Alhambra Game Rules

Hey there! Have you ever played the game Alhambra? It’s a super fun game that involves strategy and building. Let me walk you through the rules so you can get started on your own Alhambra adventure!

In Alhambra, the goal is to build the most magnificent palace. You’ll be buying different types of buildings and placing them strategically within your palace walls. Each building has a cost, and you’ll need to manage your money wisely to build the best palace.

The game is played in rounds, and in each round, you’ll have the chance to buy buildings. There are four different currencies in Alhambra: yellow, blue, green, and orange. Each currency corresponds to a different building type. You’ll need to focus on collecting the right currencies to buy the buildings you want.

When it’s your turn, you’ll have a few options. You can either buy a building from the market, rearrange the buildings within your palace, or take money from the bank. The choice is yours, and you’ll need to make the best decision based on your current resources and strategy.

Building placement is crucial in Alhambra. You want to create a harmonious palace with buildings of the same type connected together. This will earn you extra points and bring your palace closer to perfection. Keep in mind that you can also expand your palace walls if you need more space for your buildings.

At the end of each round, you’ll score points based on the buildings you have in your palace. The player with the most points at the end of the game wins and becomes the master architect of the Alhambra!

So, there you have it! The rules of Alhambra explained in a nutshell. It’s time for you to gather your resources and start building your own palace. Enjoy the game and may your palace shine brighter than the rest!

In the game, you’ll find several components, including 6 starting tiles, 54 building tiles, 1 building market, 1 scoring board, 12 counters, 108 money cards in four currencies, 2 scoring cards, 6 tile reserve boards with points tables, 1 bag, and 1 set of rules.

Your Goal in the Game

In Alhambra, I am constantly striving to have the most building tiles in my Alhambra at the right moment – during the scoring rounds – so that I can earn points. The number of points I receive depends on the type of building.

Another way to earn points is by constructing the longest section of wall around my Alhambra. The longer the wall, the more points I’ll get!

As the game progresses, additional points are awarded during each scoring round. The ultimate goal is to accumulate the highest number of points by the end of the game.

Getting Started

When we start playing, each of us gets a starting tile and two counters. We place one counter on the starting tile and the other in the bottom left corner of the scoring board.

To get things going, we put all the 54 building tiles into a bag.

So, here’s what we’re gonna do. First, let’s set up the building market in the middle of the table. Then, we’ll place the scoring board at the end of the table.

Now, we need to get four building tiles from the bag and put them in order on the numbered squares of the building market, starting with square 1. Each of us will have a tile reserve board with a points table. Make sure to keep it in front of you, where everyone can see it. The points table shows how many of each type of building tile there are and how many points we can earn with them.

Okay, next step. We’ll take the two scoring cards from the pack of money cards and set them aside for now. Then, we’ll shuffle the rest of the pack.

So, here’s how it works. We all start with some cash. We take turns, and one by one, we reveal the cards from the money pile until we have at least 20 bucks in front of us. What matters is the total, not the type of currency.

The player with the least number of cards goes first. If two or more players have the same number of cards, the one with the least amount of money goes first. And if they still have the same amount of money, then the youngest player takes the first turn.

Now, let’s set up the table. We put four more money cards face-up in the middle, right next to the building market. The remaining money cards are divided into five piles. Don’t worry, we’ll make sure they’re all roughly the same size. Oh, and in the second pile, we slip in the “1st Scoring Round” card, and in the fourth pile, we place the “2nd Scoring Round” card.

First, you’re going to stack the piles on top of each other again, but this time, the fifth pile goes on the bottom, then the fourth, the third, the second, and finally, the first on top. Then, place the entire pile face-down next to the building market.

Playing the Game

We’ll take turns playing, starting with the first player.

When it’s your turn, you have three options:

• Take some money
• Buy and place a building tile
• Redesign your own Alhambra

Once your turn is done, any money cards and building tiles that were taken away are replaced with new ones, so there are always 4 of each.

Step 1: Getting the Money

First, I can choose any of the money cards that are face-up on the table. I can take just one card, or I can take several cards as long as they don’t add up to more than 5. It doesn’t matter what type of currency the cards have.

