PLUNDER CHESS
Few, no make that no, game interests me overall than chess. The basic game most of us are at least generally familiar with is a classic, and it has spawned so many interesting chess variants, and other games borrowing elements from its design, that it remains a game I admire greatly.That said, there is no reason game designers can't improve on, or makes changes so, that new chess variants don't hold charms of their own.Enter Jeff Knight who created Plunder Chess in 1988.Plunder Chess is a game that is immediately familiar in as much as the piece array is that of western chess, and the pieces move in the same, well-understood fashion.So what makes Plunder Chess different? Well Knight has added an element to the game that is reminiscent of Shogi (Japanese Chess). In Shogi captured pieces can be brought back into play on the side of the captor.Knight has added some of that flavour to western chess, albeit in a distinctly different way.In Plunder Chess when a piece captures another piece, it essentially captures the movement of the piece taken, which it can use once on some subsequent move.The simple mechanic adds a whole new dimension to the game. A rook which captures a knight can suddenly attack with a knight's jump on a subsequent move. With each capture the abilities of pieces grow, and the resulting strategies for both offence and defence change.A knight that can move as a queen adds a different dimension to the game, even if the queen move can only be used once.To his credit, designer Knight has come up with a simple, and ingenious way to track what pieces have enhanced powers.There are a set of collars, each representing the standard chess pieces, so for example two bishop collars. If a knight captures a bishop, you simply slip a collar over the knight piece, and it is easy to see it has enhanced movement potential, and what that movement is. The method works easily, with little disruption to the game.Once the enhanced move is used, the collar is removed.The game, since it uses a standard chess set and board, also facilitates playing basic chess, so when purchasing this set, it is in essence a two-for-one proposition.In terms of pieces, the design is sort of nouveau in nature, with the pieces tall, and slender, to facilitate the collars. The unique look is most noticeable on the knight.The weight of the pieces is good.The pieces can be purchased with, or without a board, again a nice option since many will have suitable board options.In terms of chess variants Plunder Chess is easy to pick up since there are no new pieces, or unique moves introduced, yet the 'plunder' mechanic adds a new feel to an old game, adding many new options to the game's strategy. The combination of familiarity, and new games options make this one a winner.A simple concept pulled off smoothly to create a compelling chess variant very much worth picking up.
--CALVIN DANIELS
Review first appeared in Yorkton This Week newspaper Feb. 25, 2009 - Yorkton, SK. Canada
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Review -- QYSHINSU
QYSHINSU
If you ever want a game to impress you just by the way it looks coming out of the box Qyshinsu is for you.And, the really good news it keeps impressing as you delve into the rules, and actually start playing the game too.Qyshinsu has the 'look' of an old game, with a sort of 'Japanese flavour'. You soon get the feel that this game has to be from the era of great games like Go. Surprise though, this game is actually brand new. The brainchild of game developer, and publisher, R.A. Frederickson, Qyshinsu was released only last year. Kudos to Frederickson for being able to develop a game which has such a beautifully ancient feel to it.Now let's get back to the look of the game as it comes out of the package. The board is a simple designed circle, made of wood, and marked out in a pie pattern, The wood is beautifully stained a dark brown, which enhances the idea of an older game.The game pieces are wooden as well, almost always a plus for a game since wood adds character. The pieces here are smoothly created, and are marked nicely to differentiate the pieces. A nice velveteen bag is provided to hold the pieces, which is a classy touch.Then there is the rulebook, which can only be described as lavish. Again the design has a sort of 'old parchment' the whole idea of the game. However, the real joy of this rule set is that they are basically explained through a story. The rule set is written as though you are reading the diary of a young novice Qyshinsu player who has sought out a master of the game to learn.The 'master's voice' has a very 'Zen-like, near spiritual' approach to telling of the rules of the game. Again here one gets the idea the game could be as old and revered as Go, although it isn't quite in that league since Go may be the greatest game ever created.The game play comes down to controlling the board so as to prevent your opponent from carrying out a move on their turn thereby winning the game.Each player, it is a two-player game, has 12 pieces, two each of pieces numbered one to five, and two more which are termed 'old stones'.The first player places a piece, as an example, a three stone. The opponent must then place a stone exactly three spaces away from initial stone. In subsequent moves players may either place, or remove one of their stones in accordance with the previous move. So if a player lays a four stone, the opponent may place, or remove a stone exactly four spaces away. To add to the consideration, while each player has two of each piece, only two pieces of any stone may be on the board at a given time. So if each player has a three-stone in play, they cannot place a third one on the board.The 'old stone' has a slightly different mechanic which adds a level of strategy in terms of board manipulation.The game goes back-and-forth until someone cannot make the required move.It is interesting how a game tends to evolve, with the board soon becoming quite crowded, then ebbing back to fewer pieces, as players begin pulling pieces.One who has an aptitude for quick math might have an edge here, since you are constantly thinking about what move will mean an opponent can't respond, and that comes down to doing some mental calculations. The rules suggest pausing to think through moves, and that is clearly a wise suggestion.The game looks amazing, has the best rulebook out there is terms of its unique flavour, and the game has a simple elegance.This is a game that has everything going for it, and it should long be enjoyed once added to a collection.
