House of Fado
Game Overview
In Portugal, some restaurants serve traditional Portuguese food along with performances of Fado - an iconic world-renowned traditional Portuguese music - delivering customers a profoundly expressive performance.
People spend their entire evenings in these restaurants, called Casa de Fado (“House of Fado”), dining and listening to the music. It speaks about "Saudade" (a Portuguese word meaning "longing, nostalgia, yearning, missing something or someone" that is unique from Portugal). Typically, there isn't any rotation of the tables. Once you enter the restaurant, you stay until it's closed. Fado is normally played by a trio of musicians in its traditional form.
On the left, a guitarist plays "Guitarra Portuguesa" (a 12-string Portuguese Guitar). In the middle is a singer, a fadista, and on their right a guitarist playing "Viola de Fado" (classical guitar). The Portuguese guitar has a unique sound, and the chords are played in different bars from those of the classical guitar.
In the game, players will have to manage the restaurant, attract customers as well as contract and promote fadistas and musicians, thus gaining prestige for their Fado house. Managers will move their staff members to different places to perform various actions.
Having the same bump action as in The Gallerist, this becomes a straightforward fast-paced, 1-hour game, but still very challenging as usual in Lacerda style. After Bot Factory, this is the 2nd game co-designed by Vital Lacerda and João Quintela Martins.
What's in the Box?
About the Designers & Artist
João Quintela Martins is a Portuguese designer who publishes his own games as Art and Games. After 25 years of working in architectural design, he decided to embark on a different career path and design games. João is a classic Heavy Metal fan, an Unconditional Iron Maiden fan, and plays several instruments by being self-taught, with the bass being his instrument of choice. He has four wonderful children - two adult children and a set of twins (his first playtesters). Bot Factory is his first board game co-design.
Vital Lacerda has designed a prolific list of euro strategy games including Inventions: Evolution of Ideas, Bot Factory, Weather Machine, Kanban EV, The Gallerist, Vinhos Deluxe, Lisboa, Escape Plan and On Mars. He has a master's degree in Marketing and Advertising. His game designs center around the theme of the game and heavily incorporate intertwined mechanics. Vital lives in Portugal with his wife, Sandra, son and daughter. He enjoys extreme sports such as snowboarding and kitesurfing.
Marina Costa is an award-winning Portuguese artist born in Lisbon, Portugal. She has a BA in Communication Design and a MA in Character Design. She started as a graphic designer and is currently mostly involved in illustration for board games and children’s books.
