Sagrada

Today's review is of the 2017 release, Sagrada.  For 2-4 players, it takes 30-45 minutes.

Overview
Sagrada is a dice drafting and placement game.  Each person starts the game with a 5x4 grid of empty slots and a  'stained glass' template, which will limit certain slots to a particular dice color or number.  Three common objectives are drawn and displayed, then one secret objective is taken per player. The rounds then begin.

In a round, the first player randomly draws and rolls 2x+1 dice, where x = the number of players.  Then players draft the dice in 'snake' order (123321 in a three-player game), placing each in their grid based on their template and other general restrictions (like you can't have the same die color or number adjacent to each other).  The leftover die is placed on the round chart.  The first player then passes clockwise and nine further rounds occur.

To help players, there are three common tools (also randomly drawn) that players can use by spending favors during the game.  Unused favors convert to points at the end, but chances are good you'll need to call them in at some point to maximize your options.

At game's end, players' boards are scored based on the three common objectives, one secret objective, and any leftover favors. The highest score wins!

game in progress; image from here

Review
I really enjoyed this game.  It has hints of Sudoku in its row/column limitations, with plenty of strategy, variety (based on different templates, objectives, and tools) and randomness (based on the same plus dice rolling/drafting).  It is very easy to 'lock yourself out' of a current slot (meaning no available dice can be legally placed in it), so careful planning is paramount.  It's not for young kids- far too much thinking/planning is involved- but it's great for the older ones.

Rating: A