Besont proves addictive in its simplicity

Besont was a surprise when it arrived and hit the table.

The game comes in about as simple a form as possible, a cardboard board and low cost little plastic coins --- functional but certainly in no way extravagant in terms of components.

From designer Colin Leamon and his publishing effort Marric Games Besont is a two player placement where you want to be the last player with a legal move.

Taking turns players lay one-to-five coins along any straight line, they don't even have to be connected.

Given that the board has only 15 spaces games are very quick. They are made quicker still by reaching a point where the end point becomes obvious without playing out some of the coins.

Yet in the short playtime comes some interesting choices based on the ability to place multiple coins in various ways.

The games sort of fills the space of Xs & Os, where you lose and want to go again to try something different. It’s pretty easy to kill a coffee break with Besont for that reason.

You might even pull it out to play over a couple of coffee breaks, but it is doubtful it would make the table on day three, the game just starts to feel same-ish at some point. Taken in small doses over breaks of a couple of months though Besont is a coffee filler.

Also of interest, apparently the theme of Besont is tied up with Cornish history. The game board is the Cornish coat of arms made up from the fifteen gold coins Cornwall had to pay for the Duke of Cornwall's release, which is cool.

“As a games designer specializing in simplicity I was struck by the classic design of the Cornish coat of arms, dating back to 1264, and said to myself ‘there had to be a game there - and what a wonderful opportunity to promote the Cornish language’, so I grabbed a pen and paper and set my mind to the task,” related the designer via social media. “I did try one or two ideas before I struck on the Nim mechanic - which, not meaning to boast, I improved upon - by including diagonals and reversing. What I'm most pleased with is how it can be played as a fun two-minute game and also a challenging game for serious players who know the traps because it has nothing to do with math or who goes first.”

Check it out at marricgames.com