-- CALVIN DANIELS
Review first appeared in Yorkton This Week newspaper Feb. 18, 2009 - Yorkton, SK. Canada
If you ever want a game to impress you just by the way it looks coming out of the box Qyshinsu is for you.And, the really good news it keeps impressing as you delve into the rules, and actually start playing the game too.Qyshinsu has the 'look' of an old game, with a sort of 'Japanese flavour'. You soon get the feel that this game has to be from the era of great games like Go. Surprise though, this game is actually brand new. The brainchild of game developer, and publisher, R.A. Frederickson, Qyshinsu was released only last year. Kudos to Frederickson for being able to develop a game which has such a beautifully ancient feel to it.Now let's get back to the look of the game as it comes out of the package. The board is a simple designed circle, made of wood, and marked out in a pie pattern, The wood is beautifully stained a dark brown, which enhances the idea of an older game.The game pieces are wooden as well, almost always a plus for a game since wood adds character. The pieces here are smoothly created, and are marked nicely to differentiate the pieces. A nice velveteen bag is provided to hold the pieces, which is a classy touch.Then there is the rulebook, which can only be described as lavish. Again the design has a sort of 'old parchment' the whole idea of the game. However, the real joy of this rule set is that they are basically explained through a story. The rule set is written as though you are reading the diary of a young novice Qyshinsu player who has sought out a master of the game to learn.The 'master's voice' has a very 'Zen-like, near spiritual' approach to telling of the rules of the game. Again here one gets the idea the game could be as old and revered as Go, although it isn't quite in that league since Go may be the greatest game ever created.The game play comes down to controlling the board so as to prevent your opponent from carrying out a move on their turn thereby winning the game.Each player, it is a two-player game, has 12 pieces, two each of pieces numbered one to five, and two more which are termed 'old stones'.The first player places a piece, as an example, a three stone. The opponent must then place a stone exactly three spaces away from initial stone. In subsequent moves players may either place, or remove one of their stones in accordance with the previous move. So if a player lays a four stone, the opponent may place, or remove a stone exactly four spaces away. To add to the consideration, while each player has two of each piece, only two pieces of any stone may be on the board at a given time. So if each player has a three-stone in play, they cannot place a third one on the board.The 'old stone' has a slightly different mechanic which adds a level of strategy in terms of board manipulation.The game goes back-and-forth until someone cannot make the required move.It is interesting how a game tends to evolve, with the board soon becoming quite crowded, then ebbing back to fewer pieces, as players begin pulling pieces.One who has an aptitude for quick math might have an edge here, since you are constantly thinking about what move will mean an opponent can't respond, and that comes down to doing some mental calculations. The rules suggest pausing to think through moves, and that is clearly a wise suggestion.The game looks amazing, has the best rulebook out there is terms of its unique flavour, and the game has a simple elegance.This is a game that has everything going for it, and it should long be enjoyed once added to a collection.
