Crafting stained glass windows with dice: Sagrada

(Photo credit to Floodgate Games)

Written by Ed Carter, Staff Writer

Sagrada

Floodgate games

1-4 players

Dice drafting, Window crafting, card playing

Design and building the most beautiful window: Game overview

You are an artisian, competing to craft the most beautiful stained glass window for the Sagrada Familia.  Pick your template, and using dice drafted in a communal pool, build your window using different shades and patterns to earn the most points. Can you do it in the designated time frame of 10 rounds? It’s time to let your creative side shine.

Planning the perfect window: Game set-up

To start, give each player a window frame, score marker and 2 random window patterns to choose from.  Shuffle the private and public objective decks.  Give 1 private objective to each player and deal out 3 random public objective cards face up. Return the rest to the box.  Deal each player a number of favor tokens based on the pips on their window pattern card. Shuffle and draw 3 tool cards, placing them face-up in the play area and return the rest to the box.  Put all 90 dice in the dice bag, and select a first player, handing them the dice bag. 

Designing with dice: A game turn

Sagrada is played over 10 rounds.  The first player will draw a number of dice from the bag based on the player count.  Roll the dice and set them up as they are the dice used in the round. The first player will select a die, placing it in their window and/or use a favor token to use one of the tool card abilities. The next player, in clockwise order takes their turn until the last player will take a turn.  Then in reverse order, starting with last player, takes a turn back to the first player who ends the round. Any remaining dice are then stacked onto the round tracker and the next round begins.

The rules to place a die are as follows:

• The first die must be placed on an edge. Each die following must be adjacent either diagonally or orthogonally to a previously placed die. 
• No two dice of the same shade or number can be orthogonally adjacent. 
• Dice must match the shade or number restrictions of the template.  White spaces have no restrictions on shade or number 
• At the end of the round, all remaining dice are placed on the round track. The game continues until 10 rounds, then final scoring is calculated

It’s magnificent! Final Scoring.

To track the final scoring, turn the round track over to the scoring side. Place their scoring marker on the zero space and move it up according to their total points.  Each player will then count their points in the following manner:

• Gain points for each completed public objective 
• Add up the total number of dice for each matching color in the private objective
• Earn 1 point for each unused favor token.
• Lose 1 point for each empty space in your window
• Whoever has the most points, wins!

Sagrada final thoughts

Sagrada is a fun and challenging dice drafting game.   I like the game for it’s theme and use of multi-colored dice.  The game comes with several tools and templates to play with.  It can be very luck based with the randomness of dice, but white spaces and the tool cards are good mitigation techniques.  I think it can be added to the list of entry-level games but challenging enough to also appeal to more seasoned gamers.  I have enjoyed playing it solo, but it is a much more focused experience! when you have multiple players.  Looking for that right die and hoping it is still there for you on your turn.  It is very satisfying to rack up those points and see the final product of your efforts in it’s full color glory.  

Until next time, keep moving those meeples and happy gaming!

 

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