Blueprints Board Game Review:

Blueprints is a board game in which you are an architect trying to establish fame by building the most beautiful buildings, winning awards, and managing resources. You must draft dice and stack them to form a building to earn as many awards as possible.

How to Play

Your goal is to build the highest-scoring building. To do this, you will draft dice, construct your building, and increase its value.

At the start of the round, set each person’s building score to 0. Then select the 2 in-demand materials by drawing 2 dice from the bag. These 2 dice will be used as tiebreakers during scoring. The person with the most dice in their building that matches the 1st in-demand material wins the tie. If there is still a tie, use the 2nd in-demand material.

Then draw and roll 7-9 dice (depending on player count) from the bag to create the dice pool. The dice represent the different building materials: wood (orange), stone (black), recycled (green), and glass (clear).

Give each player a random blueprint. Each blueprint has space for 6 dice. Place the blueprint behind your player screen. This prevents other players from seeing your building until the end of the round.

On your turn, select one of the dice from the dice pool and place it on your blueprint without changing its value. You may place it either on top of a numbered space on the blueprint or on another die equal to or lower than the value of the placed die. Then draw 1 die from the bag, roll it, and add it to the die pool.

Scoring

Once everyone has placed 6 dice on their blueprint, you have completed your building. Remove the screens hiding your structure. Then calculate your building’s score.

Blueprint: If you have completed your blueprint, you gain 6 points. You complete a blueprint when the numbered blueprint spaces have the same number as the number of dice on them.

Wood: Orange dice are scored based on each die next to it. For every die that touches the side of the wooden die, gain 2 points.

Stone: Black dice are scored based on how high they are in the structure. If they are on the 1st floor, they gain 2 points, 2nd 3 points, 3rd 5 points, 4th and beyond 8 points.

Recycled: Green dice score based on how many green dice you have. If you have 1 die, you get 2 points, 2 dice 5 points, 3 dice 10 points, 4 dice 15 points, 5 dice 20 points, and 6 dice 30 points. Score all the green dice collectively.

Glass: Clear dice are scored based on the number shown. If the top number is 1, it is worth 1 point. If the number is 2, it’s worth 2, etc.

When everyone counts up their scores, each player receives an award. The player with the most points earns a gold award card worth 3 victory points. The players who came in second and third get silver and bronze awards worth 2 and 1 victory points. If there is a tie, use the in-demand materials to so who won.

Points are different from victory points. Points are used to compete with other players for victory points. Victory points are used to see who wins at the end of the game.

Then see if anyone has completed any of the 4 prizes. Prizes are awarded to the architect who meets their criteria. There are 4 prizes which award 2 victory points each. The skyscraper Prize can be won by building a structure at least 5 dice tall. While the Structural ingenuity prize is given to whoever building had 4 or more dice with the same number on top. The geometer’s prize is given to the architect whose dice show all the numbers 1 through 6. Finally, the materials prize is awarded to the building with at least 5 of the same material. Only one prize of each type can be awarded each round. If multiple players fit the requirements for a prize, use the in-demand materials to determine who gets the prize.

Pros

The theme is immersive. You can see and feel the structure growing as you build it.

Blueprints is quick and doesn’t overstay its welcome. Its 3 round structure allows you to remain competitive when your strategy backfires.

Cons

Due to playing behind a screen, there is low player interaction. The screens are necessary for balance and the light gameplay the game promotes, but it still creates a disconnect between players. It’s hard to root for someone whose building you cant see.

Accessibility

Color Blind: This game is not suited for the colorblind due to the orange and green dice. If you are color blind, you should consider marking the dice to distinguish between the wood and recycled materials.

Reading: No reading is necessary to play this game.

Children: No questionable topics are in this game. Screens make it challenging to help children play the game.

Who would love this game?

The Blueprints board game is perfect for those who want a quick, fun game. The game is great to play when you want to socialize with the other players without the chaos of a party game.

Final Thoughts

Blueprints is a quick, fun game without a lot of pressure. Perfect for those who want a fun time without any stress. This makes Blueprints an excellent selection for someone who doesn’t like modern board games or party games.

If you would like to purchase The Blueprints board game and support Tabletop Game Source, you can purchase it from Amazon here.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you.