-- CALVIN DANIELS
Review first appeared in Yorkton This Week newspaper Feb. 18, 2009 - Yorkton, SK. Canada
Review -- BRAINSTONZ
BRAINSTONZ
Brainstonz is an interesting game, the way it takes a very old concept in gaming, and really gives it a nice twist. It is also a game that when it comes to production quality, excels.So let's start with the mechanics of this game designed by Philippe Trudel. This is really a modernization of the age-old game tic-tac-toe. The idea is in that respect extremely simple, in this case get four of your stones in-a-row before your opponent does.We've all played tic-tac-toe, so the goal is easily familiar.However, in this version, published by the Canadian firm McWiz Games, there is a neat twist.The four-by-four board has a series of symbols on each of the 16 squares created. There are two of each symbol in what appears a pretty random pattern on the board. Yet these symbols are an interesting aspect of the game.On a turn a player places two stones onto the board (after the first player's first turn on which they are allowed to place only one to help offset the first player's usual advantage in such games). If on a turn you end so that you place a stone in a way that you cover two matching symbols on the board, you can remove an opponent's stone. It can be an important tool in thwarting an opponent's plan to get their four in-a-row, although at times to match symbols you are placing stones that don't help you achieve the game's ultimate goal.It is interesting how you can get so focused on using the removal mechanic you miss simple moves like simply completing your four by the placement of your next two stones. A bit of caution, don't move to quick. Take a second look at what the game board position and mechanics allow.Now let's talk production values for a bit.Some games are tagged with the label 'coffee table games' the reasoning being that they look good enough that you are proud to have them on display almost as pieces of art. Brainstonz wears the label well.The game board is a box of wood, with the symbols having a sort of hieroglyphic look that really does look like an art piece. The pieces are polished stones, the black nice flat ones and the white more rounded. The stones can stores on two tray areas to the sides of the board, so the game is always ready to go. The game board, being a box, also has a storage tray, which allows the stones to be tucked away inside the board. The storage area is huge compared to the 16 stones. If one was handy they'd likely line the tray with some felt and that would add even more aesthetic detail to the game.With the nice detail and materials the game is a bit pricey for what the game itself offers, so I tend to think this will be one often given as a gift. Any gamer would be happy to have it, and it looks so nice it is a great gift idea.Now it should be noted as a tic-tac-toe variant in style, this game isn't overly deep in terms of tactics, but then again it plays quickly, and you can knock off a few quick games as a break pretty easily (we've all done that a few times using pen and paper I am sure).So understand what Brainstonz is, a simple game that looks great. You can set it on the desk in the office and it looks classy. On the coffee table it's just unique enough to have visitors asking what it is, and quick enough to teach that you can have the questioner playing the game in a hurry. Enough to make it worth a look that's for sure, and you will enjoy a game or three on occasion.
-- CALVIN DANIELS
Review first appeared in Yorkton This Week newspaper Feb. 11, 2009 - Yorkton, SK. Canada
Brainstonz is an interesting game, the way it takes a very old concept in gaming, and really gives it a nice twist. It is also a game that when it comes to production quality, excels.So let's start with the mechanics of this game designed by Philippe Trudel. This is really a modernization of the age-old game tic-tac-toe. The idea is in that respect extremely simple, in this case get four of your stones in-a-row before your opponent does.We've all played tic-tac-toe, so the goal is easily familiar.However, in this version, published by the Canadian firm McWiz Games, there is a neat twist.The four-by-four board has a series of symbols on each of the 16 squares created. There are two of each symbol in what appears a pretty random pattern on the board. Yet these symbols are an interesting aspect of the game.On a turn a player places two stones onto the board (after the first player's first turn on which they are allowed to place only one to help offset the first player's usual advantage in such games). If on a turn you end so that you place a stone in a way that you cover two matching symbols on the board, you can remove an opponent's stone. It can be an important tool in thwarting an opponent's plan to get their four in-a-row, although at times to match symbols you are placing stones that don't help you achieve the game's ultimate goal.It is interesting how you can get so focused on using the removal mechanic you miss simple moves like simply completing your four by the placement of your next two stones. A bit of caution, don't move to quick. Take a second look at what the game board position and mechanics allow.Now let's talk production values for a bit.Some games are tagged with the label 'coffee table games' the reasoning being that they look good enough that you are proud to have them on display almost as pieces of art. Brainstonz wears the label well.The game board is a box of wood, with the symbols having a sort of hieroglyphic look that really does look like an art piece. The pieces are polished stones, the black nice flat ones and the white more rounded. The stones can stores on two tray areas to the sides of the board, so the game is always ready to go. The game board, being a box, also has a storage tray, which allows the stones to be tucked away inside the board. The storage area is huge compared to the 16 stones. If one was handy they'd likely line the tray with some felt and that would add even more aesthetic detail to the game.With the nice detail and materials the game is a bit pricey for what the game itself offers, so I tend to think this will be one often given as a gift. Any gamer would be happy to have it, and it looks so nice it is a great gift idea.Now it should be noted as a tic-tac-toe variant in style, this game isn't overly deep in terms of tactics, but then again it plays quickly, and you can knock off a few quick games as a break pretty easily (we've all done that a few times using pen and paper I am sure).So understand what Brainstonz is, a simple game that looks great. You can set it on the desk in the office and it looks classy. On the coffee table it's just unique enough to have visitors asking what it is, and quick enough to teach that you can have the questioner playing the game in a hurry. Enough to make it worth a look that's for sure, and you will enjoy a game or three on occasion.
