Canvas from Road To Infamy is a beautiful and fast game where you are picking up cards and then using those cards to make a painting. Where the huge selling point of the game when you look at the box is that the fact the cards are transparent. Meaning that the pieces of art you create are the multiple cards layered into a sleeve to create a unique piece of artwork. But let’s get to the table and see how it plays.

How To Play Canvas

Canvas is a pretty simple game. You collect cards on your turn or you complete a painting. A painting is a collection of three cards, and the most cards you can have in your hand is five. When you take a card, you either take the first card, or you pay a palette per card you want to skip over. You put the palette on the card, so it becomes more attractive to take.

Why would you skip over a card? The game gives you scoring objectives that require certain symbols or colors at the bottom of the card. You might need three of a symbol to get a ribbon or two of two different symbols. And you score multiple of these objectives, ideally, per painting. So some elements, cards, for a painting might work better depending on their scoring options.

At the end of the game, you score for the ribbons that you have. Then the player with the most points is the winner of the game.

What Didn’t Work?

I think that for some people, Canvas is going to be a game that is too simple. The collection of cards and ordering them correctly for a painting is not hard. Generally you have a single option that makes sense. And the fact that you make three paintings with four scoring objectives, means that there isn’t much to think about. Comparing this to something like Calico which is a simple game but has heavy decision making space, Canvas doesn’t offer that same angst while keeping the game play simple.

I also think, for some, that there is a disconnect in the game between the art and the scoring. You might be able to create an amazing painting with the perfect title that will score you no points. Or you create something that looks okay and will score you a lot of points. I can see some people wanting to create those perfect paintings over scoring, but will that lessen the fun in the game, focusing either direction?

What Works?

I like the simplicity of the game. The first time that I played Canvas, I didn’t so much, but with subsequent plays, the simplicity is nice. Canvas is a filler game, two or three player is around 20-30 minutes. And when you play it as a filler game, a lot of the issues with it being so simple alleviate. It is s game that I can pull out, set-up, teach, and be done with while people show up for game night. One one when we want a last game to wrap up the night

I also like that they give scoring objectives for the game. Now, not just the variety in the scoring cards, but they give you different combinations that they recommend. This is something that Sushi Go Party! does as well. So you can make up your own combination but they also have ones with scoring targets to play around with. It adds an additional challenge to the game that will keep it more engaging.

Plus, the artwork is amazing in the game. I talk about games that pop on the table often because of minis or something 3D about it, like Potion Explosion. Canvas doesn’t have anything like that. Though, the deluxe version comes with easels. But it doesn’t need that to make it look amazing. The artwork is phenomenal and will make you want to try it.

Who Is This For?

I think it is for people who like lighter games. It is a filler game for me, but for some people, it is going to be the right amount of strategy. I also think that it will work for people who want something simple for an evening. Want to play a game after kids go to bed but don’t have time for something big, Canvas is good for that. It is engaging, but not too much work.

This is also one that I could see bringing up to my parents for the holidays. As a light game, it is one that they can pick-up. Plus, I can tailor which objectives we use making the game easier or more challenging.

Final Thoughts on Canvas

Canvas is a game that grew on me more as I played it. The first play was slightly disappointing, not because the artwork wasn’t amazing, it is, but because the game is so light. I was thinking that it might be closer to a Calico where balancing the scoring objectives would be trickier.

But the more I played, the more I appreciate it for what it does. It tries to be a game that gives you a little decision but can play so quickly. And I can imagine this one being a success for game nights because of the artwork. And that is why I backed it on Kickstarter in the first place. Plus I still need to try the expansion. I do not expect to make it much harder, but adding in more variety and maybe one thing more, I am definitely curious about that.

My Grade: B
Gamer Grade: C
Casual Grade: A

What do you think of Canvas?

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