Numerix
Publisher: Tied to a Kite Games
Players: 2-4
Rating: 4/5
In my opinion, this has to be one of the hottest abstract strategy games that you'll play this year and, easily compares to some of the larger competitors out there on the market.
The game itself is easy enough to learn to play and within a minute or two of sitting down at the gaming table you'll be playing without assistance but, the simple rules are a suble diversion from the difficulty that it will take you to master this fine game and, the sheer depth of strategy combined with an element of luck means that if you don't keep on your toes the tide of play can soon turn against you.
So how do you play? Well, i said you could learn to play in minutes and, i intend to prove it!
To begin play, players each roll one six-sided dice (D6) to determine who will play first. High roller playing first.
The first player then rolls 3D6 and may place a one of their counters on any board space containing a number shown on those dice. For example, if the player rolled a 1, 3 and a 5, they could place a counter on any space containing a 1, 3 or 5. The next player then does the same.
Once a player has a counter (or multiple counters) on the board they may then choose to move it to an adjacent space that shows a number rolled. For example, if you rolled a 1, 3 and 5 and one of your counters was adjacent to a square showing that number, you could move your counter to that square instead of placing a new piece.
The aim of the game is to capture 3 (of your opponents 6) pieces to eliminate them from play and, you do this by surrounding their piece on three adjacent squares...
And that's it!
There are a few additional rules that deal with unique situations and game time can vary massivly but, should take no more than half an hour regardless of the number of players and the other rules could be sumarised in only a sentance or two.
All in all, a fine game and already a firm favorite of mine that is excellently presented with a laser engraved wooden board and nice glass beads. A big thumbs up and a nice addition to any games collection.
If you'd like to a buy copy or, you'd like to take a look at the full rules, click here to visit the publishers website.