Image

cnidius — 2008-10-26T19:58:24+00:00

playing diam

Image

SiskNY — 2008-07-08T11:25:44+00:00

DIY Version on the back of a DIY board for Domination

Image

Talisinbear — 2008-04-29T19:58:05+00:00

A simple home version

Image

Terraliptar — 2007-07-29T11:29:50+00:00

Detail shot

Image

erfalucho — 2007-04-24T07:26:07+00:00

Homemade board using Icehouse pieces.

Image

Terraliptar — 2006-10-24T14:26:47+00:00

A close-up of the components

Thread: Diam is forever

Terraliptar — 2005-11-30T18:52:34+00:00

Diam is wooden game with 16 playing pieces (pawns) and an eight-sided diamond-shaped board. The central 'facet' of the board is not used. One player uses the four red and four yellow pawns and the other player uses the four brown and four black pawns.

]]>

On their turn, each player can either place one of their pawns onto a facet or move one of their pawns one space around the board including, in both cases, onto ones with pawns already on them. You can stack pawns on top of each other up to a height of four and when you move a pawn one space you also move any pawns stacked above it, including your opponent's.

]]>

In the image above, the yellow/red player can either move the red pawn on its own or the entire stack using the yellow pawn and the black/brown player can move the black pawn with the red pawn staying on top of it.

To win, you have to arrange it so that two of your same-colour pawns are opposite each other at the same height excluding the lowest stack level. This is called a Diam. Games typically last 1-5 minutes but can last longer.

Please note: the English instructions that came attached to the outside of the box neglected to mention that you cannot score a Diam on the lowest stack level. If you bought it not knowing that then each game would consist of you matching your opponent's every move to stop them from winning.

Someone on BGG stated that they considered the game 'broken' because the second player can just mirror the moves of the first player in order to force a draw. I agree that this would be an issue with tournaments but, thankfully, no one I know would do that in a casual game (unless, of course, they've read this review and purposefully want to annoy me).

When I first came across Diam I didn't think it sounded particularly challenging or exciting but then I played the online demo version (http://jeu.diam.free.fr/diam_eng.htm) and my opinion quickly changed. I played several games on the easy level and eventually managed to win. I was hooked and I went straight out and bought it.

My mother, as usual, was my first opponent. Like me, she was not particularly enthusiastic after listening to the rules but after being beaten three times in a row she (uncharacteristically) swore and demanded of me: "Again!". We played several more games, two of which she won, and by the end of it she was a complete convert. My nieces also fell under its spell but my biggest challenge was going to be my 15-year-old nephew who is currently into skateboarding, console games, tuneless music and is going through a protracted 'learning is uncool' phase. After a few games he stated that the game was "strangely addictive" and we played it several more times. The next day, to my surprise, he asked to play it again and won three of the games.

]]>

I think that Diam is a superb abstract game which other people have warmed to very quickly and is ideal for when you want a quick game of something that's more interesting than draughts/checkers but easier than chess.

I love the GIPF games but people seem to be more intimidated by them than they do by the lovely wooden bits of Diam. The travel version has got me addicted all over again and the whole game actually fits inside one of my (large) coat pockets.

Final words? I love Diam and it is the first game I bring out when I want to introduce people to abstracts. Try the online version and hopefully you'll see what I mean.

Image

Terraliptar — 2005-11-26T13:25:11+00:00

Diam Travel - back of the box (instructions in five different languages)

Image

Terraliptar — 2005-11-26T13:25:11+00:00

Diam Travel - front of the box

Image

Terraliptar — 2005-11-26T13:25:11+00:00

Size comparison between the original Diam and the new travel-size version.

Image

Terraliptar — 2005-11-26T13:25:11+00:00

Travel-size Diam

Game: Diam

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Thread: Diam is forever

Image

Image

Image

Image