Azul: Summer Pavilion

2019

Become a master artisan in Azul: Summer Pavilion, a strategic board game where players draft and place tiles to construct a grand summer pavilion.

45
minutes

2 - 4
player(s)

Medium

About the game

Welcome to Azul: Summer Pavilion, a vibrant and strategic board game that transports you to the heart of the Portuguese Age of Discovery! This game, designed by Michael Kiesling, is the third installment in the Azul series and offers unique gameplay mechanics and a rich historical theme.

Set in the 16th century, players are tasked with constructing the Summer Pavilion, an ornate building intended to honor Portugal’s most renowned king, King Manuel I. As master artisans, players use beautiful, colorful tiles to create the most aesthetically pleasing patterns on the Pavilion. However, players must also strategize and plan, as the placement of these tiles can earn or lose points, leading to victory or defeat.

Game components Unboxing the fun!

The board game ‘Azul: Summer Pavilion’ comes with several types of components. Each of these plays a unique role in the gameplay and interacts in different ways with the other components. Here is a list of each component, along with their descriptions:

Tiles:

There are 132 tiles in six different colors (22 of each color). Players select these tiles during the game to build their summer pavilions. The color of the tile may affect its placement on the player’s board, and the amount and arrangement of tiles collected can influence scoring.

Player Boards:

Each of the four included player boards provides a personal playing area for participants. These boards have spaces to place and arrange the tiles collected during the game. The arrangement of tiles on the player’s board is crucial for scoring points.

Scoring Board:

The scoring board is used to keep track of each player’s points during the game. It is shared among all the players, and points are marked with individual scoring markers.

Scoring Markers:

There are four scoring markers, one for each player. These markers move along the scoring board to indicate each player’s current score. Points are earned through strategic tile placement and can be lost for taking tiles that cannot be placed.

Start Player Marker:

The start player marker indicates who begins the round of tile selection. The player holding this marker also gets the first choice of tiles each round, but at a cost of a point on the scoring board.

Factories:

There are nine round factory displays. At the start of each round, these factories are filled with four randomly drawn tiles. Players take turns picking all tiles of a single color from one factory during their turn.

Draw Bag:

The draw bag is used to hold the tiles before they are placed on the factory displays. At the start of each round, tiles are drawn from this bag to fill the factories.

Storage Spaces:

On each player board, there are a number of storage spaces where players place the tiles they have chosen during their turn. These spaces can only hold tiles of a single color per round, and can influence the order of play in the next round.

Wild Tiles:

In each round, one color of tile is designated as ‘wild’. These tiles can be used as a substitute for any other color when completing sections of the summer pavilion.

Game setup Lay it out, line it up, let’s go

Azul: Summer Pavilion is a beautifully crafted tile-placement game that challenges players to decorate the summer pavilion of King Manuel I. Here is a step by step guide on how to set up the game:

1. Board Placement:

Place the game board in the center of the play area where all players can easily reach it.
Each player takes a player board and places it in front of them. Make sure the side with the colored spaces is facing up.

2. Initial Resources:

Place the scoring marker of each player on the “0/100” space on the score track.
Each player takes a set of tiles in their chosen color.
Place the round marker on the “1” space of the round track.
Distribute the starting player tile to the youngest player.

3. Tiles and Factories:

Place the cloth bag next to the game board and fill it with all the tiles. Mix them well.
Depending on the number of players, place 5 factories for a 2-player game, 7 factories for a 3-player game, or 9 factories for a 4-player game around the game board. Keep an equal distance between each factory.
Draw four tiles from the bag and place them on each factory.

4. Setting up the Tiles for the First Round:

Draw a tile from the bag and place it on the “1” space of the round track. This will be the wild tile for the first round.

5. Player Roles:

In Azul: Summer Pavilion, players don’t have specific roles. Instead, each player acts as a tile-laying artist who is trying to create the most beautiful summer pavilion. The players take turns choosing tiles from the factories or the center of the table and placing them on their player board. The goal is to score the most points by effectively placing the tiles and completing patterns and sets.

6. Random Elements:

The random elements in Azul: Summer Pavilion come from the drawing of tiles from the bag. Each round, the tiles available on the factories and the type of the wild tile will be different, which adds variability and unpredictability to the game.