-- CALVIN DANIELS
Review first appeared in Yorkton This Week newspaper Feb. 11, 2009 - Yorkton, SK. Canada
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Review -- FLUXX
FLUXX
Every once in a while you just want some really mindless fun at the gaming table. It can't get much more mindless, or much more fun, at least for a game, or two, than the card game Fluxx.
Designed by Andrew and Kristin Looney, and first released in 1997, Fluxx garnered some attention when it was awarded a Mensa Select Award for 1999. Now before you think that means the game is high brow, or complicated, or even requires a great deal of thinking, that is not the case. The Mensa recognition was probably based far more on the innovative game design than on how the game plays.
The basic game of Fluxx revolves around four card types, rules, actions, goals and keepers.
Keepers are just that, cards which a player lays out in front of them, with the hopes of collecting the cards necessary too satisfy the goal card conditions.
So for example, if the goal is bread and jam, you need to have both the bread and the jam keeper.
The trick though is that there are numerous goal cards, and when a player lays out a new goal, the old one goes bye bye. So collecting the winning cards is very much luck.
Then there are the rules. To begin with each player is dealt three cards. On your turn you draw one from the stack, and play one. Sounds simple enough. However, there are a number of rule cards in the deck too, and as those cards are played the rules change. For example is someone plays the rule card 'draw four' players then draw four cards, while still playing one.
The next player might then play the rule card 'play all' leaving players drawing four cards and playing them all each turn.
And finally just to add a further twist to the growing madness, there are the action cards, so a player might plop down an action allowing them to take another card.
So imagine a player drawing eight cards, and having to play them all. The rules and goals can go through significant changes even within a single players turn.
It's all good old random madness, which usually has a player stumbling into a win more than creating a strategy to come out on top.
The game is recommended for two to six players, but since the strong point is the fun social aspect of twisting the rules on your fellow players, the more the merrier is the rule here.
Since the game is so random, it holds its charm for a couple of games on occasion, but doesn't really have the over and over re-playability in one sitting of say cribbage, or Magic The Gathering, other card games previously reviewed here.
That said for a little game night warm-up, or wind down Fluxx is a good fit.
As is the case the original Fluxx spawned a number of variants, including Eco Fluxx, Christian Fluxx, Zombie Fluxx and Monty Python Fluxx.
The zombie version adds creepers to the weirdness, zombie infested cards that can help you win, or lose depending on the rules at the moment. It's a nice twist, but if you have the basic I wouldn't suggest buying the zombie version too.
Monty Python is just weird enough on its own merits to fit Fluxx madness to the 'T', so the variant is one to look for if you are a Python fan.
Fluxx is ultimately a fun little filler game worth picking up and playing on occasion, but too much of it at one sitting can get kind of ho-hum in a hurry.
-- CALVIN DANIELS
-- Review first appeared in Yorkton This Week newspaper Feb. 4, 2009 - Yorkton, SK. Canada
Every once in a while you just want some really mindless fun at the gaming table. It can't get much more mindless, or much more fun, at least for a game, or two, than the card game Fluxx.
Designed by Andrew and Kristin Looney, and first released in 1997, Fluxx garnered some attention when it was awarded a Mensa Select Award for 1999. Now before you think that means the game is high brow, or complicated, or even requires a great deal of thinking, that is not the case. The Mensa recognition was probably based far more on the innovative game design than on how the game plays.
The basic game of Fluxx revolves around four card types, rules, actions, goals and keepers.
Keepers are just that, cards which a player lays out in front of them, with the hopes of collecting the cards necessary too satisfy the goal card conditions.
So for example, if the goal is bread and jam, you need to have both the bread and the jam keeper.
The trick though is that there are numerous goal cards, and when a player lays out a new goal, the old one goes bye bye. So collecting the winning cards is very much luck.
Then there are the rules. To begin with each player is dealt three cards. On your turn you draw one from the stack, and play one. Sounds simple enough. However, there are a number of rule cards in the deck too, and as those cards are played the rules change. For example is someone plays the rule card 'draw four' players then draw four cards, while still playing one.
The next player might then play the rule card 'play all' leaving players drawing four cards and playing them all each turn.
And finally just to add a further twist to the growing madness, there are the action cards, so a player might plop down an action allowing them to take another card.
So imagine a player drawing eight cards, and having to play them all. The rules and goals can go through significant changes even within a single players turn.
