What is Santorini Board Game?
Contents
Santorini board game is a strategic board game that is simple enough for eight-year-olds and interesting enough for adults. Santorini is a wonderful game to play as a family. The game has to be played by 2-4 players.
Santorini board game is perfect for novice board game players as its rules are easy and simple to understand. The game can be set up within a few seconds and can be over in minutes. The game is simple and can also be strategic and challenging, depending on how we play. Read on about how to play Santorini and its pros and cons.
History of Santorini board game
Santorini was initially released in 2004, but in 2016 a newer and more improved version was released. Both versions are similar, but the recent one is more popular and better in some ways. The 2016 version has superior imagery and cartoon-like features. Santorini board game is now on the way to becoming an app game for Google Play and Apple.
The game
Santorini board game is a beautiful 3D game designed by Spinmaster. The game is simple. 2-4 players take the role of different Greek gods to move around the grid to gradually build up the city. The first player to stand on top of a third-story building wins. The game has 30 cards that would give different godly powers to each player. So every game you play will be different and not monotonous.
Santorini board game is a game like chess where you have to think ahead and play anticipating the opponent’s moves. The board game itself is very intriguing. It is an eye-catching raised board with beautifully illustrated god cards, nice worker miniatures, and quality building tiles. The board is among the best board a hundred games of all time and is one of the most strategic games ever.
The components of the board game include 18 domes, 22 level One buildings, 18 level 3 buildings, 14 level 3 buildings, a cliff, 30 God cars, six builders, and a set of instructions. And, of course, a playing board.
How to set up and play
The game’s sole objective is to build a three-storied building. The opposing players will try to block each other while trying to build their own.
The game can be set up very easily. Take the clip pedestal and fix it on the board. Use the tabs on each side of the board to snap it into place. Now your Greek city is sitting on top of a cliff!
Now, depending on the number of players, each person will take two builders of the same color. Then starting with the youngest player, each player will place their builder miniatures on the board.
The game is pretty straightforward. A turn consists of two phases, where your move and you build. Workers can step forwards, backward, side to side, or diagonally. You can then construct a building level adjacent to the builder you have moved. If you cannot move or build in turn, then you are eliminated. If there are only two players, then the other person wins.
In the move phase of each’s turn, a player can move only one of their two builders and can build only one tile at a time. The player can move their builders up one tower block at a time but as many levels down as they want. A builder cannot be moved two tower blocks at a time.
A player cannot move or build in a space where another player’s builder is or where there is a dome. Once a player has built a third level of a tower, the other players can build a dome on top of the third level to prevent any player from moving to the top to win.
The tower pieces are not divided among players. Each player uses up as many as they want as they build. Players can move on top of towers that other players have built. You win on the tower your opponent has built as long as you follow the movement rules.
Santorini board game God power cards
How you play, the Santorini board game also depends on the God power cards you have. God power cards come in two levels, simple and advanced. It is best that all players play at the same level. Simple cars have a purple flower, and advanced cards show a blue swirl. God power cards are needed when playing 3-4 players but not when there are two playing against each other.
You can find out what each of the 30 God power cards does by looking at the instructions in the booklet. Some cards offer a player supreme powers, like the Chronus card that lets you win the game once five towers are on the board. The Hestia card lets you build twice in your turn, and the atlas card will let you build a dome on any level. Some cards will help you advance, or others will make the game challenging for opponents.
Pros of Santorini board game
The game is very quick, often lasting only about twenty minutes and is easy to set up. It can also be played by all age categories above 8, which makes it perfect as a family board game or to be played among friends. Its rules can be learned very easily, and there are a lot of quality components. The God cards make the game very interesting as you move along. The latest game board release of 2016 has proved its game pieces tremendously, and the tower blocks have a great feel.
Santorini helps improve thinking and analytical skills and planning on your building. It’s a good way for both kids and adults to work on their critical thinking and improve their brain activity.
Cons of Santorini board game
One of the downsides of Santorini is that it is a bit pricey for a simple game when compared to other similar game boards. The game cost $20.33 on Amazon.
Versions of Santorini
Another version of this game is Santorini New York, which follows the same rules and formulas of the original game, but the location is different. Instead of playing Greek gods, players take the role of New York City builders, where they attempt to build high enough as well as fight for control of the Statue of Liberty.
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