The Breakdown:
Players: 2-4
Playing Time: 45-60 min.
Weight: 4.5/10
Publisher: Gryphon Games
Mechanics: Tile Placement
Set Collection
Components: Game Board
34 Commission Cards
8 Wooden Easels
132 Color Cards
55 Palette Hexes (1 Starting Piece)
4 Player Reference Cards
Rulebook
Players: 2-4
Playing Time: 45-60 min.
Weight: 4.5/10
Publisher: Gryphon Games
Mechanics: Tile Placement
Set Collection
Components: Game Board
34 Commission Cards
8 Wooden Easels
132 Color Cards
55 Palette Hexes (1 Starting Piece)
4 Player Reference Cards
Rulebook
The Review:
I was browsing the board game subreddit one day when someone asked a fairly odd question. Their significant other was really into fine art and was looking for a game that played to their tastes. One of the many knowledgeable people in that subreddit threw out the game Pastiche. Intrigued, I did a little bit of research and I became a man obsessed! Let’s open the box and see if the game lived up to the hype.
I was browsing the board game subreddit one day when someone asked a fairly odd question. Their significant other was really into fine art and was looking for a game that played to their tastes. One of the many knowledgeable people in that subreddit threw out the game Pastiche. Intrigued, I did a little bit of research and I became a man obsessed! Let’s open the box and see if the game lived up to the hype.
Now let’s be honest, I’m a sucker for quality components and boy does this thing deliver. First of all, the box is STURDY, which is something that is sadly missing from a lot of games; a minor detail, certainly, but still. The commission cards are actual historical paintings on thick, quality cardboard that fit on *gasp* adorable wooden easels. I love it when a game really coincides with its theme, and this is the very definition. The game board is very nice, although completely cosmetic, as it serves no actual purpose except holding cards. The palette hexes are pretty standard, and certainly accomplish the designed goal.
Gameplay:
Objective: Acquire the most points by completing paintings (and points for progress on uncompleted paintings)
Set Up:
On your turn:
Each turn consists of 3 phases: The Mixing Phase, the Painting Phase, and the Clean-Up Phase.
Mixing Phase:
-Mix the smaller dabs of paint on the edges of the hex to get secondary, tertiary, or (in rare cases) primary colors
Painting Phase:
Clean-Up Phase:
Game Ends:
A player reaches the point total for the current player count (45 for 2p, 40 for 3p, 35 for 4p). At this point, the game continues until the end of the round so that each player can have an equal number of turns.
Final Thoughts:
Pastiche is a game that beautifully blends theme and game play together seamlessly for a wonderful experience. Sometimes it’s just refreshing to play a game that does not include space, fantasy, medieval serfdom, or zombies (seriously, can this fad just die?). The component quality is simply top notch, but that does drive the price up a smidge; however, coming soon is a revised version called Petite Pastiche that drops the quality a little bit but drops the price even more. Hooray!
The game play is pretty simple, and the game does tend to lend itself to be more luck-based rather than skill which will certainly turn some people off. The game does alleviate this a bit in the Commission card gallery, having two tiles to play instead of one (looking at you Carcassonne…), and implementing player trading. That being said, you really are at the mercy of the hex board in regards to what color cards you obtain. The whole placement of the hex-tile can lead to A LOT of analysis paralysis as players really try to get EVERY color they need on one turn.
Overall, Pastiche is a lighter game that really works well for what it is. It’s not meant to be a brain-burning strategy game, and fits into the niche of some of the enjoyable thematic games that are out there right now, usually referred to as “Ameritrash”. If you are looking for a game that has mechanics that really reflect the theme, this one might be on top of my list right next to Niagara.
Positives:
Negatives:
Final Score: 7.5/10
Gameplay:
Objective: Acquire the most points by completing paintings (and points for progress on uncompleted paintings)
Set Up:
- Commission cards and palette hexes are shuffled and two of each are dealt to each player
- Each player also receives one each of the secondary color cards (Green, Violet, Orange, and Brown)
- Four commission cards are placed into the gallery, with the rest forming a stack
- The color cards are placed onto the game board
- The three-hex starting tile is placed in the center of the table
On your turn:
Each turn consists of 3 phases: The Mixing Phase, the Painting Phase, and the Clean-Up Phase.
Mixing Phase:
- Players place one of their palette hexes adjacent to the three-hex starting tile or whichever hexes have built up over the course of the game and then receive colors based on their placement.
- Players can take EITHER:
-Mix the smaller dabs of paint on the edges of the hex to get secondary, tertiary, or (in rare cases) primary colors
Painting Phase:
- Trade colors with other players or with the bank, starting with the first player (Optional)
- Trade a commissioned painting with one in the gallery (Optional)
- Complete commission cards (Optional)
Clean-Up Phase:
- Players must discard down to the 8 card hand limit (if they exceed 8 cards)
- Draw a new hex tile
Game Ends:
A player reaches the point total for the current player count (45 for 2p, 40 for 3p, 35 for 4p). At this point, the game continues until the end of the round so that each player can have an equal number of turns.
Final Thoughts:
Pastiche is a game that beautifully blends theme and game play together seamlessly for a wonderful experience. Sometimes it’s just refreshing to play a game that does not include space, fantasy, medieval serfdom, or zombies (seriously, can this fad just die?). The component quality is simply top notch, but that does drive the price up a smidge; however, coming soon is a revised version called Petite Pastiche that drops the quality a little bit but drops the price even more. Hooray!
The game play is pretty simple, and the game does tend to lend itself to be more luck-based rather than skill which will certainly turn some people off. The game does alleviate this a bit in the Commission card gallery, having two tiles to play instead of one (looking at you Carcassonne…), and implementing player trading. That being said, you really are at the mercy of the hex board in regards to what color cards you obtain. The whole placement of the hex-tile can lead to A LOT of analysis paralysis as players really try to get EVERY color they need on one turn.
Overall, Pastiche is a lighter game that really works well for what it is. It’s not meant to be a brain-burning strategy game, and fits into the niche of some of the enjoyable thematic games that are out there right now, usually referred to as “Ameritrash”. If you are looking for a game that has mechanics that really reflect the theme, this one might be on top of my list right next to Niagara.
Positives:
- Top-notch component quality
- Beautiful game art on the commission cards, color cards, game board, and palette hexes.
- Excellent thematic game that is different from the normal faire
Negatives:
- Little pricey
- Some of the parts of the game are superfluous, the game board serves virtually no purpose (except holding color cards)
- Takes up A LOT of table space, the game board is large and the palette hex area can sprawl all over the table
- Prone to analysis paralysis even though there is not a HUGE amount of strategy
Final Score: 7.5/10