It's all good old random madness, which usually has a player stumbling into a win more than creating a strategy to come out on top.
The game is recommended for two to six players, but since the strong point is the fun social aspect of twisting the rules on your fellow players, the more the merrier is the rule here.
Since the game is so random, it holds its charm for a couple of games on occasion, but doesn't really have the over and over re-playability in one sitting of say cribbage, or Magic The Gathering, other card games previously reviewed here.
That said for a little game night warm-up, or wind down Fluxx is a good fit.
As is the case the original Fluxx spawned a number of variants, including Eco Fluxx, Christian Fluxx, Zombie Fluxx and Monty Python Fluxx.
The zombie version adds creepers to the weirdness, zombie infested cards that can help you win, or lose depending on the rules at the moment. It's a nice twist, but if you have the basic I wouldn't suggest buying the zombie version too.
Monty Python is just weird enough on its own merits to fit Fluxx madness to the 'T', so the variant is one to look for if you are a Python fan.
Fluxx is ultimately a fun little filler game worth picking up and playing on occasion, but too much of it at one sitting can get kind of ho-hum in a hurry.
-- CALVIN DANIELS
-- Review first appeared in Yorkton This Week newspaper Feb. 4, 2009 - Yorkton, SK. Canada
Review -- MAGIC: THE GATHERING
MAGIC: THE GATHERING
Few games can hold the claim that they were the foundation for an entire genre of games, but that is one claim Magic:The Gathering can proudly make.
For those unfamiliar with MtG, it is a collectible card game. A CCG is a game in which packages of randomly inserted cards are present, so that when you buy a pack you are never sure which cards you may be getting. From the cards you then proceed to build a customized deck using whichever cards you choose.
The idea of CCG was really in it infancy when MtG first hit the shelves back in 1993. Now there may have been a CCG, or two published before Richard Garfield's classic arrived on the scene, but this was the gem which created the buzz about CCGs. In the wake of MtG's arrival, literally dozens, actually nearly 300 CCGs were born. Most were little more than cash grabbing flash in the pans, a few found some level of following to last a year, or two, one has remained a constant for more than 15 years, and that in the granddaddy MtG.
So what gives MtG its staying power? It's charisma?
Well the premise is so simple, so compelling, few have matched it. The idea has each player taking on the role of a wizard. The deck of cards he builds is essentially the spells at his disposal, and the resources from which he can cast his spells. The idea works on the premise of the idea of two spell casters weaving their magic in battle.
The spell casters can summon creatures to do battle on his behalf, throw sorceries like fireballs, or offer up instant spells that counter an opponent's card playing.
To cast the spells though the caster must have access to mana, energy drawn from land cards which are also part of the custom deck one builds.
There are five colours of land and magic, black which focuses on creatures such as skeletons and vampires, the forest oriented green, white is the magic of the plains and healing, blue of water and air, and red of fire and stone.
Through the colours players can really develop decks which fit their own strategic leanings, white to maintain life, red to cast tons of direct damage, green to hurl huge forest creatures into the fray.
When the game arrived on the scene, it offered up a couple hundred cards from which players generally construct a deck of 40 to 60 cards. No single card can appear more than four times in a standard deck. Right from the outset a player had huge options.
Those options have grown to monstrous proportions as MtG has released expansions year, after year, usually at least three sets a year, adding hundreds of new cards, with new abilities and power. Today thousands of cards have been released.
The earliest cards are now rare, and pricey. A single card such as a first edition Black Lotus can sell into the four figures. The cards have traditionally been released as commons, uncommons and rares, so certain cards are automatically harder to pull from a card pack, and thus generally pricier.
However new players need not be deterred since Wizards of the Coast, the company behind the game sanction numerous tournament styles, including one focusing on only recent card series releases, allowing players to jump in without having to buy the older cards.
The game also allows for variant play, including partners, three-against-three, and massive free-for-alls with many players.
Of all the CCGs, this is by far the best overall game on a number of levels -- the gold standard of the genre.
-- CALVIN DANIELS
-- Review first appeared in Yorkton This Week newspaper Jan. 28, 2009 - Yorkton, SK. Canada
Few games can hold the claim that they were the foundation for an entire genre of games, but that is one claim Magic:The Gathering can proudly make.
For those unfamiliar with MtG, it is a collectible card game. A CCG is a game in which packages of randomly inserted cards are present, so that when you buy a pack you are never sure which cards you may be getting. From the cards you then proceed to build a customized deck using whichever cards you choose.
