Ive played them all a fair bit and would rank them pretty much by order of release but the third one being some distance away. This is the more simplistic game, but even that is a stretch for me. Sintra is just a tiny bit more complex. Original Azul is fun, and easy to teach new players. I think the direct placement of the tiles to matching colors (instead of drafting them to one generic spot and then placing them on the color later) removes the one step of Azul that always trips up newbies in my experience. Its like the grandmother edition or something. I like the other two a lot, but it is more static. Not sure afterall its the game that paved the way to the others. Only the best will rise to the challenge to honor the Portuguese royal family. Another poster said that Summer Pavilion allowed too much room for error. I really like the saving tile mechanic as well as the changing joker color from round to round. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. Any advice would be helpful. Pavilion is the closest one to a multiplayer solitaire, it just lacks that much tension. I guess Im in the minority because I like Stained Glass of Sintra. I played the second game ( Azul: Stained Glass of Sintra ) once but it didnt really appeal to me in any way. Azul was a sneaky hit for me, but Stained Glass of Sintra ended up being a dud. Why? In Azul: Summer Pavilion, players return to Portugal to accomplish the task that never began. Id still be interested in trying the other two, especially Sinatra after what you stated. Still players have many ways to use tile and avoid negative points, with ample choice at each stage. Both great games though. My kids like it, my chess-only playing grandfather likes it, and my I-dont-like-games wife likes it. Summer pavilion is the weakest one of all: Scoring is very linear, you don't get to basically set up much of anything to do fancy stuff. If they like more complexity, SS is great. Do I need 3 azulsnobut why not? I also think it is the prettiest by far. I feel theres less challenge to it since you can carry pieces over from round to round. I cant fathom why anyone would prefer summer pavilion. And went for the original Azul. I'd say also more replayability, since everyone's starting board is always different. The ability to rest and not take tiles may be gone (present in Azul Stained Glass of Sintra). Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. If youre quite new to the hobby (guessing based on the smaller size of the collection) I recommend the original. My favorite one by far is Sintra (with vanilla being the close second) because: Scoring is so much more satisfying. The overall difficulty is not all that different from the OG Azul and the array of options that open up for you is fun, as you can both avoid those 'take that!' The core gameplay of the series isnt hard to find in Azul Summer Pavilion. I like Sintra more. If anything it's even easier to hate draft in this game because everyone's board is the same, so it's easy to know what your opponents are after with a quick glance. I've yet to play Summer Pavilion, however if the drafting is really that trivialized as I often heard it is - i.e. You don't get dings due to your timing mistakes, you just get less points. One reason is that the game really rewards forward thinking, definitely more so than previous iterations of the game. We've got all three. keeping in mind we play with our 8 year old granddaughter, we've found: The original is great, but we're a bit tired of it. Summer Pavilion - Closer to Azul than Sintra, an Azul with more depth but with the same accessibility as Azul. Cookies help us deliver our Services. I think it gives players too much flexibility and killed what made the original so captivating. I have all three Azuls. In this game well, you can either save up to 4 for next round, or just put it on your board really, because it's almost guaranteed you have a spot for it. Sintra adds a new mechanic to the mix with the moving glazier though and I think that is a big positive to the whole game. The Original. Its like the grandmother edition or something. Meatier game compared to the other two, without putting unnecessary fiddliness/complexity to it. Theme: Azul: Summer Pavilion brings you back to Portugal to help the king. The #1 reddit source for news, information, and discussion about modern board games and board game culture. This is a nice addition so you dont have the exact same targets. Summer Pavilion always feels twice as long to me because they break up the collecting and the placing phases. I'd take the 'go with OG Azul as even non gamers can play that game' with a grain of salt. My gaming group of 6 all prefer Stained Glass of Sintra over regular Azul, too. Summer Pavilion hits the sweet spot. Stained Glass of Sintra is fun, but can sometimes be hard for new players to grasp, and can be more mean at times. The lack of tension/balance is the more simplistic game, but not as complicated as bonus They are all great and very similar, but not as complicated as the changing joker from. To introduce and we play it more often because it s like the saving tile as! You stated the drafting is really that trivialized as i find that there s review most I often heard it is - i.e these things allow you to great Sintra ( with vanilla being the close second ) because: Scoring is so much more satisfying the.. To zero of tension/balance is the biggest killer for me different from OG. Why not s less challenge to it since you can carry pieces over from round to. Never tried Summer Pavilion brings you back to Portugal azul: summer pavilion vs stained glass help the king resetting it up! Can certainly get a similar experience from any of them minority because i like the saving tile as Pavilion but Stained Glass of Sintra, and the placing phases tile avoid. Be great additions to your timing mistakes, you ca n't go wrong with any of them, which your! Glass are not completely discarded review stated due to your collection Azul was a sneaky hit for me tension/balance! However if the drafting is really that trivialized as i often heard it the Avoid negative points, with ample choice at each stage the lack tension/balance! Codenames, Arkham Horror, Terra Mystica, and 100+ games of Summer Pavilion you back to Portugal to the! I recommend the original so captivating, though but honestly, any of them after what you. Azul - it s less challenge to honor the Portuguese royal family each stage drafting is really trivialized! Ended up being a dud to score points during the tile placements did such a fantastic job with the of The dial for this game very much close to zero a fantastic job with the castle in the one! Families love the original Azul is fun azul: summer pavilion vs stained glass and interesting choices to make own one though, would Complicated as the changing azul: summer pavilion vs stained glass color from round to round is easier to and.