Blokus- A Fun Game with Squares!

Finally, I'm done with the Kosmos-Rio Grande 2-Player games that I had! Phew! Hope you liked a few games from the list and will try out some :-)

I have a few more 2-Player games, but they are a little advanced and hence would be talking about them a little later. Just to let you all know what they are: Mr. Jack, Lord of the Rings: The Confrontation- Deluxe Edition, Dungeon Twister, Commands and Colors: Ancients etc.

From now on, I'll be talking about multi-player games i.e. where more than 2 people can join in and have fun. I'll be starting off with a very simple and addictive fun game that takes about 1-2 min to learn, but as they all say "a lifetime to master" :-)

I'm talking about the very popular Blokus (A 1-4 Player abstract Strategy game), which is available across the world, including leading toy and books stores in India. It comes in various versions:

• A classic version- this is what I'm going to talk about
• A 2 player version- Called Blokus Duo
• A Triangular version- Called Blokus Trigon
• A 3D version

Blokus by- Bernard Tavitian

Bernard Tavitian holds a Master's degree in Mathematics from the University of Paris VI, an Engineering Degree from the prestigious Ecole Centrale in Paris, a Doctorate in Biophysics from the University of Paris VI and has held a post-doctoral position in the Department of Biochemistry at Yale University in the United States. At 46 years of age, this Frenchman now lives on the revenue stemming from the success of the Blokus® game. He spends his time reading, enjoying music and …. board games. (from http://www.sekkoia.com)

This is an abstract strategy game i.e. a game without a theme. Each player has 21 'Tetris' like pieces that he tries to place it on the board and in trying to do so, he also tries to obstruct his/her opponent.

This game has won about 9 awards between 2000 when it was released to 2005.

What do you get in the box?

This game comes with:

• A game board with 400 squares.
• 84 pieces (i.e. 21 pieces in each of the four colours- Red,Blue, Green & Yellow). Each of the 21 pieces has a different shape.

That's it! The 21 pieces are actually 'Tetris' like pieces that range from one square to 5 squares (In all possible combinations). The pieces look solid with very good finish.

How does it play?


As I mentioned earlier, this game takes about 1-2 min to learn and believe me, no exxagaration here.

• Each player must begin at one of the corners of the board.
  
• The order of play is blue, yellow, red, green.
  
• Each new piece that is placed on the board must touch another piece of the same colour, but it can only touch at the corners, never along the sides

The above rules are picked straight from the website. I didn't bother writing it because these are the rules! You can just buy the game and start playing after reading the 3 bullet points!

You can play solo and try to put all the pieces on the board or with 2 players choosing 2 colors each or 3 players choosing one color each and one neutral color with everyone playing the neutral color or 4 players where 2 people team up and play as a team.

The game ends when no more pieces can be placed on the board and the scoring is as follows:

• Each square which is not placed on the board counts as a negative point.
  
• A bonus of 15 points is awarded if all 21 pieces have been placed on the board.
  
• This bonus is increased to 20 points if the 21 pieces were placed on the board with the single square being placed last.

Though it might appear that you have to keep changing your game plan i.e. very tactical, it definitely has a strategy element if you play it more!

How long does it play?

This game takes somewherebetween 20-45 min depending on how much time people take to think. Believe me though the rules are simple, this game is very engaging and will make you come back anytime!

Who would you reccomend it to?

I think everyone should have it. I had not written about it before as this was a multi-player game, but this simple game is so good and available across that I recommend everyone to have it.

Any Downsides?

Well can't really think of any, apartfrom the fact that the classic version might be a little clumsy to carry during travel. (BTW that's why you have the travel edition or the DUO :-)
Final Thoughts!

This is a classic, very simple yet very attractive. It is not that abstract like Chess that will leave you brain drained after a really intense game. It gives you enough exercise for your grey cells to keep coming back and having fun with your entire family. As you keep playing this game more and more, you'll get to understand the differnt shapes better and would know whether to use a piece in an attacking fashion or a defensive fashion. Even a 5-6 yr can have as much fun as any of us!