I really like the Gipf games that I have played: Zertz, Dvonn, Punct, Yinsh. This game always looked cool to me because of the hourglass pieces and I recently acquired it in a trade. Here's my thoughts on it as a fan of other games in the series.


(image by icheyne)

Components:
Thick plastic board, nice insert, sturdy rings (Bakelite? plastic?) on plastic holder, are all of very nice quality. The Gipf games have a wonderful feel and quality to them and are as much a joy to look at as to play.

Tamsk feels a little 'cheaper' by comparison to the others. The big plastic board seems a little cheesy though it is perfectly functional for it's purpose - it just doesn't seem as elegant as the components from the other Gipf games I have played.

Many have mentioned the hourglasses do not have consistent amounts of sand in them. I can certainly see this being a drag but mine all appear pretty even and this has not affected play.



Mechanics:
The winner is the player who plays the most rings.

Hourglasses start in the corners of the board, alternating between red and black (the player colors)
Players take turns moving an hourglass of their own color to an adjacent space (and flipping it in the process) and then dropping a ring over it.
The first 3 moves of each player must use the 3 different hourglasses to get the time running on all of them.

When playing with the full rules you layers get 15 seconds per turn and can enforce this by flipping the 15 second hourglass on their opponent who must act in that time or take a penalty.

The outer ring of spaces can hold 1 ring
The second ring of spaces can hold 2 rings
The third ring of spaces can hold 3 rings
And the center space may hold 4 rings.

A space that is already holding its capacity of rings can not be moved into. If an hourglass has no where to move which isn't full it is stuck and can not be moved.

If an hourglass runs out of time it is stuck and can not be moved.

So, the gameplay becomes about keeping our hourglasses moving longer than your opponents in order to play more rings.

The strategy of it reminded me a bit of Hey That's My Fish!
My fiancee said it was like "Dots and Boxes"

Essentially you are trying to keep your movement as open as possible while leaving your opponent with fewer moves and therefore fewer opportunities to place rings.



How it plays:
The gameplay is simpler than any of the other Gipf games I have played.
Perhaps this is necessary because of the 15 second turns.

The game plays in about 5 minutes and really is fun, there is opportunity for blocking and clever plays but not the same depth that permeates the other Gipf games I have played.



Final Thoughts:
The game is a lot of fun and I rate it a 7.5/10.

That is half a point lower than I have rated the other Gipf games I have played, perhaps because it feels to have a bit less depth to me.

Gipf fans will like it if they are prepared for something a bit lighter and can appreciate the time aspect.

I recommend it for more than just Gipf fans though. It looks cool, can be taught in just a couple of minutes and plays equally as fast.

It's a nice game and I hope it gets the reprint with quality components it deserves. If you like abstracts, dots and boxes, hey that's my fish, or just any old game with a unique concept and simple rules, check out Tamsk.