Game summary
👥A game for 1 – 4 players
⏳Play time around 60 – 90 minutes
🏢Publisher is Board&Dice
Introduction
Barcelona: Passeig de Gràcia is a beautiful expansion that breathes new life into an already rich city-building experience. This isn’t just “more of the same”, it’s a carefully crafted layer that adds depth, strategy, and thematic charm.
The star of the expansion is the introduction of Pedestrians, lively dice figures strolling down the famous Passeig de Gràcia. As they wander past elegant cafés, theaters, and iconic landmarks, their Joy value rises, unlocking victory points, resources, and clever bonuses.
It feels fresh, interactive, and delightfully thematic: you’re no longer just shaping a city, but guiding its people through the heart of Barcelona.
Let’s get in on the table
To set up Barcelona: Passeig de Gràcia, you begin by preparing the base game as usual.
Then, replace the three corresponding Action tiles from the base game with the new ones from the expansion. Shuffle them and assign them following the standard rules.
Next, mix the two new Cerdà Scoring tiles and the two new Modernisme tiles into their respective stacks.
When choosing Public Service tiles, you must select one full set from the expansion, which will replace one of the base game stacks. You also add the four new Sagrada Familia tiles to the existing sets.
Once this is done, place the Passeig de Gràcia side board next to the main board.
Draw six Amenities tiles at random and place them face-up on their spaces on the side board.
Each player then places their two Pedestrian dice on the starting spaces: one in Barcelona, moving toward Gràcia, and the other in Gràcia, moving toward Barcelona. Both dice begin with a Joy value of one, although in three- and four-player games, some dice start at two.
Finally, randomly choose one violet Cobblestone of type A, one of type B, and one of type C, and place them face-up on the designated spaces of the Passeig de Gràcia sidewalk. The remaining violet Cobblestones are returned to the box, while the grey Cobblestones are placed in the general supply.
Cover the sidewalk printed on the base game board with the new overlay tile provided in the expansion. With these steps complete, the game is ready to begin with the Passeig de Gràcia expansion fully in play.
Let’s play
Imagine it’s your first turn and you’ve set up the base game, and now your two Pedestrians are waiting: one in Barcelona moving toward Gràcia, and the other in Gràcia moving toward Barcelona. Both dice show a Joy value of 1.
You take your turn as usual, choosing an action from the base game, for example, you might build a street or place a building. But now, some actions or rewards may also let you move your Pedestrians.
Suppose your action lets you move your Barcelona Pedestrian one step forward. You move it onto the first space of the boulevard. On that space, there’s an Amenity tile. It shows a requirement: “Have built at least one Cobblestone.” You check your player board, yes, you’ve already placed one. That means your Pedestrian enjoys the Amenity, so you increase its Joy value from 1 to 2.
Next, you continue your turn with any other benefits from your action as normal. The Pedestrian remains on the street, ready to keep walking in future turns.
Later, after three more steps, this Pedestrian will reach Gràcia. When that happens, you will score points based on its Joy value. For example, if it has reached Joy 4, you gain 9 Victory Points, plus you take a special hexagonal Cobblestone and place it on the Passeig de Gràcia board for even more rewards. After scoring, the Pedestrian returns to Barcelona with Joy set back to 1, ready for a new walk.
Meanwhile, your other Pedestrian, starting in Gràcia, works the same way but walks in the opposite direction. If at some point they land on the same space, both dice gain +1 Joy because they meet in the middle of the boulevard.
So, on your very first turn, you’ll still do the familiar actions from the base game, but now you also watch for ways to move your Pedestrians, meet Amenity conditions, and build up their Joy for valuable points and bonuses.
In the Collect Phase, players take turns selecting items from the pool, one at a time, until each has six items. These can be stamps of various sizes, exhibitors eager to showcase a particular theme, or specialists offering unique abilities. Even the first-player token can be claimed. Choosing wisely here sets the stage for the rest of the round, as every tile and card can shape the direction of a player’s collection.
Once collections are formed, the Swap Phase begins. Each player reserves one item for themselves, then divides their remaining picks into two piles. In turn, players select a pile from an opponent’s table, while the unchosen pile returns to that opponent. It’s a clever dance of temptation and risk, where you try to offer piles that others want while keeping the pieces you value most.
Finally comes the Show Phase, when players place their new stamps and attendee cards into their albums. Exhibitors and specialists are added to the right side of the mat, while stamps must fit carefully into the grid of the album, like pieces of a colorful puzzle. After placement, players score points for their exhibitors, for holding the first-player token, and by entering one of the contests displayed on the board. Each contest has its own criteria, from focusing on colors and themes to rewarding clever arrangements. Show tickets mark which contests you’ve entered, forcing you to pursue different challenges each round.
At the end of three full rounds, the convention culminates in the Final Show. Players tally points for their forever stamps, the total values of the stamps in their albums, any specialists they’ve recruited, and the special Finale contest card.
The collector with the highest score is crowned champion of the Stamp Swap & Show, their album judged the most brilliant and prestigious of them all.
Conclusion & final score
Difficulty:: 3.25/ 5
Re-playability: 7
Our score: 8.5 out of 10 dice
With Passeig de Gràcia, Barcelona has grown even richer and more immersive. The addition of the Pedestrians and their joyful strolls along the boulevard brings a new layer of strategy that fits seamlessly with the base game. Just as the different tracks in Barcelona blended together so smoothly, here too every new element feels meaningful and rewarding.
The expansion doesn’t overcomplicate things; instead, it enhances the flow and adds fresh decisions that keep each game engaging.
Watching your Pedestrians enjoy the amenities and timing their movement to maximize rewards is both thematic and satisfying. It feels like the missing piece that makes Barcelona shine even brighter.
In short, if the base game already surprised us with its depth and elegance, this expansion confirms that Barcelona is here to stay as one of those titles that will keep returning to the table.
A wonderful addition that makes a great game truly unforgettable.
Thanks to Board&Dice for this review copy and the opportunity to write about this game.
