Azul was designed by the world famous, award winning game author Michael Riesling. Azul captures the beautiful aesthetics of Moorish art in a contemporary board game. Players compete as artisans decorating the walls of the royal Palace of Dvora. By carefully drafting the correct Quantity and style of tiles, the most clever of artisans plan ahead to maximize the beauty of their work (not to mention their scores!) while ensuring they wasted no supplies in the process. Introduced by the moors, "azulejos" (originally white and blue ceramic tiles) were fully embraced by the Portuguese, when their King Manuel I, on a visit to the Alhambra Palace in Southern Spain, was mesmerized by the stunning beauty of the Moorish decorative tiles. The King, awestruck by the interior beauty of the Alhambra, immediately ordered that his own Palace in Portugal be decorated with similar wall tiles. As a tile laying artist, you have been challenged to embellish the walls of the royal Palace of Dvora.
TILE PLACEMENT GAME: Azul is a tile placement game in which players become artisans tasked with creating the most beautiful tiled mosaics. Claim tiles and arrange them on your board to score points. Perfect for a fun family game night!
STRATEGY BOARD GAME: Draft tiles from a central market and place them into rows on their boards. Earn extra points by collecting sets of the same color tile and creating particular patterns, but there are penalties for taking tiles that you can't use.
COMPETITIVE AND CHALLENGING: Every tile you claim affects what your rivals can take next. Plan carefully to score big points while disrupting your opponents’ plans. You’ll have to make choices that help you without helping them too much!
EASY TO LEARN: Strategic but simple to learn with subtle depth, Azul is a perfect gateway game for gamers new to board gaming or those looking to expand their collections. Randomized setup and drafting gameplay make Azul infinitely replayable.
NUMBER OF PLAYERS AND AVERAGE PLAYTIME: This board game for adults and family can be played with 2 to 4 players and is suitable for ages 8 and older. The average playtime is 30 - 45 minutes.