Played Azul: Stained Glass of Sintra last night. I liked it better than "vanilla" Azul. Probably more thoughts later when I'm not rushing to get ready for work.
And there are times where you have no option BUT to pass (or lose points). And if you can force your opponent into that, it's an equally powerful play to make.
@gamethyme I own Azul but I've never gotten to play it.
@AudreyWinter Base Azul is quite good.
Works well with 2/3/4 players. Isn't overly complex (my Tweenage nephews were able to teach their non-gaming mother how to play pretty easily). Has strategy and a moderate amount of indirect player interaction.
It's on boardgamearena.com if you want to play it without dealing with people face-to-face. I'm always up for turn-based play (1 turn/day minimum), if you want to challenge someone and get a couple of plays under your belt.
@AudreyWinter I won't promise to take it easy on you, but I can promise not to be a jerk about it. 🙂
My username there is (surprise!) gamethyme.
@gamethyme I'll definitely give it some thought!
@AudreyWinter No pressure. I'm usually playing about 25 games on BGA. One more (or not) won't change my time spent there significantly.
@gamethyme It seems I already had an account at BGA and forgot about it!
@AudreyWinter My favorite thing about BGA is that most games are free.
I like Azul. It's a good game. It's an excellent gateway game, IMHO.
Stained Glass of Sintra adds something Azul lacks - the ability to pass your turn.
They don't call it a pass, and there is another mechanical thing it does (resets your Glazier), but it amounts to a pass. And, in a two-player game, it can be a super-powerful play.