Tsuro

Last week I accidentally tripped over and managed to swipe my card at just the right time to buy a board game. Whoops.

However, considering the board game in question is Tsuro, I think I can forgive my feet and hands for having this little slip up.

Tsuro: The game of the Path, is a wonderful board game that I have played at many different events and been charmed by. It has an asian, spiritual theme to it, as the players walk along the “many roads that lead to divine wisdom” in a “classic quest for enlightenment”. The fact that there is a large Asian dragon on the box and pieces only serves to further draw me into this game.

The game is designed for 2 to 8 players, and each player chooses one of the adorable little tokens in one of eight colours which have dragons printed on them.

You then have the board, which is a six by six outline of a grid, and the token starts on one of the white marks at the edge of the board.

Each person is then given three tiles to start off with, you choose the first player in whatever way you see fit, and they play the first tile.

The point of the game is to be the last person on the board. Each tile has a number of paths that criss-cross, go off in different directions, and when you place a tile, you have to follow the path that you have laid down. If this path goes off the edge of the board, you die. If this path leads you to collide into another player, you both die. The simple premise is quick to play, but beautiful in execution.

And is it a really clever game. It’s designed so that you can never get stuck in a loop, you have to follow the path and there is always a path available to you, and if you actually cover the board, the last tile is a dragon tile and the first person to reach it wins. I personally have never seen this happen.

It’s a lovely game, and quick to play. A round can take between 5 and 15 minutes, and it’s easy to set up and pack away. It really does have a lot going for it. So if you get a chance, give it a go, I really do recommend it.