Game flow Round and round we go

‘Azul: Summer Pavilion’ is a beautiful tile drafting and placement game where players are tasked with constructing a grand summer pavilion for the king. The game progresses in a series of rounds and phases, each with specific actions players perform.

Game Setup:

Each player is given a player board and a scoring marker, which is placed on the ‘0’ space of the scoring track.
The factory display tiles are placed in a circle around the center of the table, and four tiles are drawn from the bag and placed on each factory display.
The start player marker is placed in the center of the table.

Gameplay: This is divided into four main phases:

Phase 1: Player Turns

Starting with the first player and continuing clockwise, each player takes a turn. On your turn, you must either take tiles from a factory display, or from the center of the table. The chosen tiles must all be of the same color that has not yet been taken.
After taking the tiles, you must place them on one of the six areas on your player board. Each area corresponds to a different color of tile.

Phase 2: Wall-Tiling

Starting with the first player and continuing clockwise, each player moves their tiles from the areas of the player board to the wall.
Scoring is done immediately after each tile is placed on the wall. The tiles you place will score points based on their position relative to other tiles on the wall.

Phase 3: Preparing the Next Round

The factory displays are refilled with four new tiles from the bag.
The start player marker is passed to the player on the left.

Phase 4: Game End

The game ends after six rounds. Players add bonus points to their score for any completed columns, completed rows, and for each type of tile of which they have placed all five on the wall.
The player with the highest total score is the winner.

Players'turn One turn to rule them all

The game of ‘Azul: Summer Pavilion‘ involves players taking turns to perform a series of actions in a bid to score the most points. Here’s a detailed breakdown of a player’s turn:

Phase 1: Tile Drawing

Each player can take all tiles of the same color from a factory display and place the remaining tiles in the center of the table. Alternatively, a player can take all tiles of the same color from the center of the table.
The first player to take tiles from the center of the table also takes the ‘first player’ tile, which will go on their player board, signifying that they will go first in the next round but also subtracting one point from their score.
The drawn tiles are placed in their player’s area to be placed in the pavilion later.

Phase 2: Tile Placement

Players can place their drawn tiles on their player board. Each player has a board with seven columns, each column representing a different color of tiles and numbered from 1 to 6.
The tile color must match the column color, and the number of tiles must match the column number. The placement of tiles can affect the player’s scoring.
Players can also place a tile on the star space of their board. The color of the star space changes each round, offering strategic choices to the players.

Phase 3: Scoring

Players score their boards based on the tiles they’ve placed. Each tile scores as many points as there are tiles in the same row or column on the player’s board, including the newly placed tile.
If a player manages to fill all the spaces of a particular color on their board, they score bonus points.
Points are also scored for placing tiles around the star space on the player board.
The game ends after six rounds, and the player with the highest score wins.

Throughout the game, players must balance their choices between taking the tiles they need, denying tiles to their opponents, and positioning themselves for future rounds. Strategic tile placement and careful planning can lead to high-scoring combinations and ultimately, victory.

End of the game All good games must come to an end

‘Azul: Summer Pavilion’ is a strategy-based board game where players are tasked with building their own version of the Summer Pavilion. The game ends after the completion of the sixth round. It is at this point that players proceed to the final scoring to determine the winner.

During the game, players collect tiles and place them on their respective player boards to earn points. However, the final scoring that determines the winner also includes extra points earned from the following conditions:

Completed Colours: At the end of the game, players earn additional points for each color they have completely filled in on their player board. The points vary depending on the color.
Completed Statues: Players also earn extra points for each statue they have fully surrounded with tiles. Again, the points rewarded are dependent on the specific statue.
Completed Windows: Windows surrounded by tiles on all sides grant players bonus points, the value of which is determined by the difficulty level of the window pattern.

Before proceeding to final scoring, players must carry out the following actions:

Final Tile Collection: Each player gets to collect tiles one last time from the factory display or center of the table. This is done in the same manner as during the game rounds.
Last Placement: After collecting the tiles, players place them on their player board. It’s crucial for players to strategically place these tiles to maximize their points during the final scoring.
Count Remaining Tiles: Finally, players must count the number of tiles left in their personal supply. Every remaining tile subtracts one point from the player’s final score.

Once these steps are completed, players tally their scores including the bonus points from the victory conditions mentioned above. The player with the highest total score is the winner of ‘Azul: Summer Pavilion’.

Scoring Did you outsmart your rivals?

