Architekton (2005)

About this game

A tile laying game somewhat like Carcassonne / Fjorde where you are placing landscape tiles to gain points. Tiles are laid out in an alternating pattern, kind of like a chess board. Tiles alternate between building tiles on one diagonal and landscape tiles on the other. As soon as a building with your house is surrounded, you get 1 point if all the landscapes match, but you lose 1, 2, or 3 points if 1, 2, or 3 of the surrounding landscapes do not match. You can remove your house to reduce this loss, but at the end of the game, you get 1 point per house on your longest diagonal group of houses. Reimplementation of: Contra (With different rules.)

Does it fit your group?

• Group size. Strictly 2 players — no more, no fewer.
• Rules load. At 1.6/5 this is a light game — explain it in a few minutes, good for a table that has not played much.
• Age. The publisher suggests 8 and up. That rates the rules rather than the artwork, so judge the box yourself for younger players.