Canal Houses

Canal Houses is a brisk simultaneous drafting game about constructing Amsterdam’s famously narrow skyline. Each player begins with a hand of four cards, chooses one to add to a building, and passes the rest. A legal house starts with a base, can rise through any number of compatible facade floors, and finishes with a roof. After every choice, players refill from one of the base, facade, or roof decks, so the table’s shared demand keeps changing. Completed houses score through their printed features and combinations, rewarding both efficient construction and careful reading of what neighbors are collecting. Because everyone chooses at once, the game stays lively across its full player range while still leaving room for timing, denial, and ambitious multistory builds.