Here is a fun little game guaranteed to twist your brain!
The proprietor of my friendly local game shop had a giant demo version of this masterpiece on display, and my curiosity was piqued. After an introduction wherein I was thoroughly trounced, I was hooked, and I needed to buy a copy for myself.
So shortly after my next paycheck, I did.
This is the smaller travel version of the game, but there is a larger version available as well. This one is definitely not toddler-safe.
It includes a wood game board with a black veneer and 16 shallow sockets for game pieces. There are also 16 unique pieces evenly split between tall and short, square and round, light and dark, and solid or hollow. A groove is carved in the side of each piece at the same height to prevent mistakes such as flipping a hollow piece upside down and thinking it was solid.
There is also a cloth bag to store all the pieces. It's a nice touch.
The goal of the game is to place the final piece so there are four in a row that share any one attribute. But there is a twist. Your opponent hands you the piece you must play, and then you choose a piece for your opponent to place. The strategy to win requires defensive piece placement so your opponent has no choice but to hand you the winning move.
Or you're like me, and oblivious to the opportunity you left open for your opponent and hand them the winning piece without realizing it.
Any of the remaining pieces win this particular game. A diagonal row of either all dark or all short pieces is the only outcome, unless the other player is not paying any attention at all. And you must literally hand your opponent the win. Brutal.
All told, I am a huge fan of this game. The apparent simplicity conceals deep strategic choices. The short gameplay means many rounds can be played in a short time. Wood game pieces are appeal to the senses. Mich as I like massively complicated war games, this abstract end of the strategy game spectrum is also satisfying in its own way.
Visit the Gigamic website for more information, look for this game frpm your favorite online retailer, or better yet, visit your local game shop! Amazon doesn't seem to save much money on this kind of product, and local shops could use your support. Plus, there's nothing like no wait whatsoever on shipping!