Tabletop games
Alhambra
Queen GamesDirk Henn2003
- players
- 2–6
- minutes
- 60
- years
- 8+
In the box
Alhambra game
Official rules (PDF, publisher's site)
Box details
- Designer
- Dirk Henn
- Publisher
- Queen Games
- Mechanics
- Tile PlacementMajoritiesSet Collection
Where to buy it
Near you and online
In a shop
Within 50 km.
Online
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The basics
Each player builds their Alhambra by buying buildings, paid for in the currency of their space. On your turn, take money, buy a building (paying the exact amount gives an extra action) or redesign your Alhambra, following the rules on walls and access from the fountain. Three scoring rounds reward the majorities in each type of building and the longest wall; the game ends when the building market can no longer be refilled, and the highest total wins.
Checked against the official rules · September 2026
The rules, step by step
Setup
Starting fountain, 4 buildings on market, At least 20 in money
- Everyone takes a starting tile (the fountain), a reserve board and a marker placed on space 0 of the scoring track.
- The 54 building tiles are shuffled face down; four are placed on the spaces of the building market. Each space is linked to a currency.
- The money cards (four currencies, values 1 to 9) are shuffled. Everyone is dealt cards until they have at least 20, all currencies combined.
- Four money cards are turned face up next to the board.
- The rest of the deck is split into five piles: the first scoring card goes into the second pile, the second into the fourth, then everything is stacked back together.
- The player with the fewest cards starts.
How to play
Take money, Buy a building, Redesign
- On your turn, take one of three actions.
- Take money: one face-up card of your choice, or several if their total is no more than 5.
- Buy a building from the building market, paying in the currency of its space. No change is given. Paying the exact amount gives you an extra action.
- Redesign your Alhambra: place a building from your reserve, remove one, or swap one for the other in the same spot.
- At the end of your turn, the buildings you bought are added to your Alhambra or go to your reserve.
- Placement: all roofs facing the same way, matching shared edges (wall against wall, no wall against no wall), every tile reachable from the fountain without crossing a wall, and no gap enclosed on all four sides.
- Then refill the face-up money and the building market.
Scoring
3 scoring rounds, Majorities per type, Wall 1 pt per segment
- Three scoring rounds: at each of the two scoring cards, then at the end of the game.
- For each type of building, the players with the most of it in their Alhambra (not in their reserve) score the points shown.
- First scoring: only the leader scores. Second: the top two. Third: the top three, with higher values.
- In case of a tie, add up the points for the places involved and share them, rounded down.
- Everyone also scores 1 point per segment of their longest continuous outer wall; inner walls do not count.
End of the game
Market not refilled, 3rd scoring, Highest total
- The game stops when the building market cannot be fully refilled.
- The remaining tiles go free of charge to whoever holds the most money in their currency, then the third scoring takes place.
- The highest total wins; a tie shares the win.
- With two players, a dummy player receives random buildings and scores for majorities, but not for walls.
Going further
Frequently asked questions · In the same family
Frequently asked questions
Why keep buildings in your reserve?
When a tile cannot be placed legally, or would spoil your wall, the reserve keeps it aside. It does not count at scoring until it is placed.
When does scoring happen if a scoring card comes out?
As soon as the face-up money has been refilled, before the next player starts their turn.