Canvas Game

Canvas is a masterpiece!  I say this in the context of it being aesthetically unique among all games that I have played with its artistic approach.  Sometimes, players are required to make choices in this game between the challenges of attaining the best score vs. being in the moment with their creativity.

About Mechanics, Gameplay and Scoring:  As you might have guessed, this is truly an abstract game.  It uses cards to present goals and options to create art.  It is also a puzzle to put together the picture needed to score points with the available materials.

To start, the canvas mat is the center of play in that it holds four randomly chosen scoring cards and the art cards players use to create their masterpieces.  Above the mat, there are ribbons that players can win for their paintings, and which work towards final scoring.  The other cards used in this game are sleeved background cards.  Each player has three of these cards to use as their canvases.

During the game, players choose art cards and use exactly three to complete a painting.  These art cards are transparent, and each has three components:  1.) The art 2.) a label 3.) Element Icons. 

Choosing which three art cards to use in a painting determines how the final painting looks artistically. The label on each combine with the others to determine the name of the finished painting when the art cards are overlayed.  The element icons and which positions they are in across the bottom determines whether scoring criteria are met.  Some examples of scoring criteria might be that all the elements (hue, shape, texture, tone) are represented in the picture or that pairs of a specific element appear.  Ribbons are awarded for successful scoring. If a painting meets more than one scoring criteria, it wins multiple ribbons.

The chosen art cards are placed inside one of the player’s canvas cards in an overlay order best suited to the player’s goal (whether for artistic value first or best scoring) and any ribbons earned are collected.

Once any artist completes three paintings, they are finished, and the other players continue until they have completed their paintings.  Scoring is calculated by adding points for sets of the different types of ribbons that are earned.  The player with the most points wins!

About fun, artistry and not worrying about scoring: If the artist in you recoils at your works of art being judged based on randomly chosen scoring objectives and winning the game is not as important to you, you can have lots of fun and enjoyment working with the beautiful components available and creating the most aesthetically pleasing painting to you!  If it all comes together between available cards, scoring criteria and your expert artistic eye for beauty, you might win as well!

Summary:  Whether you play games to win or to enjoy the process or a bit of both, Canvas is one of the most unique and beautifully implemented games I have played.  I am somewhat in the middle – I like to win but mostly enjoy learning games, unwrapping the puzzle of how each works, enjoying the decision of each turn, the design and components and, of course, the nice social interaction they bring. I hope you have the chance to experience this game and enjoy it as much as I do!  For 1-5 players with a 30-minute game time. ~Marsha