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darker — 2008-09-18T13:32:50+00:00

Detail of one tile

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darker — 2008-09-18T13:28:39+00:00

The board comes in four pieces

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darker — 2008-09-18T13:25:40+00:00

Completed game: horizontal wins (and vertical curses not getting one more play)

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darker — 2008-09-18T13:22:40+00:00

Setup at start of play (open hands)

Thread: Re: Working on loose ends and making the right connections

dave_dentel — 2006-03-30T19:07:59+00:00

Nice review of a fun game. These are the kinds of titles I'm always looking for: Simple concepts that yield plenty of fun play. Handsome components are always welcome, too.

Thread: All Knotted Up...In a Good Way

swandive78 — 2006-03-30T12:47:27+00:00

Okay, I have to admit that this game would have passed quietly under my radar if it wasn't for the fact that it was created by the designer of one of my all-time top ten games. It would have been a shame to miss it.

I've never seen this game in a game store (I don't think he ever distributed it that way), which is a pity. It's a great little game that anybody can play.

Here's the idea: the board is a nice illustration of a wooden floor divided into six-by-six square grid. You have a stack of tiles, each of which covers one of those squares. Each tile has an illustration of ropes crossing the tile. A rope may enter the tile from any side, exit by any side, not exit at all, split into two new ropes, or splice together with another rope. Each side of every tile has two ropes entering/exiting it, so every tile may be placed in any orientation next to any other tile, although you don't HAVE to play a tile next to another tile.

Each turn, you place a tile on a square. Your goal is to create a continuous rope path from one side of the board to the other. One player plays between the left and right sides, and one player plays between the top and bottom sides of the board.

Pretty simple rules. The play, however, is not so simple. The fact that ropes can split and splice means that your opponent may be working on the same rope line as you, which puts you on the offensive and defensive at the same time.

Knots can be a bit of a brain-hurter, and can cause a bit of anxiety in the anxiety-prone (this is a good thing). When the game is complete, sometimes it takes a few seconds to see exactly where the win is.

This is a really fun game, simple to learn and teach, and I highly recommend it. I'd give it an "A." It's unique, and one of the best connection games I've ever played. If you like Hex or Twixt, you'll like this. It's not expensive, and I believe its's only available directly from the designer.

How do the components rate? The artwork on the boards and tiles is first-rate; beautiful paintings of rope and wooden floors. The board fits together like a four-piece jigsaw puzzle, so it fits into a much smaller box than it otherwise would. The tiles and board are nicely thick, but like other games from this publisher, the board tends to warp over time. You might make a color copy of the assemble board and laminate it if the warp becomes a problem. The box is flimsy, but does the job of holding everything in. All in all, more or less a "B" for component quality. Pretty good for a self-published game.

Oh, you may be wondering who the designer is, and what the personal top ten game was? Tom Jolly, creator of Wiz-War. If you don't know who he is, check out some of his other games, like Drakon, Cave Troll, Light Speed, Vortex, Maelstrom, Disk Wars, Camelot, Cargo, and G.O.O.T.M.U.

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Leo-T — 2006-03-16T12:40:15+00:00

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etherton — 2004-08-17T00:09:07+00:00

Game In Progress

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Randy Cox — 2002-12-23T23:24:27+00:00

Thread: General Comment

BoardGameGeek — 2002-01-01T06:00:00+00:00

IMO, this is the best in the "race to be the first to connect two sides of the board" genre.

Game: Knots

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Thread: Re: Working on loose ends and making the right connections

Thread: All Knotted Up...In a Good Way

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Thread: General Comment