The Ludarium Academy · Full course · Free
Wall to Wall
An unofficial Azul course
Learn Azul, teach it in ten minutes, and turn a pretty tile game into a sharp one, from your first pick to your final bonus.
Free printable teach sheetSetup, a turn, scoring, and three tips on one page.Four levels, 13 lessons
Start with lesson oneLevel 0 · Learn to play
Apprentice
After this level: Set up, teach, and score a full game by hand, floor line and end bonuses included, without opening the rulebook.
Level 1 · Beginner
Tile Setter
After this level: Keep your floor clean, price every pattern line, grow one connected block, and choose the player count or variant your group enjoys.
Level 2 · Intermediate
Artisan
After this level: Read every board before you pick, count the tiles still in play through the bag refill, and see the last round coming in time to win it.
Level 3 · Expert
Master Artisan
After this level: Win the two-player duel by counting picks, play the gray wall without dead spaces, and prepare for a tournament table or competitive online play.
- 1How to Play Azul: Rules, Setup, and Scoring
- 2How to Teach Azul
- 3How to Score a Game of Azul by Hand
- 4Your First Three Games of Azul
- 5Azul Openings: Your First Two Rounds
- 6Azul Wall Planning: Know What Every Line Is Worth
- 7Azul Player Counts, Variants, and the Azul Family
- 8The Azul Midgame: Reading the Table
- 9Azul Tile Counting: The Bag, the Lid, and the Refill
- 10Azul Endgame and Scoring Math
- 11Two-Player Azul Strategy: Winning the Duel
- 12Azul Gray Wall Strategy: Playing the Variant Side
- 13Competitive Azul: Tournaments and Local Play
Every lesson is free to read here, any time. Sign up and they also arrive by email, one at a time, so the course keeps you learning between game nights.
Who it is for
- New owners who just unwrapped Azul and want to play it tonight.
- Hosts who teach Azul to family, friends, or a new group.
- Players who keep losing to the quiet person with the tidy wall.
- Anyone curious about the Azul family, online play, and tournaments.
- Players
- 2 to 4
- Play time
- 30 to 45 minutes
- Ages
- Ages 8 and up
- Rules as of
- Azul rulebook, Next Move Games English edition (rules copyright 2018 Plan B Games, current web PDF)
Questions
How does scoring work in Azul?
When a tile moves to your wall, it scores 1 point if nothing touches it. If it touches other tiles, count the connected tiles in its row, including itself, then the connected tiles in its column, including itself, and score both totals.
What happens to the leftover tiles on a factory display?
When you take all tiles of one color from a factory display, the rest of that display moves to the center of the table. Later players can take them from there, one color at a time.
Does the starting player marker cost points in Azul?
Yes. The first player to take tiles from the center that round also takes the marker and puts it on the leftmost free space of their floor line, where it counts like a fallen tile. In exchange, that player goes first next round.
Can you split one pick between two pattern lines?
No. All the tiles you take go into one pattern line. Any that do not fit go to your floor line, and you may also put them there on purpose.
When does a game of Azul end?
The game ends after the wall-tiling phase of the round in which at least one player completes a horizontal row of 5 tiles on their wall. Then everyone adds end bonuses: 2 per row, 7 per column, and 10 per color with all 5 tiles placed.
Can your score go below zero in Azul?
No. Floor line penalties can take you down to 0, but never lower.
Teach sheet · PDF · Rules as described in the Azul rulebook, Next Move Games English edition (rules copyright 2018 Plan B Games, current web PDF); official rules.
Unofficial. Not affiliated with Next Move Games, Plan B Games, or Asmodee. Azul is a trademark of Plan B Games.