Calçada (2024)

About this game

There is a lot of activity on the Portuguese sidewalks. The first bars open and numerous people swarm out. Children scamper around happily, couples in love stroll through the alleys, while older passers-by relax on park benches in the shade following the hustle and bustle. In Calçada, players take turns drafting pavement-tiles from the general display onto their player board via a mancala-inspired selection mechanism. Once someone completes a certain area, they get points based on the value of that area. This value then decreases. At the end, everyone gets extra points for connected objects or groups. The player with the most points at the end of the game wins.

Does it fit your group?

• Group size. Works with 2 to 4.
• Rules load. At 2.0/5 this is a mid-weight game — expect a proper rules explanation before you start.
• Age. The publisher suggests 10 and up. That rates the rules rather than the artwork, so judge the box yourself for younger players.