Game Profile: Pastiche

Mechanics Tile Placement, Hand Management, Set Collection, Pattern Building
Theme Renaissance Paintings

Publication Gryphon Games, 2011

Ages 10+

Time 45 – 60

Players 2 – 4

Description

A world of beautiful
colors comes alive in Pastiche.  The word pastiche is used in literature and  in art to refer to something that is an imitation or recreation of
an earlier work, often as a respectful homage or tribute to the original.

In a game of Pastiche, players will place color palette hexes in a central
playing area to generate palette cards by mixing colors.  Each palette hex displays a single or double
primary color in the center of the hex, and six “dabs” at each point.  Placement of the hex is critical not only in maximizing
the number of palette cards you receive but in getting the right mix of colors
for the palettes cards  that you need for
your commissions.  A painting phase takes
place where a player may trade palette cards with the other players and/or the
bank, trade a commission card with the gallery, and complete commissions. A commission
is deemed complete when a player has collected all of the required palette
cards that meet the commission card requirement.  This completed commission card can be one
from a player’s hand or one from the gallery.  The appropriate commission card is then placed
face up in front of the player, the related palette cards are returned to the
palette bank, and a new commission card is drawn.

The game ends when a player
has completed commissions worth a cumulative total of points.  The cumulative point total is set by the
number of players (i.e. 2 players = 45 points, 3 players = 40 points, and 4
players = 35 points).  Final scoring is
based on points for completed commission cards, on palette cards in-hand that
match a commission the player is working on, plus a bonus for completing two
commissions by the same artist.  

Awards: 2011 MENSA Select Winner

We have an open copy of Petite Pastiche available in our Demo Games Library for you come in and try.