Step 2: Buying and Placing Building Tiles

Buying the Tiles

When playing the game, you have the option to buy a building tile from the building market. The price of the tile is shown on it, and you must pay at least that amount using the currency displayed next to the tile in the market. Keep in mind, though, that no change will be given.

The money you use to purchase the tile is then placed on a discard pile next to the market. If you can pay the exact amount, you get another turn and can choose once again from the three available options.

While it’s your turn, no new tiles are added to the building market. They are only refilled at the end of your turn, filling up the empty spots. This means that you can perform a maximum of 5 actions during your turn: paying the exact amount four times and then either taking money or redesigning your Alhambra.

Now, let’s talk about positioning the tiles.

When it comes to your Alhambra, there are two options for what to do with a new building tile – you can either add it directly to your Alhambra or place it on your reserve board. The good news is, you can have as many building tiles on your reserve board as you want!

Changing up your Alhambra

If you want to change the layout of your Alhambra, there are three ways you can do it:

• Take a building tile from your reserve board and add it to your Alhambra.
• Remove a building tile from your Alhambra and put it on your reserve board.
• Exchange a building tile on your reserve board for one in your Alhambra. Just remember, if you choose this option, the new tile in your Alhambra must go in the exact same spot as the one you remove.

But wait, before you get too excited about redesigning, there are still some rules you need to follow. You’re not allowed to remove or exchange the starting tile – it has to stay right where it is. This will help keep things balanced and fair for everyone.

Building your Alhambra the right way

When it comes to building your Alhambra, there are a few important rules to keep in mind:

• All the building tiles must face the same way as your starting tile, with the roofs pointing upwards.
• Adjacent sides of the tiles must have the same feature, either a wall or no wall.
• You should be able to reach each new tile from the starting tile by walking, without crossing any walls or stepping off the tiles.
• Every new tile must be connected to your Alhambra by at least one side, not just at a corner.
• Make sure there are no empty spaces left, with all areas surrounded by building tiles.

After your turn

After you have finished making any changes or alterations, you should wait until the end of your turn to add the building tiles you purchased. You can choose the order in which you add them to your Alhambra or place them on your reserve board.

Once your turn is complete, it’s time for the next player to take their turn. Before they make any decisions, any money cards or building tiles that have been removed from the game are replaced with new ones. This ensures that there are always four of each available. If all the money cards have been used, the discarded ones are shuffled and placed face-down to create a new pile.

Scoring

In the game, we go through 3 scoring rounds. The first two occur when we draw the scoring cards from the money card pile. The final and third scoring round happens at the end of the game.

When we draw a scoring card, we set it aside and select additional cards to make the total number of money cards equal to four. However, before the next player takes their turn, we calculate the scores.

During each scoring round, we award points to the player who has the most buildings of each type. Additionally, we give points based on the length of the walls surrounding our Alhambras. The number of points we receive for each type of building depends on the specific kind of building.

I’ll need a little more information to help you with your request. Can you please provide the HTML markup that needs to be preserved?

Hey there! Just a quick tip: you won’t score points for the tiles you place on the reserve boards, so keep that in mind!

Scoring Points for the Wall in Your Alhambra

Hey there! Did you know that in Alhambra, you can score points not only for buildings but also for creating the longest continuous wall? Yep, each side of a tile with a wall segment on it earns you one point.

But hold on! You don’t get points for walls that are back-to-back, like those internal ones. So, only the walls on the outer edges count.

The points you earn are recorded on the scoring board. For every point you receive, you move your counter one space forward.

Now, let’s talk about the end of the game.

The game reaches its end when, at the end of a player’s turn, there aren’t enough building tiles left in the bag to replenish the supply back to four tiles.

Here’s what happens next: The remaining building tiles from the building market are given to the players who have the highest amount of money in their hand, regardless of the building’s actual cost.

If two or more players have the same amount of money, the building tile will stay in the building market. You can add these tiles to your Alhambra according to the building rules.

Now it’s time for the third and final scoring round. The player with the most points on the scoreboard at the end of this round is the winner. If two players have the same number of points, the game ends in a draw.