As an avid board game player, I can note that this game has had some staying power with the people I've spoken with. It also currently almost cracks the top 100 on the board game geek web site. But that doesn't mean you have to be a hardcore board gamer to enjoy it. While the rules can be a bit daunting at first for those not used to these kinds of strategy games, playing through a round or two tends to make it all come together nicely.



The premise of the game is that you are an artist and you score points by creating works of art. This may be by painting a section of the ceiling in the cathedral or doing smaller projects. The player interaction comes into play as you jockey for position and turn order so that you can balance the costs of going sooner with pay offs. For example, going first means you get first choice from the available paint colors in the market and first opportunity to paint sections of the chapel. It also means your apprentices will be unhappy with you for getting them up so early and the costs of the paints will be more expensive.



For beginners, I strongly recommend leaving out the "expansion" pieces of the game in your first play. Learn the basics first and you won't risk getting frustrated at the complexity that the expansions add. After that first game, jump right into them, however, as they do add a lot of flavor and more choices to the game. Experienced euro/strategy/designer gamers should have no problem jumping right in and playing the full game with all expansions.