Do you fancy some Strudel?

❓ What is a game you desperately want to replay after a long hiatus?

We have many games, so unfortunately even really great ones might not get to the table for a long time - which is why I was happy when we brought out Grand Austria Hotel by Lookout Games again. 😊 As we were re-reading the rules and starting to play, I actually got a bit scared: was it maybe not as good as I remembered? Of course as we got into the groove, I remembered why this game is so highly regarded. 👍

At the very core, you are drafting guest cards each turn, who you have to supply with different foods and drinks. Also, you only do 2 actions each round for 7 rounds. Both of these sound deceptively simple and dull. Luckily there are many aspects that build onto this core and make this game outstanding!

First of all, actions are done with a clever dice 🎲 drafting system. Each round dice are rolled and each value corresponds to an action - the more dice of a value, the stronger the action. I am always a fan of input randomness, and having to make the best of what you get! 🙂

Guest cards are also interesting: if you complete their order and send them to a room, you get their bonus - this could be a free action too, which means you will in fact do much more than 14 actions in a game! The color of the guests is also important, as you can only assign them to a room of the same color. Preparing rooms and sending guests into them is a puzzle in itself, as finishing groups of rooms nets you an additional bonus.

Then you have Staff cards you can employ, and they give all kinds of special effects. There is a great variety here!

The weakest part of the game is easily the so-called Emperor's track. One of the actions only moves you up this track. It's super basic, but you do need to be up on this track to gain the Emperor bonus and not to get penalized. It feels like a chore😅.

Still, the game is brilliant and you have a lot to manage: foods, drinks, money, guests, rooms and staff, while trying to do optimal actions. It's super engaging! 🥰

We now also have the expansion “Let's Waltz!” which introduces multiple modules to enhance the game! We will highlight these in the following post!