Next Move Games / Plan B GamesAzul

Azul, designed by Michael Kiesling, is what we reach for when players span a wide age range, because the weighty tiles do half the selling before anyone reads a rule. On your turn you take every tile of one colour from a factory display (or the leftovers in the middle) and lay them on your board; completed rows then shift onto your 5x5 wall for points. The catch is that tiles you cannot place overflow onto your floor line and cost you points, which quietly turns a gentle game mildly cut-throat. It teaches in a couple of minutes, plays in around 30-45 minutes, and looks striking on the table. The push-your-luck tension of grabbing tiles you cannot yet use gives adults plenty to weigh without leaving children behind. A thoroughly deserved Spiel des Jahres winner.