Game: Canoe

Image

donkst — 2008-12-02T21:42:52+00:00

The original Canoe board in play in designer Bruce Alsip's Seattle office. At the time, Bruce was engaged in a play-by-email game with someone in California.

Thread: Re: Canoe Review

BoardBored — 2008-09-22T06:34:04+00:00

Little clarification... There are two separate types of dice used in the game. Each player plays with 7 larger dice with point value (1, 8, 16, 24, 32, 40) and they share a pair of standard dice for moving. If on your turn you roll and odd number (1.3.5) then you rotate the dice to be moved to a lower denomonation (ie. 16points to 8point value) and move it its number of spaces (1, 3, or 5) on the board... for an even roll you rotate up in value and move its spaces.

Image

desultor — 2008-02-25T17:27:27+00:00

MVP edition: in play

Image

desultor — 2008-02-25T17:26:04+00:00

MVP edition: ready for travel

Image

desultor — 2008-02-25T17:24:39+00:00

MVP edition: dice arrangement for storage

Image

desultor — 2008-02-25T17:22:34+00:00

MVP edition, out of the shipping box

Image

donkst — 2007-08-30T19:47:48+00:00

Black wants to "bear-off"and "sweep" the board with its "7th cube" and thereby win the game--the only problem is Ivory's 32 cube is blocking Black's pin (Ivory is playing from the right, while Black is on the bottom).

Image

donkst — 2007-08-30T19:33:46+00:00

The leather MVP edition set up and ready to play on a sunny Maine afternoon--note the beautiful craftsmanship!

Thread: Holes in the manual

tornspace — 2007-01-30T21:33:17+00:00

There are several holes in the manual which are cleared up on the author's website. A summary:

1. You must move 2 different cubes during your turn unless you only have 1 left. Of course, a set may be moved with both dice as always. This rule is actually in the book, but it's well hidden and you need to piece together several clues to find it.

2. Pinching the last cube: If you pinch your opponent's last cube, you score that cube and then sweep all of your cubes into your score pile.

3. If both players wish to pass their turn, the game is over and neither player wins. (Note: this is actually quite silly, and is one reason why we don't ever allow passing.)

4. Conceding: at any time you may concede the game. Your opponent sweeps your cubes. (Note: this is a good way to cheat, so we've modified this rule. When you concede, you automatically discard any cubes you've scored. Your opponent immediately sweeps your cubes. Any cube that scores is counted as a 40.)

Thread: Re: Canoe Review

tornspace — 2007-01-30T21:11:03+00:00

Skyjack wrote:
Because those numbers determine how many spaces you move. So a zero would not be able to move. Whereas, a 1 can move 1 space.

Um, no. The numbers on the cubes are their values. The dice show how many spaces you move. They are standard d6 dice.

Thread: Re: Canoe Review

Skyjack — 2007-01-24T03:39:51+00:00

Because those numbers determine how many spaces you move. So a zero would not be able to move. Whereas, a 1 can move 1 space.

Thread: Re: Canoe Review

tornspace — 2007-01-22T17:39:06+00:00

I do think that the values on the playing pieces (1,8,16,24,32,40) is silly. The "1" doesn't even score, so why not just use 0,1,2,3,4,5?

Thread: Canoe 500

tornspace — 2007-01-22T17:35:04+00:00

There is a moderate amount of luck to this game. Like in backgammon, you can crush or be crushed by a timely roll of the dice. To combat this, play a few games in a match.

At the end of a game, calculate how much a player has won by. This is very easy if you are using the "Belltown" rules. Now record this number... the first player to amass 250 points wins the match. (or you can do 500, 1000, whatever)

We've found that this can take anywhere from 3 to 5 games, or rarely, 2 games if you smack somebody down.

Thread: Re: Canoe: Should be counted among the finest classic games

tornspace — 2007-01-19T15:52:03+00:00

>>Is it worth $79?

Some people are paying over $300 for Talisman on eBay...

Thread: Hand made, wow

tornspace — 2007-01-19T15:49:03+00:00

I just got this game for my birthday... these suckers are hand-made and beautiful! The designer put a personal message on the back of the board as well.

Very impressive. I'm still reading the rules and will report back after a few games.

Thread: Canoe: Should be counted among the finest classic games

drossi — 2006-01-18T20:20:55+00:00

Nearly two years ago, my brother told me about a man he met in Seattle, a game inventor named Bruce Alsip, who’d invented a game called Canoe. He said the game was a blast and so addictive that he couldn’t wait to get a board of his own. The board, it turns out, is made of mahogany veneer and the cubes are heirloom-quality. The game cost $79 – a steep price for a guy like me who’d just had a baby.

