Copenhagen is a polyomino game where you select cards and buy color tiles to build façades. The game was made by Daniel Pederson and Asger Granerud. The game is published by Queen Games. We bought and played with the Deluxe edition, which means we had acrylic tiles and not cardboard.
What were your first impressions of the game?
Spider: I liked how it was really straightforward. It would be a good game to introduce to non-gamers because it is self-contained and simple. I couldn't imagine an expansion for it, so it doesn't seem like it would ever really grow. It's a great take on the Tetris, polyomino style of game. It's not a brain-buster. I didn't really think about the theme. It really could have been anything.
Cat: I was really excited to play this game. I am a sucker for Tetris style games. I love the puzzling aspect. I was excited to open the box and check out all of the pieces. I really liked all of the extra abilities that helped in the building. I thought it was a great game to play with Owl (age 7). Owl learned the mechanics pretty quickly and even figured out how to maximize the bonus powers.
What did you think about the quality of the materials?
Spider: The quality of materials was great, but I'm not sure if that's because we ordered the Deluxe version. The pieces were nice weight. There was some texture to the pieces so they didn't slide around. I found myself wishing there was at least some wording on the bonus power tiles.
Cat: I loved the acrylic tiles and I really felt like that made a huge difference in my perception of the game. I think the investment of having the harder pieces will let me play the game for a lot longer. I think my favorite single piece of artwork that I liked the most was the game end card. We typically played a two player version and that was always a fun surprise when she popped up near the end.
How did you feel after five play throughs of Copenhagen?
Spider: I don't see this as a regular rotation, but more of a mood game. There is an element of luck with the colors that are drawn. In thinking about this game, I see it as a second tier. Not my go-to for a good time. I actually really liked the game, I just felt like the replay value of the game was limited because of the linear nature. It serves a meditative purpose.
Cat: Because I love this style of game, I figured pretty quickly the best strategy for me to optimize points. So, while it is dependent upon the cards that are drawn, I plugged that variability into my strategy. I did try different strategies like building rows before columns, or heading for the windowed column first. Ultimately, my strategy would deviate depending on what cards I could pull and therefore which pieces I could purchase and place. I thought the game really had a meditative component. I didn't really feel too competitive in the game and that also made it great for with kids. It's a great game for 7 year olds and parents to play together. However, because of the limited scope, it's in a part time rotation.
Overall Impressions
Pros:
Great quality pieces
Targeted in scope
Great to play with kids ages 7+
Cons:
Limited variability
Spider:
Cat:
Rating Scale
Would not buy or play again
Would not buy but would play again
Would buy and play again, but only occasionally
Would buy and play again in normal rotation