(no subject)

[markjwilder]

Gamin Session Report
16 FEB 06 w/ The Girl


PÜNCT - This is the sixth game in the GIPF series of games, though it is only one of two that I've ever played (YINSH being the other). They're all slightly "out-there" abstract strategy games for two. In PÜNCT, the players try to connect opposite sides of a hexagon with their color pieces (pieces are lines, angles, or triangles made up of three "dots") before their opponents do. Two options are available: Place a piece on unoccupied board spaces, or Move and/or rotate a piece. When you move a piece, you can actually put it on top of one or more pieces that are already on the board, essentially preventing that piece from being moved in the future. The caveat to that is that there is one marked dot on each piece which, when placing a piece on other pieces, must be on one of your own colored pieces. So it's an interesting exercise in leaving yourself lots of options, blocking your opponents, and using trickery. It was the first play for either Susan and I, and I think we both agreed that, while it was fun, it was no YINSH. In our game, I got off to a good start, and then Susan got three or four good moves in a row that made me think I was going to get crushed. I ended up noticing a new way to make my connection, and five or six plays later I managed to do it. So I won round one, but as we learned with YINSH, Susan ain't going to give up quite so quickly.

If you like two-player abstract strategy games (Chess or Go for instance), I highly recommend you check out this series of games. The couple that I've played are easy-to-learn and elegant, but fairly deep strategically, and the component pieces are just excellent. The six games in the series (in order of their ranking on boardgamegeek.com) are:

YINSH: 7.89 (BGG rank: 18)
DVONN: 7.64 (BGG rank: 51)
ZERTZ: 7.59 (BGG rank: 59)
GIPF: 7.36 (BGG rank: 127)
PÜNCT: 7.35 (BGG rank: 132)
TAMSK: 6.99 (BGG rank: 297)

Comments

[betawriter.livejournal.com]

You're right - it's no Yinsh, but I did like it enough to play it again. And again again. At least until I win one time. I tend to handicap myself by drinking wine to your diet coke, but I ain't gonna be giving up the wine anytime soon.

:o)

I <3 Yinsh. And MEEPLES!

mmm, mother's milk

[ka-tet19.livejournal.com]

clicked on Woodford Reserve in my user info, and up came you. From one bourbon lover to another, I say "Cheers."