The idea of CCG was really in it infancy when MtG first hit the shelves back in 1993. Now there may have been a CCG, or two published before Richard Garfield's classic arrived on the scene, but this was the gem which created the buzz about CCGs. In the wake of MtG's arrival, literally dozens, actually nearly 300 CCGs were born. Most were little more than cash grabbing flash in the pans, a few found some level of following to last a year, or two, one has remained a constant for more than 15 years, and that in the granddaddy MtG.
So what gives MtG its staying power? It's charisma?
Well the premise is so simple, so compelling, few have matched it. The idea has each player taking on the role of a wizard. The deck of cards he builds is essentially the spells at his disposal, and the resources from which he can cast his spells. The idea works on the premise of the idea of two spell casters weaving their magic in battle.
The spell casters can summon creatures to do battle on his behalf, throw sorceries like fireballs, or offer up instant spells that counter an opponent's card playing.
To cast the spells though the caster must have access to mana, energy drawn from land cards which are also part of the custom deck one builds.
There are five colours of land and magic, black which focuses on creatures such as skeletons and vampires, the forest oriented green, white is the magic of the plains and healing, blue of water and air, and red of fire and stone.
Through the colours players can really develop decks which fit their own strategic leanings, white to maintain life, red to cast tons of direct damage, green to hurl huge forest creatures into the fray.
When the game arrived on the scene, it offered up a couple hundred cards from which players generally construct a deck of 40 to 60 cards. No single card can appear more than four times in a standard deck. Right from the outset a player had huge options.
Those options have grown to monstrous proportions as MtG has released expansions year, after year, usually at least three sets a year, adding hundreds of new cards, with new abilities and power. Today thousands of cards have been released.
The earliest cards are now rare, and pricey. A single card such as a first edition Black Lotus can sell into the four figures. The cards have traditionally been released as commons, uncommons and rares, so certain cards are automatically harder to pull from a card pack, and thus generally pricier.
However new players need not be deterred since Wizards of the Coast, the company behind the game sanction numerous tournament styles, including one focusing on only recent card series releases, allowing players to jump in without having to buy the older cards.
The game also allows for variant play, including partners, three-against-three, and massive free-for-alls with many players.
Of all the CCGs, this is by far the best overall game on a number of levels -- the gold standard of the genre.
-- CALVIN DANIELS
-- Review first appeared in Yorkton This Week newspaper Jan. 28, 2009 - Yorkton, SK. Canada
Review - SORRY SLIDERS
SORRY SLIDERS
All right it might have been a dead giveaway when you realize this game is related to the kid's game Sorry, but Sorry Sliders is lacking when it comes to holding the attention of an adult gamer.
Released in 2008 by Parker Brothers, Sorry Sliders has created some buzz in the gaming community, in part because it seems to have been short-printed in the United States, and that always makes a game more wanted.
Actually, if anyone went looking for this one and didn't find it, they shouldn't be too disappointed, unless of course it was bought with younger kids in mind.
The premise of Sorry Sliders is pretty neat, although the neatness fades rather quickly. The game has players sliding pieces, nice plastic molded pieces that have a weighted sphere in the base that allows them to slide at a target area. Of course you can knock opponents pieces around, which is the tie to the old Sorry mechanic of sending an opponent's piece back if it was landed on.
This game owes much to games such as shuffleboard and crokinole, although pales compared to either. Then again Sorry Sliders is about 30 bucks and crokinole 150 and shuffleboards even more, so you are getting something of a bargain here.
Sorry Sliders professes to offer four games in one, and it does include four centre 'target' areas, but ultimately the games are really just variations on the basic theme, which is scoring points depending on where your piece lies at the end of the round. The closer to the centre the greater the score achieved, which reminds a bit of curling.
For each piece scoring you get to move a scoring piece along a track. Be the first to bare off the four scoring pegs, by exact count, and you win.
The game can be played by two, three, or four players. Having tried all three options, the game plays fine by whichever number of players are involved, although with four the field gets more chaotic since there can be up to 16 pieces in play at the end of a round.
The rules can be grasped in a matter of seconds, especially so if you have curled, played crokinole or shuffleboard.
There is a level of skill required with this game, but it's so simplistic in nature that it's hard to envision anyone taking the time to actually hone those skills to any great level.
In fact, the game is so simple it's the kind you might drag out on occasion to play with non-gamers, but serious board game fans will likely quickly opt for other games to play.