Azul: Summer Pavilion is a tile-placement board game where players compete to score the most points by collecting and arranging tiles on their player board. The scoring system is a little complex, but once understood, it adds a layer of strategy to the game.

Scoring During the Game:

Tile Placement: After a player has collected a set of tiles and placed them on their player board, they score points. For each tile placed, the player scores 1 point plus 1 point for each tile connected to it in a straight line (horizontally and vertically, but not diagonally). Tiles of the same color do not need to be adjacent to each other to score.
Star Tile: Any player who manages to place a tile on a space with a star gets an additional point. This applies only to the first tile placed on a star space in each round.

Scoring at the End of the Game:

Completed Colors: At the end of the game, players score bonus points for each color of tile they have completely filled on their player board. The points are as follows: 1 color = 1 point, 2 colors = 4 points, 3 colors = 9 points, 4 colors = 16 points, 5 colors = 25 points, and 6 colors = 36 points.
Completed Columns: Players also score bonus points for each column they have completely filled on their player board. Each completed column is worth 3 points.
Completed Diagonal: If a player has placed a tile in all of the spaces along a diagonal from the top left to the bottom right of their player board, they score 10 points.

Tie-Breaking Rules:

In the event of a tie at the end of the game, the player who has the most completed colors on their player board wins. If there is still a tie, the player who went first in the game (i.e., the one who took the first player marker in the very first round) is the winner.

Particular Cases and Exceptions Wait… is that legal?

Azul: Summer Pavilion is a game that has many intricate rules that players need to be mindful of. The game is based on tile placement, and while the core rules are relatively simple, there are a few special rules and exceptions that can make gameplay more complex.

Wild Tiles: In each round, one color of tile is designated as a “wild” color. This color can be used as a substitute for any other color when completing a pattern. However, wild tiles cannot be selected first from the factory display.

Star Tokens: In the game, there are Star tokens. Players can earn these by completing specific patterns on their player board. These tokens provide players with bonus points at the end of the game.

Star Token Scoring: Scoring for Star tokens happens at the end of the game. For each Star token a player has, they earn points equal to the number of completed patterns in the corresponding color on their player board.

End of Round Scoring: Unlike previous versions of Azul, in Summer Pavilion, scoring is done at the end of each round, not after each turn. This includes scoring for completed patterns, and any bonuses for adjacent tiles.

End of Game Scoring: Additional scoring happens at the end of the game. This includes points for completed patterns, remaining Star tokens, and any penalties for not being able to place tiles.

Placement Rules: When placing tiles on their player board, players must follow specific rules. Tiles of the same color must be placed adjacently, and once a tile is placed, it cannot be moved.

These special rules and exceptions add strategic depth to Azul: Summer Pavilion, making it a game of careful planning and foresight.

Tips and tricks Play smarter, not harder!

‘Azul: Summer Pavilion’ is a tile-placement game that provides a unique combination of strategy and luck. Here are some advanced strategies, beginner tips, and common mistakes to avoid, along with ways to optimize gameplay.

Advanced Strategies:

Try to maximize your points by planning ahead. Identify the tiles you need for the larger patterns early in the game and aim for those.
Don’t underestimate the value of the wild tile. It can be used to complete any color pattern and can save you in a pinch.
Try to get tiles that your opponents need. This can limit their scoring opportunities and give you an edge in the game.

Beginner Tips:

Focus on completing patterns. The more patterns you complete, the more points you score.
Keep an eye on what tiles your opponents are collecting. This can help you anticipate their moves and plan your strategies accordingly.
Don’t be afraid to take a penalty if it means getting the tiles you need. The potential points gained by completing a pattern can often outweigh the initial penalty.

Common Mistakes to Avoid:

Don’t focus only on your own board. Be aware of what’s happening on your opponents’ boards as well.
Avoid getting too many penalties. While sometimes necessary, they can quickly add up and hurt your score.
Don’t underestimate the importance of strategy. While there is a luck element in the game, a good strategy can often make the difference between winning and losing.

Ways to Optimize Gameplay:

Learn the patterns. The more familiar you are with the different patterns, the easier it will be to plan your moves.
Practice makes perfect. The more you play, the better you’ll get at anticipating moves and making strategic decisions.
Keep a positive attitude. Like any game, ‘Azul: Summer Pavilion’ can have its ups and downs. Don’t get discouraged if you’re behind, and don’t get complacent if you’re ahead.