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Positano Review by Brad Hiscock

1 week ago 14

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Quick Look: Positano

Designer: Jeff Grisenthwaite

Artist: Beth Trott
Publisher: SlugFest Games
Year Published: 2025

No. of Players: 1-4

Ages: 10+

Playing Time: 20-45 minutes.

Find more info HERE.

Foreword:

I was sent a copy of this game during the fulfillment phase of their successful Kickstarter campaign. This game caught my attention with its 3D stacking element, so I was excited to see how they would tie that together with the gameplay or if it would be just an element to grab the attention of a potential buyer. We will get into that a bit more but to jump ahead, yes, they tied it well into the scoring of the game itself which I was happy with.

From the Publisher:

You and your friends are builders in Positano, Italy, a town stacked upon a cliffside overlooking the clear blue sea. Construct buildings with scenic views on the three dimensional cliffside board!

Disclaimer: The publisher provided the copy of Positano. The opinions expressed in the review are completely my own.

Disclaimer: Anytime you see a link to Amazon on our site, it is another way to get your product there for the normally listed price as well as a way to support Everything Board Games and everything we’re doing here, without paying any extra. We appreciate the support!

Review:

Initial Impression/Components:

Positano is a game that was built around components and the experience they add to the title. From the tiered building foundation to the player building pieces, it’s a game that is visibly pleasing. The only component I was a little disappointed with were the players’ individual drafting cards were a bit thin and as they are constantly used/held, would have benefitted from a thicker stock or linen finish.

Favorite:

The use of their two-card combined drafting system was my favorite part. I acknowledge the simple but effective way this balanced the approach players can strategize what was important to them each round. They did this in a multi-layered plan that centered around 3 base values for each of 3 categories where the drafting of that type of tile was ordered highest to lowest.

Least Favorite:

With games that have an ability to negatively affect other players, there is always an element of personality that comes into play that will affect the game. This isn’t something against that game element rather a caution to choose appropriate players who won’t get upset about the nature of the game so that everyone may enjoy it.

Mechanics:

– Open drafting

– Auction (bidding and sealed bid)

– Square grid

– Three-dimensional movement

– Hand management

Rules:

The rules are light and easy to pick up by new gamers, families with younger kids, or anyone looking for a quick, fun title to get to the table. In a nutshell, players will use two cards, one with three base values for each category of tile and the other a value to add to each base value. Using that players will take turns drafting 3 types of tiles using the highest to lowest value per category. These three tiles types will determine the location of your building, additional building levels you have available build with, and the worth of each building (tier system roof type: bronze, silver, gold). The goal of the game is to have the most windows, unblocked by other buildings, that can see the ocean.

Areas they did well:

– quick set up and packing
– quality components
– thematic tie-in
– balancing of points and drafting

– game length and experience delivered vs time invested

– easy to follow rules

– 3-dimensional building component and table presence

Areas they could have improved:

– the building blocks are very tight fitting and a little difficult to click together for some players, especially kids. This may resolve with use.

– I wonder what it would change for the game is there was one card a player could lay once per game that allowed them to choose 1st automatically any tile, but then maybe last in the other categories. They already have a good drafting system, just something I may play with as a house rule and see how it goes.
– the game is a bit bulky to fit in the box due to the size of the building tiles. If you click them together in 4-story towers to put away, this resolved that problem. This is not a complaint really but a tip for others.

– the quality of the player cards feels a bit under standard and if you play with them often I recommend you sleeve the cards before they get small damages and will give away your choices.

Interesting moment:

On the second game, I wanted to try a strategy of collecting gelato (bonus point found on weaker cards/tiles) to see if I could win by maximizing the bonus points that I collected. I was trailing significantly in most areas by usually getting the worst tiles during drafting, but I got about a dozen bonus points using this method and by also collecting some extra points through the common goals (one being left over tiles) I managed to secure a marginal win. I love games that you can experiment and commit to different strategies and still have a possibility to win. It didn’t feel like it would go that way, but it was exciting to see how the points added up in the end.

Overall:

This game has a strong element of blocking/take that where you can deny your opponent their choices through clever drafting. Fortunately, these types of games are most successful when they are played in under an hour. I think this game is an excellent addition to a collection that would be a crowd pleaser in their light-weight category and is attractive on the table as well.

Final Thoughts:

I’d like to thank Slugfest Games for sending this to me. It will get put into regular rotation for family game nights; building up the towers was a very satisfying experience for my girls especially and they were drawn to the color scheme. I’d happily recommend this title, especially as a family game night choice.

I’ll see you next time, back here at The Game Table,

Brad Hiscock, aka Zerility

Here’s a link to the game on their website:

After reading Brad’s review, if this sounds like a game for you at the time of this posting Positano is available on Amazon in the United States for only $49.99. Check it out and get yours HERE.

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Check out Positano and SlugFest Games on:

Brad Hiscock, aka “Zerility”, is a construction project manager and electrician by trade who was the owner of a 6-time award winning electrical company. His passion for board games has led him from playing hundreds of original titles to creating a design and publishing company of his own, Convivial Games. As an up and coming collaborator on many projects, he is always eager to try new games and meet new people.

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All of Brad Hiscock, aka “Zerility”‘s reviews can be found HERE.