Nonaga
You’ll start with 19 disks and arrange them as a hex. Then, you and your opponent will each place your three colored tokens on the corners of the hex so you’re each creating a triangle. On a turn, you’ll move one of your tokens as far along a straight line as possible, then take one of the disks on the edge of the hex and move it elsewhere along the edge so it’s touching at least two other disks.
You’re looking to create either a three-in-a-straight-row, three-in-an-angled-row, or a small triangular group of three. The first to do so wins the game.
The first game of Nonaga will be fairly short. Your second game (because you are going to want to play this again right away) will be a bit longer, as will each successive game. You’ll need to consider the ramifications of your moves, as well as how your opponent may respond. With a small board, looking ahead a move or two is easier to manage, making this a clever little game.
Ease of entry?:
★★★★★ – No sweat
Would I play it again?:
★★★★☆ – Would like to play it again
Look for a full review of Nonaga coming soon!
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A very quick abstract game where players each have a red disk in front of them, connected by a line of seven gray disks. Players start the game with their seven disks (black or white) on the red disk. On a turn, players move any number of their disks a distance exactly equal to the number of stacks they own/have a disk of their color on top. The goal is to have the most pieces stacked on your opponent’s red disk.
This is a very math-y puzzle for such a small game.
Ease of entry?:
★★★★★ – No sweat
Would I play it again?:
★★★★☆ – Would like to play it again
Read more articles from Tom Franklin.
Volterra
Players build a 4×5 checker board of brown and white tiles, then place their player token on the center tile of their color. On a turn, players can—in either order—move to an edge-connected tile of their color (including diagonals) and then take a similarly adjacent tile of their color and place it atop another connected tile.
The small board will shrink quickly, as stacks of tiles are formed. You’ll need to plan ahead to maneuver your token on top of the highest stack.
Ease of entry?:
★★★★☆ – The odd bump or two
Would I play it again?:
★★★★☆ – Would like to play it again
Look for a full review of Volterra coming soon!
KAITŌ
Playing as two samurai, you and your opponent will each use the Kaitō, or thief, to steal each other’s three helmets or seven swords. You move the Kaitō orthogonally, landing on a tile to steal. Your opponent will also move the Kaitō orthogonally to steal your armor.
You can also collect special tiles that can be traded in to restore a helmet or a sword, making your strategic decisions even harder. Gathering these special tiles is easy; finding an opportunity to safely bring a helmet or sword back into the game is the hard part.
This is a quick game, meaning you will, like me, likely play it more than once after it hits the table.
Ease of entry?:★★★★★ – No sweat
Would I play it again?:
★★★★★ – Will definitely play it again
Lines of Fixation
Played on a hexagonal board, players move their pieces/stacks of pieces along a line, but only if they have the tallest stack along that line. When a stack moves, it leaves behind a trail of individual pieces in its wake.
Players are trying to be the first to either create two multi-colored stacks of six pieces or have all their pieces next to one another in a connected series of intersections. While simple in concept, there’s a lot going on in this small box of a game.
Ease of entry?:
★★★★☆ – The odd bump or two
Would I play it again?:
★★★★★ – Will definitely play it again
Look for a full review of Lines of Fixation coming soon!
Blütentanz
This is a race game where you and your opponent are trying to cross the central 4×4 board, one circle at a time. Each of the 16 circles—which turn in place—are decorated with three flowers: one in your color, one in your opponent’s color, and one neutral gray. The fourth quadrant is blank.
You’ll start each turn by choosing a row or column and giving each circle a quarter-turn clockwise. Then you have three action points to spend, moving as many or as few of your tokens along the circles towards the other side of the board.
Gerhards makes beautiful wooden games, and the craftsmanship for Blütentanz is great, with a few caveats: the circles in the new copy I played did not turn smoothly, causing an interruption at the start of each turn. Also, while the player tokens are a vibrant orange and blue, the matching flowers on the circles were a bit too understated.
Blütentanz makes for a great family game between a parent and child. The racing mechanic requires some thought to get the circles lined up your way.
Ease of entry?:
★★★★★ – No sweat
Would I play it again?:
★★★☆☆ – Wouldn’t suggest it, but would happily play it
Meridians
This small box abstract by designer Kanare Kato, was quite the surprise. A mix of elements from Go and line-of-sight games, players place their pieces on the large hex board one at a time. Each successive piece must be connected to at least one other piece by an uninterrupted line-of-sight. Any pieces that are not are removed from the board.
As the game continues, you’ll be placing some of your pieces next to other of your pieces. These connected pieces must also have at least one line-of-site connection to another of your pieces. If not, the group of connected pieces is removed from the board.
If the complexity of Go appeals to you, but you’d like to start with something more approachable, get yourself a copy of Meridians. This is my favorite of Kato’s games, one I’ll happily play anytime I can.
Ease of entry?:
★★★★☆ – The odd bump or two
Would I play it again?:
★★★★★ – Will definitely play it again
Look for a full review of Meridians coming soon!
Read more articles from Tom Franklin.
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