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California
Author: Michael Schacht
Publisher: Abacus Spiele
Year: 2006

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x A renovation, it is much ado! Scraping, filling, timbering, cleaning; no, it only gets fun until it reaches its completion: painting, furnishing, and finally the wole lot back on its place, usually with new acquired stuff because the old ones suddenly appeared to misfit with the new carpet. In ‘California’ two to five players inherited an old mansion and some money; it only has to be redecorated to their taste; first decorating and then, presto!, a billiard, piano, or motorcycle (!) put on top of it. The completion of part of the renovation attracts curious guests, who, from the second guest, each bring a present. After twelve days, it takes no longer for a renovation in ‘California’, the presents, together with additional bonuses, are the points that eventually lead to victory.
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The basic materials and the items can be found in two shops that are put in the center of the table; per shop four items are drawn blind and put face up. The bank is filled with four gold coins; every player gets a golden and a silver coin, together with the floor plan of his mansion, on which already one basic room tile is preprinted. The costs for placing such tiles on the floor plan are also on it, varying from zero to two silver coins.
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 In his turn, a player may either buy an item from the shop, or take one gold coin from the bank. If he buys an item, it costs as many silver zoins as the bank holds gold coins at that moment. So if a previous player took a gold coin from the bank and there are three left, the current player has to pay three silver coins for any one item in the shop.
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If the item bought is a basic room tile, the player has to place it on his floor plan and pay the extra costs, if any. Once a player has placed a basic room tile in a given colour, other basic room tiles in the same colour must be placed adjacent to a tile of the same colour. When a player has bought a furniture tile, he places this on top of the basic room tile without further costs. If he does not yet have a basic room tile of that colour  on the floor plan, he cannot place it but he can store it in the attic, if empty. Every mansion has an attic that can hold one furniture tile. Additional attic space is occasionally offered in the shop and when bought can be used to expand the storage capacity to two furniture tiles.
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Whenever a player places a furniture tile on the floor plan of his mansion, a guest in that same colour visits the mansion to admire the result of that specific part of the renovation. The first guest doesn not bring anything, but from the second guest on the owner of the house gets a present with every guest that comes to his house. A refurnishing in the same colour can be done more than once, but the guest has to come from another location in order to bring a gift; if he was already at your mansion he is empty handed. When one of the shops or the bank gets empty, a day is over. The remaining tile(s) from the shops are removed, new tiles are drawn and the bank gets refilled to four gold coins.
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A player weighs his chances: could he leave the furniture tile or basic room tile for another round, this turn taking a coin from the bank that makes his purchase next round cheaper, or should he buy it anyway, just to secure it before another player takes it or the day ends and the tile gets discarded?
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There are various bonuses to be claimed that give extra points at games end, depending on the colours of a renovation, or certain combinations of furniture. The amount of tiles on the floor plan also are points.
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‘California’ has a nicely found theme, and a cosy, yes, homely atmosphere that is a relief from that of the knigths or the Romans. Despite the fact that every player mostly is doing his own thing, there is the occasional possibility to hinder another player by buying the tile he wants, just to deprive it from him. Sometimes the extra attic is nice to have, but to acquire it takes a turn in which a player cannot buy or build. The loans a player can take give a player the possibility to buy that one wanted item just before a round ends or another player buys it after him in case the player would not haven taken the loan and thus would not be able to buy it. The buying mechanism, through which an item gets cheaper every time a coin is taken from the bank, is a nicely found feature. All in all ‘California’ is a light-hearted game with a low entrance level that is quickly explained and will attract family members of all ages. Renovating without the hard work that goes with it, getting presents at the same time; it cannot be more fun than it gets in this game!

California, Michael Schacht, Abacus Spiele, 2006 - 2 to 4 players 8 years and up, 60 minutes
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