Head to France and enjoy the cosy ambience of Cafe de Paris in this game of abstract strategy and puzzle solving. The cafe has been a mainstay in Paris offering a piece of serenity in the bustling city though it is now time for the cafe to be renovated. Now, you must compete for the contract to be the leader of this stylish redesign.
This game joined our collection earlier this year after seeing it in various posts from Essen with how enjoyable people found it I had to get it on order to try myself. The game seemed to have a nice combination of elements I enjoy from other games and the artwork really gripped me so I was keen to give it a try.
First Impressions
The first thing I noticed on arrival of this game was the artwork on the front of the box the use of the white in the windows in the artwork really pulls you into the image keeping your attention for that little bit longer than normal. The artist did a great job of creating an eye catching piece with this artwork and there are so many little details to enjoy. The back of the box is not as engaging with varying shades of beige making it quite bland to look at, I did like however the back did show some of the game components and a very brief break down on the phases in the game. Inside the box I was pleasantly surprised to see that this game comes with an insert which is easy to assemble and works really well for splitting out the components, however I was a little disappointed that there were so many plastic bags as these felt unnecessary with the insert that is provided.
Game Play Overview
In Intarsia you will take on the role of a designer trying to win the contract to redesign the flooring of the Cafe de Paris. The game is played over three rounds split into three phases, Preparation, Building and Conclusion.
In the Preparation phase each player collects the ten material cards depicted on their starting card and adds them to their hand. If the player has cards in their hand from the previous round they will add them to their existing hand of cards.
Next you move on to the Building phase where players will take turns spending cards to pay for wooden elements for their design. When buying elements you can only use cards of a single colour and may include wild cards. The colour of cards used must match the frame of the ornament you are working on. Each wooden element of your ornament costs a different amount of cards and provides a one time effect when placed onto your board. The costs and effects are as follows:
A frame only costs one material card to purchase though offers no additional bonus.
A midsection will cost two material cards of the ornament colours' frame to play and you gain one material card of your choice that is not the same colour as the cards just played or a wild card.
A core costs three material cards of the ornament colours' frame to play and you gain two material cards of your choice that is not the same colour as the cards just played or a wild card.
A table will cost four material cards of the ornament colours' frame to play and allows you to move 1 or 2 spaces on the reward track.
A connector will cost four material cards of a single colour to play and allows you to move 1 or 2 spaces on the reward track.
If you complete an objective from the tool board during your turn you may take the tool tile that matches the requirements and you receive the points on that tool token as well as any others of the same type you have already collected. Once you have claimed any tool tiles you are eligible for, you then receive extra material cards as described for midsections, cores, tables and connectors adding them to your hand.
After all players have built as much as they can and have all passed you then move onto the Conclusion phase. In this step you will score points equal to the number of connectors multiplied by the round you have just completed of the game and move your points marker up that many spaces on the track. Next, starting with the last player to pass in the round, each player chooses one of the five starting hand cards to begin the next round with.
At the end of the third round the game is over and points are calculated. You receive points equal to the points you have accumulated during the game along with points for the ornaments on your player board. For each ornament containing only a frame you get one point, for a frame and a midsection you get three points, a frame, a midsection and a core gets you seven points and a completed ornament gets you twelve points. The player with the most victory points is the winner of the game.
Pros and Cons
This game has many good qualities including a great storage solution, iconography to help colour blind players and easy to set up and teach. While the wooden pieces are satisfying to put together I did have issues with the single layered player board you place them on as it means your pattern can get jostled while playing, which has happened several times to me when playing this game. I also felt the game could do with a player reference card to help with remembering the costs of each wooden piece and the reward for playing them as this would of really streamlined the gameplay. With that said I do think the game has been executed quite well, it offers a fun puzzle to solve with some light strategy which makes it friendly to people new to gaming or families which is a plus in my opinion.
Final Verdict
Overall, I liked the game but it is not one that I personally would be rushing back to. It offers some interesting puzzly elements and a nice sense of urgency, as you try to complete an objective before your opponent does. Though it does lack a little on that satisfaction factor causing it to miss out to some other great titles in my collection giving it a dink in my score for replayability. This game has many great qualities though and due to the level of complexity this game offers it makes a perfect game to kick off a game night or play with the family as it takes less than an hour to play. If you are looking for a light puzzly strategy game I would recommend giving this one a go, though if you like a little more strategy in your games I would suggest looking at Tenpenny Parks or Wild Tiled West.
In conclusion, we would rate this game a 6.9/10
You can watch a video of how it plays and find out more about the game at:
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