Ananda^*

Ananda is a tile-laying game for 2 to 4 players: build a temple from domino tiles, let your monks meditate and earn karma.

Published by Zoch, it suits ages 10 and up, and a game takes 30 to 45 minutes.

What's it about?

The theme is balance: between building and restocking, between meditation and work. The temple grows from 63 domino-style tiles that can also be stacked. The larger a colored area, the more karma it is worth to the monk sitting on it.

A turn in four steps

1. Move your monk to a new colored area.
2. Place as many tiles as you like. At least one must touch your monk, all must grow the area, and each must cover exactly two squares on the same level.
3. Count the area's size and discard meditation cards of that color whose total does not exceed it.
4. Draw new tiles and cards, with your rack holding at most eight tiles.

What stands out

• Building in 3D: Tiles on higher levels still count toward the same color area.
• Shared gains: Grow an area big and you often help your rivals too.
• Resource balance: Shed many cards and you draw fewer tiles.

The player with the most karma points from played meditation cards wins.

Conclusion

A calm, tightly interlocked family game with real puzzle depth. It is at its best with four. If you want pure luck, look elsewhere. If you enjoy thinking a few moves ahead, you will have fun.