Laurels: Best Architect Games Of 2017". The Cardboard Republic. 2018-03-16. Retrieved 2018-11-22.
  17. Hall, Charlie (March 14, 2018). "The best board games of 2017, as chosen by the Board Game Geek community". Polygon. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
  18. Lowder, James (December 11, 2018). "Top Games To Gift in 2018". WUWM. Retrieved December 28, 2018.
  19. Sukumaran, Arjun (October 26, 2019). "Potential winners at SPIEL this year". The Indian Express. Retrieved November 11, 2019.
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