Game Review: Bruges

My wife and I enjoy playing board games together. We've really liked the designs of Stefan Feld. The Castles of Burgundy (what Amy calls "the boat game") has been a hit for us. We also like this new title we recently acquired, Bruges.

Bruges (or Brugge) is named after a city in Belgium. The game is largely card-driven. Each player replenishes his or her cards to five in a hand on each turn. You then use those cards, alternating turns, to accomplish a bunch of different objectives. You build canals to gain victory points. You gain prestige to move on the points track, as well. You build houses and populate them with people who have powers that can get you points. Cards also build upon each other, leading to even more points. With other Feld games, this is very much a "point soup" approach. There are lots of ways to get points and achieve a victory. For that reason, it can lead to AP (what gamers call "analysis paralysis"). My wife would tell you that I'm the worst. But she likes this one a bunch. She plays it with me on most date nights. I'd highly recommend this game. The artwork and components are beautiful. The gameplay is fast and engaging. I like this one about as much as the C of B. Check out its Boardgame Geek site here.