Stats:
No. of players: 2-4
Amount of time to play: 45-60 min
Age requirements: 8+
Set-up time: minimal

Sanssouci is a tile-laying game that is very family-friendly. You play cards to gain tiles to add to your garden and score VPs.

Sanssouci Rules Description:

In Sanssouci you are trying to create the most beautiful garden. You gain VPs by completing rows and columns in your garden, by moving your nobles through it and by completing your secret mission card. Score the most VPs and win the game.

You start the game with a unique player board. It has nine vertical columns and six rows. Some are already filled but the majority of them are empty. Each column is represented by a different garden symbol and each row is represented by a different color. Each column has a noble at the top and you start with two cards and two secret mission cards.

A common board has ten tiles showing and ten face down draw piles. Two of the face-up tiles are associated with one of the five colors that correspond to the rows.

On your turn you play one of your two cards then you may move a noble. Your cards have either a garden symbol or a swatch with two colors on them. If you play a cared with the colors on it, you take one of the tiles from the common board that is associated with one of the two colors on the card. If you play a card with a garden symbol, you take any tile that has a matching symbol. If there is no tile out that matches the garden symbol you play, you take any tile you want.

You must place the tile you take on the coordinates of that symbol and color on your board. If that space is full you flip the tile to the gardener side and place it in any open space in that same column or row. If there are no spaces empty in the same column or row, you place it on any open space on your player board.

Next you may move one of the nine noblemen on your board down a column. The further down the column he moves the more VP you score. A noble may be moved out of its initial column when moving down the path as long as it ends up back in its original column. It cannot end its movement on a gardener. You end your turn by drawing a card.

Secret mission cards depict a noble on a specific spot on the board.

The game ends once all players have had 18 turns. You get 10 VPs minus the rows value for each row that you fill, 5 VPs for each vertical column you complete and the VPs for each secret mission card you completed. The player with the most VPs wins.

The base game comes with an expansion that makes certain spaces on your player board add or subtract one to three VPs.

Quick Review of Sanssouci:

Sanssouci is a fun game that is fairly light and very accessible. You can play this with young and old, gamers and non-gamers. It moves quickly and is easy to teach and learn.

The components for this game are very nice. The art is decent and the tiles and cards feel pretty durable. The rules are easy to follow and read too.

This game is random and can be swingy but that helps create a level playing field for everyone involved. That is why it is great for families or groups with newer gamers. This might frustrate hard-core gamers but this is a leisurely game about strolling through a garden. Remind your friends of this if they get upset.

The game moves along quickly with little downtime and it doesn’t overstay its welcome. The way you can move the nobles and creating paths for them creates some fun aha moments.

If you are looking for a fun game to play with your family or non-gamer friends, give Sanssouci a try.

Score and synopsis: (Click here for an explanation of these review categories.)
Strategy 3 out of 6
Luck 5 out of 6
Player Interaction 1 out of 6
Replay Value 4 out of 6
Complexity 2 out of 6
Fun 4 out of 6
Overall 4 out of 6