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Art Society Board Game Review

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Art Society is a tile-placement game for 2 to 4 players. In this game, players build their art gallery by bidding on paintings and placing them on their boards that represent their gallery walls.

Overview

The rules are straightforward. Each player has a set of 20 bidding cards, numbered from 1 to 20. Every round, the start player selects a number of facedown paintings equal to the total number of players plus one. When these painting tiles are flipped, all players secretly choose a bid card. Bids are then simultaneously revealed, and players acquire painting tiles starting from the highest bid to the lowest. After that, players place the paintings on their boards, discard the bid card used, and the remaining painting is contributed to the museum, boosting the prestige rating of its respective type.

Placement rules are important in Art Society. Paintings vary in size and feature different types and frames. There are four types of paintings, and placing paintings of the same type together results in all of them scoring zero points during final scoring. However, placing paintings with the same frame next to each other rewards decor tiles for all connected tiles. These decor tiles score victory points and cover spaces on the board.

The game can end in three ways: players running out of bid cards, one player running out of space and being unable to place a painting for two rounds, or a player fully covering their board.

Art Society

Gameplay

Art Society is easy to learn, with rules that can be explained in just a few minutes. It also plays quickly and our games with three players typically lasted around 45 minutes.

The bidding mechanism in this game is a lot of fun. Since there is a limited number of bid cards, and each card can only be used once, bidding becomes intense. Players aim to win auctions with the lowest bid possible, but the uncertainty of opponents’ bids makes picking a card challenging. Using low cards risks losing auctions and missing out on desirable tiles while using high cards early leaves the player vulnerable in crucial auctions in the late game. Players may choose to save their higher bid cards, but if they wait too long to use them, the game might end with their highest cards still unused. All of this adds to the excitement of every single round.

When bidding for tiles, players must pay attention to the size, type, and frame of every painting. But at the start of every round, the start player selects paintings for the auction based solely on size, without knowledge of their type and frame. This adds an element of strategy, as those who have saved their high bidding cards may choose to select one tile that works for them and pick the rest from unusually large tiles to put opponents in a difficult position. However, this strategy can backfire due to the types and frames of the paintings. The start player can also select the paintings so that all can fit on their board but make placement difficult for opponents. So, keeping an eye on everyone’s board and selecting paintings for auctions adds another interesting layer of decision-making to the game.

When it comes to blindly picking paintings for auctions, luck can play a small role. This becomes more apparent towards the end of the game, as players often have many paintings with specific frames. Certain frames showing up can have an impact at this stage. However, in our experience, good strategies usually came out on top even in cases where some players had better luck with the frames.

Placement rules are another factor that adds depth to the gameplay. Every newly placed painting must connect to another, and paintings with the same frame score points when placed together. However, paintings of the same type next to each other don’t score. Also, players must deal with negative two points in all corners of their player boards unless they are covered. More importantly, the middle section of the player boards, called the eyeline, scores victory points for paintings of the type with the highest prestige so placing as many paintings as possible in this area is necessary for a winning strategy. All of these factors make placement an interesting aspect of the game.

Even though the endgame can be triggered in three different ways, our games always ended with someone filling up their board. The other two conditions seem to be in place for edge cases or very specific strategies. While it’s certainly possible for them to happen, it should be unlikely.

Art and Component

When a game is titled “Art Society,” you expect impressive artwork, and this game certainly delivers. Everything is visually stunning from the board to the tiles, creating an excellent table presence. Additionally, the game features a great insert that neatly organizes paintings of all sizes, facilitating quick setup. Setting up the game is a breeze—all you have to do is give each player a board and a set of bid cards and place the scoreboard, the game box, and some tokens on the table, which can happen in a minute. The teardown and packing of the game are equally quick. However, organizing all other pieces except the paintings can be a bit challenging due to limited space in the box, something that can be improved.

Final Thoughts

Overall, Art Society is a brilliant option for quick gaming sessions. Its combination of simple rules, fun bidding, and exciting gameplay make it an excellent choice for both casual and experienced players. It’s a game that effortlessly draws players in and keeps them coming back for more. We’ve been enjoying this game and it’s been a favourite on our gaming table for the past few months.

Disclosure: We received a review copy of this game. Also, there may be an affiliate link in the links included at the end of this article.


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