Friday, May 23, 2008

Tsuro


Hello Dear Reader!


Today we find ourselves venturing down the many winding paths of TSURO, The Game of the Path!

GAME DESIGNERS: Wiz Kids, Tom McMurchie Art by Shane Small Cathy Brigg

PLAYERS: 2-8 people, ages 8+, small pieces warning to keep the babies safe!

GAME BASICS: With an ornate board and cunningly simple yet interwoven designed tiles, topped off with nicely formed pawns Tsuro is an easy to see, fun to play tile-laying game. the Object is to create an ongoing path that leads you to safety and your opponents off the board!





This is a composite image of the various board elements. The dragon tile is added to the stack of path tiles and changes up the active player as it appears throughout the game.

The various pawns move along the paths and wind all over the firebird-board.

Sounds simple enough?....Deceptively so!

With each new tile, a new connection to an already larger path can be created and will possibly link you , or if you are wily, your opponents to certain doom!

GAME DISECTION: Paths to glory...paths to doom!


ART: Yes....there's A LOT of excellent art in this game. In addition to a beautiful board, box and pieces, the copy I purchased included a quasi-sumi ink drawing of a bamboo shoot. The feeling conveyed is that this is an ancient game, designed to reflect the path to higher knowledge. the art does its job very very well!

PRICE: 20.00$ or less! Another easy buy when you have some spare cabbage in your pocket! Its pretty and affordable and fun to play...think about the last thing you spent 20.00$ on....prolly won't last as long as this game....which brings us to..

REPLAY: 2-8 people.... not often you find a nice game that easily accommodates a large and small number of players, but Tsuro can. The ease of its game play allows for new gamers and younger gamers to easily join in a game without a steep learning curve to bog them down.

MECHANICS: Though the actual workings of the game are simple, the dynamics of the interlocking paths creates a subtle complexity that, even the sagest of players must take into account. For people who enjoy the tactile sensations that are afforded by board games, this game will satisfy most happily. The tiles, the pawns, and how they interact, fills that void that is often created by video games and other ethereal pursuits.

FUN: My daughter enjoys games that she can trump anyone older than herself in, and she has cackled madly in triumph numerous times with Tsuro. Its a good game for a miniature tournament, best out of five etc etc.

WHO ARE YOU? The Gamer Profile:

CASUAL: Push aside the doilies and books on Da Vinci, make room on the coffee table and play a couple of games. You'll be glad you did, especially if you enjoy mind exercise games and crossword puzzles, this is a nice way to take all that logic training and give it some outside-the-box ( all puns intended ) use!

ACTIVE: No dice, no luck, all brains and skill against skill alone. This will be a nice backpack game that let's you play games the way God intended ' sportsman like. '

GAMER: Use this game to prove to the nay-sayers in your life that boardgaming is dull and for geeks or nerds. Or, use it to level the playing field with your power-gamer friends! For the price its hard to beat!

CREATOR: Here's a game that is older than you might think. Originally created around 1979, but not published, it is reborn in 2006 and voila...gaming goodness. Make note of the artwork as well. It doesn't look like another colored-pencil quasi-historical portrait... it looks...exotic...and richly detailed... and that will get some people ( like me ) to buy it for that reason alone.

FOR THE LADIES: A lot of people jumped on the Feng Shui wagon, or decorated their home in neo-oriental styles... this game wil fit perfectly with many countries on the Asian mainland and Japanese islands. Its fun and thoughtful and if you prefer a non-violent game... this game will appeal to you.

ABOUT ME: I'm a Gamer, Game Designer, and above all, a good guy who loves sharing games with people! if you have any questions, write me at redearth72@gmail.com

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