All of my 'Light Reviews' aim to offer a brief overview that allows people to get a good feel for what the game may offer them, the options involved and general flow of play.

Summary

Game Type - Abstract Strategy Game
Play Time: 10-30 minutes
Number of Players: 2
Mechanics - Piece Placement/Manipulation
Difficulty - Pick-up & Play (Can be learnt in under 10 minutes)
Components - Excellent


Image Courtesy of Pensator

Overview

I'm no abstract games fan, in fact I would usually spend the time shaving my ear hair (yes may the force be with you too ), but every now and again a game comes along that catches the eye.

Kogworks certainly does that and the fact that the key components are a set of cogs makes it quite the visual enticement as it sits on the FLGS bench top.

The aim of Kogworks is simple enough - be the first to help turn the golden cog or force your opponent to break the 'machine' by not being able to turn the cogwork system.

The appeal is the ability to form and manipulate the many gears which are formed by the interplay of cogs. The pattern they make as the game play evolves is quite mesmerising.

The Components

Like many a good strategy game, the components are few.

Board - The board is triangular in shape and made from sturdy plastic. The game is such that the board never need leave the box, which is also triangular and the pieces stay on the board, so the whole package acts as storage and play area.

The board is also slightly sunken so that as cogs are added to the play area, they sit almost flush with the triangular lip of the board.

The board itself consists of 55 pegs. These serve to hold each of the cogs as they are placed.


Image Courtesy of Kerbster76

Cogs - As the iconic piece of the game, these are both eye-catching and central to the physical mechanics of the game. Each cog consists of a circular hole in the centre and 9 spokes around the outer edge. The hole of course is needed to place each cog onto one of the spindles, whilst the spokes allow each cog to dovetail with other cog spokes to ensure that one cog will effect another when spun.

These come in blue and red, which is a nice change from the classic (boring) black and white of traditional abstract games.


Image Courtesy of Kerbster76

Rules - These are written fairly well and contain visual examples, which are so important to Abstract Games in particular. The small size of the rules serve to reinforce the key point about good Abstract Games - they are rules light but implication heavy (offer many possibilities).

Packaging - As mentioned earlier the game comes in a triangular box to match the shape of the board and all the pieces fit right onto the playing surface. I only restate this here because I think it is a really clever design feature for catching the eye of customers as they struggle to focus on any one product in what we all know are usually jam-packed game stores.


Image Courtesy of Pensator

Game Play

As I alluded to above, Abstract Games are renowned for having few rules but they allow for a myriad of considerations. In brief Kogworks plays as follows -

Set-up - The gold cog is placed at the apex of the board. Each player then places one cog in their corner. This cog is known as each player's Base Wheel.

Add or move a Cog - On each player's turn the decision must be made to add a new cog to the playing area or move an existing one (own player's pieces only).

Turn Base Wheel - After completing step one above, the active player must spin their Base Wheel. This action may in turn spin other cogs on the board, should they be interconnected. This is essentially how the players can create intricate gear grinding machines, which is in truth kind of neat.

I immediately though of Khet: The Laser Game as it requires its players to fire their laser after making each move.

Placement/Movement Restrictions - A player can never move or place a cog such that it creates a 'Blockage' (stops gears from turning) in one of the three corner locations. Along similar lines a player cannot move or place a cog that would also result in their Base Wheel not being able to spin freely. Not only is it illegal...it is also stupid as this would result in defeat.

Winning the Game - If a player manages to spin the Golden Cog as a result of turning their Base Wheel, they have won the game.


Image Courtesy of Kerbster76

Losing the Game - If you cannot place or move a cog that allows you to freely spin your Base Wheel, then you will lose the game, granting victory to your opponent.

So Where's the Fun Again?

This is usually my reaction to abstract games and may be your base response as well. Abstract Games really appeal to those gamers that delight in thinking 3 turns ahead. They appeal to those gamers that appreciate subtle manoeuvres and the look of angst on their opponent's face when they realise the deviousness of their 'Master Plan'.

But beyond that there are a few other things to like. Part of why I dislike Abstract Games generally is that the play does not change and evolve all that quickly. This is certainly not the case in Kogworks. Movement of cogs can shift the landscape of the game completely and force the players to rethink and re-visualise the implications of such moves. This helps to keep the players engaged in what they are doing.

The other aspect I like is the mental process of trying to trace the implications of each move through the machine, in order to visualise how the cogs will interact with one another. In this respect it is the design of the components themselves that adds to the game play and for this the designer gets a for cleverness.

The Final Word

What I will say is that Kogworks appealed to me a little more than the average abstract on the market. The game has the ability to change quickly with clever cog movements and placements but I still don't quite see the long term appeal.

This is the first Dr. Wood Game I've played though and on this evidence I am interested in seeing what else they have. Coming from me (given my tastes) that's fairly hefty acknowledgement (not that my word is worth squat).

For that reason I think only the puzzle/abstract fans need apply here. As a Euro/AT gamer I just don't envisage this making it off the games shelf and onto the table over other great games in my collection.

Odds are that if you like games like Quoridor, Pentago and Khet (although Khet is on a slightly higher level) then this is worth checking out.