Now the evaluation will likely change if you have younger children. This game would likely catch the younger mind more, and it is easily accessible for anyone, so kids could be competitive with mom and dad, unlike a lot of games that parents usually have an advantage at unless they rely totally on luck which is used to even the playing field for younger players. This one is pure skill, but skills younger players can master.
For families, Sorry Sliders might be a good fit. For adults, a few plays will last months, and then this one will be a real dust collector.
-- CALVIN DANIELS
-- Review first appeared in Yorkton This Week newspaper Jan. 21, 2009 - Yorkton, SK. Canada
All right it might have been a dead giveaway when you realize this game is related to the kid's game Sorry, but Sorry Sliders is lacking when it comes to holding the attention of an adult gamer.
Released in 2008 by Parker Brothers, Sorry Sliders has created some buzz in the gaming community, in part because it seems to have been short-printed in the United States, and that always makes a game more wanted.
Actually, if anyone went looking for this one and didn't find it, they shouldn't be too disappointed, unless of course it was bought with younger kids in mind.
The premise of Sorry Sliders is pretty neat, although the neatness fades rather quickly. The game has players sliding pieces, nice plastic molded pieces that have a weighted sphere in the base that allows them to slide at a target area. Of course you can knock opponents pieces around, which is the tie to the old Sorry mechanic of sending an opponent's piece back if it was landed on.
This game owes much to games such as shuffleboard and crokinole, although pales compared to either. Then again Sorry Sliders is about 30 bucks and crokinole 150 and shuffleboards even more, so you are getting something of a bargain here.
Sorry Sliders professes to offer four games in one, and it does include four centre 'target' areas, but ultimately the games are really just variations on the basic theme, which is scoring points depending on where your piece lies at the end of the round. The closer to the centre the greater the score achieved, which reminds a bit of curling.
For each piece scoring you get to move a scoring piece along a track. Be the first to bare off the four scoring pegs, by exact count, and you win.
The game can be played by two, three, or four players. Having tried all three options, the game plays fine by whichever number of players are involved, although with four the field gets more chaotic since there can be up to 16 pieces in play at the end of a round.
The rules can be grasped in a matter of seconds, especially so if you have curled, played crokinole or shuffleboard.
There is a level of skill required with this game, but it's so simplistic in nature that it's hard to envision anyone taking the time to actually hone those skills to any great level.
In fact, the game is so simple it's the kind you might drag out on occasion to play with non-gamers, but serious board game fans will likely quickly opt for other games to play.
Now the evaluation will likely change if you have younger children. This game would likely catch the younger mind more, and it is easily accessible for anyone, so kids could be competitive with mom and dad, unlike a lot of games that parents usually have an advantage at unless they rely totally on luck which is used to even the playing field for younger players. This one is pure skill, but skills younger players can master.
For families, Sorry Sliders might be a good fit. For adults, a few plays will last months, and then this one will be a real dust collector.
-- CALVIN DANIELS
-- Review first appeared in Yorkton This Week newspaper Jan. 21, 2009 - Yorkton, SK. Canada
Review -- TERRACE
TERRACE
Have you ever looked at a game and thought to yourself it was one you might like, then put off buying. Then over the weeks and months you keep coming back to it, giving it second, third and fourth looks, yet always seeming to pass it by.
That was the case with Terrace for me. It was always an abstract strategy game that had my interest, but it was ages before I took the plunge and bought a copy.
Boy, am I glad I finally put the game on the top of my want list.
As I look back I'm really not sure why I kept turning from the game, unless it was that the usual set you see available for this 1992 release is the neon orange and green set that frankly is a little gaudy for my tastes. I tend to look at the best abstracts as games that are classier, like a nice chess set, and the neon colours were a turn off.
That said the neon version gave Terrace a level of notoriety in the gaming world as it was used as a prop in a couple of episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation where it was seen being playing in 10-Forward, the lounge area of the Enterprise.
Fortunately, Terrace was also produced in a classic black and white design, and when one of those finally came up on eBay, and from Alberta to boot, I threw in a bid.
When the game arrived I was immediately impressed with the components. The board is large, and made of a injection molded plastic. It's not a cheap plastic either. It is a board that should withstand the tests of time, and being plastic its ideal for a game over coffee since a spill simply wipes away without harming anything.
The pieces, each player in the two-player version gets 16 pieces, are also high quality plastic. The pieces are in the shapes of little domes, which are aesthetically very nice. The 16 pieces are divided into sets of four of different sizes. While each piece has the same movement pattern, size does not matter here. A piece captures any piece of equal, or smaller size. So the biggest domes are most powerful.
