The Game of the Path

As we finished Pig Pile, Manny and Scott came by. Manny, a game day regular, was late becuase he thought we weren't starting until 2:30 (we start at 1:00!)... better late than never!

I (Chris) had recently bought a game called Tsuro. Scott had really just come by to watch, but I convinced hit to join us in this simple, clever game.

Manny, Jay, Scott, Cathy, and Chris played a 5-player game of Tsuro.

Tsuro is played on a 6x6 board. The board starts empty, and tiles are laid on the board to make paths. The game can be played with as few as 2 or as much as 8 players. The goal is simple -- make the paths on the board so your playing piece is the last one on the board.

You can only place a tile next to your own piece, but, as the board gets filled and players mover around the board, one player's tile will affect other paths. Also, if two players' paths get connected so that they collide, they are BOTH knocked out of the game.

It's a simple game, and can be played in about 10 minutes. It has a sort of Zen flow to it, and is one of the most beautifully crafted games I've seen. The playing pieces looked like carved stone, and the board has a beautiful dragon-like design. The tiles are muted, soothing, natural colors. When the board is complete, the sweeping paths draw your eyes around the board.

Here's how the game went:

Scott was the first to be eliminated, stuck at an edge with no useful tiles for escape.

Chris connected two paths so that Jay and Cathy crashed into each other.

Chris managed to back himself into a corner, forcing HIMSELF off the board.

Manny wins!! And is looking pretty proud of that...