Grab the Azul Board Game Today for Just $13 on Amazon for Cyber Monday

Azul is inspired by “azulejos,” a term that refers to the traditionally blue-and-white ceramic tiles that decorated Portuguese and Spanish architecture as far back as the 13th century. These colorful tiles were inspired by “zellige,” which were similar mosaic tiles originating in Morocco. King Manuel I of Portugal was inspired by the dazzling array of Islamic tilework that adorned the Alhambra palace, and he swiftly followed suit by decorating his own palace in a similar manner. Hundreds of years later, azulejos remain an integral part of Portuguese architecture, lining churches, restaurants, and even the subway system.

The board game is rooted in this historic tale, as players are tasked with the challenge of embellishing the walls of the Royal Palace of Évora. The goal of the game is fairly straightforward — fill your playboard with tiles to score points, and win by having the most points at the end of the game.

The game begins with players receiving a play board along with a unique grid of patterned tiles. A variable amount of circular boards are then placed in the center of the table (depending on the amount of players you have), which the game refers to as “factories.” Players take turns snagging all tiles of one color from a factory in the hopes of filling up a full row on their play boards. The tiles that remain are discarded into the center of the table, which players can also grab from if they see tiles of a specific color that they need.

Once all the tiles have been taken, players see how many of the rows on their playboard are full, and are allowed to take one tile from it and transfer it to the same row on their unique grid. Points are scored depending on how well you do so — additional points are earned for achieving specific patterns, and points are deducted for wasted tiles. Final scores are tallied once one player has completed a whole row of tiles on their grid, which is a lot harder than it sounds.

With a total playtime of around 30-45 minutes, it’s a great game that’s relatively fast-paced and ends up using a whole lot of strategy. Every time a player picks up tiles of a certain color, they’re limiting the supplies available to all other players, which makes things start to get messy. Or, maybe you discard a bunch of tiles into the center of the table, making it so there’s now too many of a specific color for a player to fit on their own board (which can only fit a maximum of five of one color).

It sounds far more complicated than it is, but believe us that this game becomes second nature after a couple rounds. It’s intended for 2-4 players, and it made IGN’s list for family board games and one of the best board games to play with three people. Azul scored an 8 among our review team, who revered this game for its quality pieces, beautiful design and well-balanced gameplay.

Grab Azul now for holiday game nights at what will likely be the lowest price you’ll see this year. Or, purchase it as a gift for a friend whose a fellow board game enthusiast. Either way, you won’t want to skip this board game deal.

Other Cyber Monday Board Game Deals

For more great prices on popular board games, check out IGN’s comprehensive list of all the best board game deals we’ve found for Cyber Monday. Take advantage of massive discounts on modern hits like Exploding Kittens, Settlers of Catan, and Ticket to Ride along with oldies-but-goodies like The Game of Life, Guess Who, and Twister.

Katie Reul is a freelance journalist whose entertainment reporting has been featured in IGN and Variety.