That said, one of the small pieces has the mark of a 'T' being the Terrace piece. If the piece is captured, you lose. By contrast if you can successfully maneuver your Terrace piece across the board to the opposite diagonal corner from where it started, you win.
Interestingly, Terrace does allow one to capture their own pieces as a way to set themselves up for a better board position. Few games offer the sacrifice mechanic, so that is a nice touch which adds to the possibilities of the game.
The other compelling feature of this game is the board, which is designed in a terrace fashion. As a result you are not just moving pieces around the board, but up and down levels, giving strategy a sort of three-dimensional aspect.
Pieces may only capture from a terrace one tier higher, in a move jumping down a level, so high ground is a definite plus.
The simple move down is straight down, while a capture is done diagonally down. Climbing up a level can be done straight up, or diagonally up.
On a particular terrace, pieces may move to any open space, as long as they do not have to jump over an opponent's piece. They can leap frog their own pieces though.
While it might sound a little complicated, once you look at the illustrations on the one panel instruction guide, it all comes together quite naturally.
Overall Anton Dresden and Buzz Siler created a great game which deserves more recognition. The rules are unique, the components of high enough quality that it is an heirloom game which will last for generations, and the play deep and challenging. The game was the 1992 Mensa Select award winner.
The set comes with pieces for a four-player game, each player gets six pieces, and a smaller travel edition was also made for this one.
-- CALVIN DANIELS
-- Review first appeared in Yorkton This Week newspaper Jan. 14, 2009 - Yorkton, SK. Canada
Have you ever looked at a game and thought to yourself it was one you might like, then put off buying. Then over the weeks and months you keep coming back to it, giving it second, third and fourth looks, yet always seeming to pass it by.
That was the case with Terrace for me. It was always an abstract strategy game that had my interest, but it was ages before I took the plunge and bought a copy.
Boy, am I glad I finally put the game on the top of my want list.
As I look back I'm really not sure why I kept turning from the game, unless it was that the usual set you see available for this 1992 release is the neon orange and green set that frankly is a little gaudy for my tastes. I tend to look at the best abstracts as games that are classier, like a nice chess set, and the neon colours were a turn off.
That said the neon version gave Terrace a level of notoriety in the gaming world as it was used as a prop in a couple of episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation where it was seen being playing in 10-Forward, the lounge area of the Enterprise.
Fortunately, Terrace was also produced in a classic black and white design, and when one of those finally came up on eBay, and from Alberta to boot, I threw in a bid.
When the game arrived I was immediately impressed with the components. The board is large, and made of a injection molded plastic. It's not a cheap plastic either. It is a board that should withstand the tests of time, and being plastic its ideal for a game over coffee since a spill simply wipes away without harming anything.
The pieces, each player in the two-player version gets 16 pieces, are also high quality plastic. The pieces are in the shapes of little domes, which are aesthetically very nice. The 16 pieces are divided into sets of four of different sizes. While each piece has the same movement pattern, size does not matter here. A piece captures any piece of equal, or smaller size. So the biggest domes are most powerful.
That said, one of the small pieces has the mark of a 'T' being the Terrace piece. If the piece is captured, you lose. By contrast if you can successfully maneuver your Terrace piece across the board to the opposite diagonal corner from where it started, you win.
Interestingly, Terrace does allow one to capture their own pieces as a way to set themselves up for a better board position. Few games offer the sacrifice mechanic, so that is a nice touch which adds to the possibilities of the game.
The other compelling feature of this game is the board, which is designed in a terrace fashion. As a result you are not just moving pieces around the board, but up and down levels, giving strategy a sort of three-dimensional aspect.
Pieces may only capture from a terrace one tier higher, in a move jumping down a level, so high ground is a definite plus.
The simple move down is straight down, while a capture is done diagonally down. Climbing up a level can be done straight up, or diagonally up.
On a particular terrace, pieces may move to any open space, as long as they do not have to jump over an opponent's piece. They can leap frog their own pieces though.
While it might sound a little complicated, once you look at the illustrations on the one panel instruction guide, it all comes together quite naturally.
Overall Anton Dresden and Buzz Siler created a great game which deserves more recognition. The rules are unique, the components of high enough quality that it is an heirloom game which will last for generations, and the play deep and challenging. The game was the 1992 Mensa Select award winner.
The set comes with pieces for a four-player game, each player gets six pieces, and a smaller travel edition was also made for this one.
-- CALVIN DANIELS
-- Review first appeared in Yorkton This Week newspaper Jan. 14, 2009 - Yorkton, SK. Canada
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