#43: Fresco (Mark's 100 - 2012)

Fresco

Mark's Ranking

• 2012: 43rd
• 2010: did not appear
• 2005: prior to publication

BoardGameGeek

• rank: 128
• rating: 7.43

Print Status

• in print

Why It's On The List

• Fresco is a lovely worker-placement game that has three endearing qualities: first, it has an interesting theme; second, pretty much every mechanic in the game can be explained in terms of that theme... and finally, it does not seem to ever bog down with AP (analysis paralysis) like some other worker-placement games.

Tips & Tricks:

• You can play Fresco as a "sandbox" game (where you don't pay much attention to what other players are doing), but to really excel at the game, you must watch carefully to see what paints are highly desired and whether or not you'll have multiple options if you go later in the turn order.
• One of the trickiest decisions in the game is manipulating the turn order by taking less points.

Extras

• The picture with this post is Fresco set up with most of the expansions.
• Here's my take on the expansions: the portrait cards & paint mixing tiles (included in the original game) are great ideas & should be used from the start with gamers. The extra paint colors (also included in the original game) add some interesting tactical decisions but add to the length of the game. The gold leaf (in the large expansion box) is a nice touch that increases the score, but I think it works best when coupled with the glaziers (also included in the large expansion box) to offer different scoring pathways to pursue. The wishing well (the last in the large expansion box) is pretty random & non-essential.
• There are two other expansions published - a small giveaway called The Bishop's Favor (which I like) and an incredibly over-priced set of "secret" bonuses called The Scrolls (which would like better if it wasn't so expensive).