Santorini – a Little Meeples Favourite

Santorini is one of my all time favourite abstract strategy games. I consider it to be very similar in style and strategy to chess, but a much simpler set of rules, making it a great stepping stone to Chess. It can be taught in only 30 seconds!

In Santorini you each have 2 pawns you control. They are builders of the great city of Santorini. On your turn you move one space then build on a spot adjacent to you. A building has a max of 4 levels. The first one to to stand on top of the third level of any building wins. You can only move your pawn up one level at a time, so if you are on the ground and the building already has two levels, you can’t jump up from the ground.  The fourth level caps the building making it inaccessible to anyone. If you are next to a 3-floor building, that is essentially a “check-mate”. Your opponent must cap it with a fourth floor to prevent your win.

It’s very similar to chess in that you must think several moves ahead to set up a “check-mate” that your opponent can’t block. It’s a perfect game for honing critical thinking, planning ahead, and problem solving. You’re constantly thinking “if I go here, then she will go there, then I can go here, unless she goes there, then maybe I should go here.”

Santorini was designed by a Canadian mathematician over 30 years ago, but only recently had the game published through a kickstarter campaign. It was originally designed to be just a set of blocks you place on top of each other. However this version of the game is incredibly visually appealing. The table presence it gives is beautiful, so much so you might not put it back in the box after you’re done playing with it.

The game also comes with a set of cards that each contain a character you can play. Each Greek god on the card has a special ability. Artemis can move two space on a turn. Hephaestus can build twice on his turn. The variety of characters makes every game feel completely different. I’ve played Santorini dozens of time and I have yet to play any of the character cards because the base rule set is so solid. I’m not ready to mix it up just yet but I can imagine it will change everything.

My opinion is that this game is timeless. It will be a game that you can keep in your collection forever and it will never feel outdated. The box says it can play with 3 players, but we I find it removes a lot of the strategic play. You can play it at any age, old or young. The box says 8+ but I have played it with a 6 year old because the rules are so simple. It’s definitely a keeper.

You can purchase Santorini at Board Game Bliss