My husband and I used to play games with other couples all the time before we had kids but haven’t in so so many years until this year! 2020 hasn’t been all bad…for us, it has been The Year of the Games, and we have loved trying and playing new games this whole year.

I’ve been sharing lots of kids games and gameschool games, but the next bunch is going to be some more complex games for older players and families. 

Board gaming is definitely part of our family culture and it’s something we really love doing together, and this is one of our favorite family games!

Sagrada is an absolutely gorgeous game, possibly the prettiest one we own, and it’s also a dice game, which we all love! I love the strategy but also the chance, and that element makes it perfect for parents to play with their kids.

It’s a very simple game to learn – each player gets a Window Frame Player Board, a Private Objective Card (not pictured), and two Window Pattern Cards. Players choose one of their window pattern cards. Each card is double sided and has a difficulty rating of anywhere between 3 (easiest) and 6 (hardest). Slide the chosen card into the board and you’re ready to play!

The game is played over 10 rounds. The first act of each round is to pull enough dice so that each player gets 2 with 1 left over. Players take turns choosing dice to fill their window pattern card, following all the limitations and restrictions of color and number.

The most important rule is that dice of the same color or number CANNOT be next to each other horizontally or vertically, but they CAN touch diagonally. 

Players can pay Favor Tokens to gain a special ability from 1 of 3 available Tool Cards (selected at the beginning of the game), which allow re-rolling dice, swapping positions in the window, etc.

Players take turns choosing “glass” for their windows until all 10 rounds are played then points are assigned for private and public objectives (also determined by cards selected at the beginning of the game).

The player with the most points at the end of the game is named Master Artisan and is the winner! 

This game is one of our favorite family game night games but is also great for Gameschooling subjects like European history, cathedrals, architecture, glass arts/stained glass, and probability (there’s always a math application!). It’s a “two birds with one stone” kind of game.

If you like dice games, you’ll love the simplicity and beauty of Sagrada. (There are several Sagrada expansions that we are eager to try as well. )Thanks to Floodgate Games for sharing it with us!