Azul

To set up Azul, each player receives a player board, ensuring the colorful side is facing up for the standard game. A black cube is given to each player to track their score, starting at zero on the scoring track. The first player tile is placed in the center of the table. Factory display discs are arranged in a circle around it; use 5 discs for a 2-player game, 7 for a 3-player game, and all 9 for a 4-player game. All 100 colored tiles are placed into the cloth bag and shaken. Finally, four random tiles are drawn from the bag and placed onto each factory display disc.

The objective of Azul is to accumulate the highest score by strategically collecting and placing tiles on your player board. Players aim to complete horizontal and vertical lines of tiles on their wall, as well as collect all five tiles of a specific color, to earn points. Careful planning is essential to maximize your score while minimizing negative points from leftover tiles.

During a player's turn, they choose to take tiles from either a single factory display or from the center of the table. When taking from a factory display, a player must take all tiles of one specific color. Any remaining tiles on that disc are moved to the center. If taking from the center, a player also takes all tiles of one specific color, along with the first player token. The first player token and any tiles that cannot be placed on a pattern line are moved to the player's floor line, which incurs negative points. Tiles are then placed on the player's pattern lines, matching the color of the tile to the corresponding space on the wall. Once a pattern line is full, one tile from that line is moved to the wall, and the rest are discarded to the box lid.

At the end of each round, after all tiles have been taken, players calculate their scores. For each tile moved to the wall, points are awarded based on its position. A tile scores one point for itself, plus one point for each adjacent tile in the same horizontal row and each adjacent tile in the same vertical column. If a tile is part of both a horizontal and vertical line, it is counted twice. Any tiles remaining on a player's floor line incur negative points, as indicated on the player board. These points are immediately added or subtracted from the player's score using their black cube.

The game concludes immediately after any player completes a full horizontal line of five tiles on their wall. After the current round's scoring, final bonus points are awarded. Players receive 2 bonus points for each completed horizontal line, 7 bonus points for each completed vertical line, and 10 bonus points for each set of all five tiles of a single color on their wall. The player with the highest total score after all bonus points are tallied is declared the winner.