My brother got it for Christmas, but couldn’t wait to open it, so he opened the gift a week early. He taught me the game and I found it so addictive that I told my wife to return whatever she’d bought for me for Christmas and buy me the game. While she wasn’t happy about that, she acceded to my request.

It was one of the finest decisions of my game-playing life.

Canoe combines the “war game” strategy of chess – albeit at a lighter level, and the chance of Backgammon in d6 dice rolls and rules on pinching and bearing off. The beautifully crafted board and pieces give the game an heirloom quality. The rules are simple enough that learning the ropes is simple, but the strategy and chance involved make it something that even advanced gamers should enjoy. In other words, even advanced strategy gamers are not guaranteed a victory; at the same time failure to strategize may result in a huge loss (I once lost a game 296 to 0).

The goal of the game is to move your cubes from your bank to the grid, form sets or pinch opponents cubes, then bear your sets off. The player with the most points at the end of the game wins. Starter players usually play a single game in about 1/2 hour. More advanced players can play a game in 10-15 minutes. The quickness it plays at more advanced levels, though, is not a bad thing. Indeed, it allows you to play more rounds. It is a game that can be played over coffee, over tea, over beer, smoking stogies, in a coffee shop, in a park. Players can wager on games if they wish. It truly should be a classic game.

The Board:
My board is one made from mahogany veneer. Bruce has recently created a smaller, more light-weight cherry board of equal quality, but slightly cheaper. There are four main areas on the board: The Grid, where the strategy is fulfilled, sets are formed, opponents’ cubes are pinched, and your cubes are vulnerable; the Player Banks (one bank for each player), and The Leather – a square leather patch where rolled dice are placed and where sets are borne off.

The Grid is a 5x5 area. Each player sits next to each other, versus across from each other – a nice mechanic change. Each player has a Bank that is 2 squares deep by 5 squares long. Between the banks is The Leather. On the far side of the board in each players Bank is The Pin – the area where sets are moved from the Grid to the Bank and lined up to score. On the back line of the Bank, next to the Leather is the Back Stripe. This is the line you have to bear your sets off through.

The Cubes:
Each player has 2 regular d6 dice and 7 cubes. Each player rolls a d6 dice at the beginning of the game and the player with the higher die roll chooses whether to be Black of Ivory. Each cube is 6-sided cube the numbers 1, 8, 16, 24, 32, and 40.

Playing the Game:
Each player rolls 6 of their 7 cubes on the board. (Little nicks and bumps and dents will eventually form on the board. This is how the board was designed. Bruce wants to see boards that looked used. But due to the high quality of the board, such dents and bumps only enhance its antique aesthetics – it does not look bad at all.) They proceed to place the 6 cubes in the middle three columns of their own Player Banks. Strategy starts right here. Since the goal will be to form sets (described later), you want to set your cubes in such a way that will speed your ability to form sets. Once both banks are placed, each player rolls the 7th cube and places it in the middle square opposite their bank. The player with the higher 7th cube value goes first.

You roll the two regular d6 dice on the board. Whatever is rolled is placed on the Leather so both players can see the result. The player assigns each die to a single cube. Each die does two things to the cube it is assigned to. First, the value of the cube is changed according to what is rolled. If the value of the d6 die is odd, the value of the cube is decreased (a 40 becomes a 32 becomes a 24, etc.; since there is no lower “value” than a 1, a 1 is “decreased” to a 40). If the value of the d6 die is even, the value is increased (a 24 becomes a 32 becomes a 40; since there is no higher value than a 40, a 40 cube is “increased” to 1). Second, the cube is moved an equal number of spaces as what value the d6 die shows.

Once on the Grid cubes of like numbers (two 40s, for example) and like colors that land on the same space are stacked to form sets. Additionally, cubes of like numbers but different colors that land on the same space, the active player “pinches” the opponent’s cube and puts that cube in his/her score pile. Sets cannot be pinched and may jump any other cube or set on the board. Jumps do not count as spaces.

Once a set is formed, a single die or both dice can be assigned to the set for it’s movement. It’s value does not change, however. The goal is to move the set through the Pin on the Player’s Bank and bear the set off through the Back Stripe.

The first player to bear his/her set off scores both cubes in the score pile. Only one cube of each set is scored for all sets scored thereafter.

The first player to bear all his/her sets off, including the 7th cube (below) is called the “outplayer” and sweeps the remaining cubes of the opponent and places them into his/her score pile. The person with the highest point total at the end of the game wins.

7th Cube, Outplayer, and Endgame Strategy
Since the game is designed with 7 cubes and sets of 2 stacked cubes are made to bear off, often the 7th cube remains on the Grid. The 7th cube may not reenter the Player Bank until all of that player’s sets have been completely borne off. This sets up an interesting situation:

In order to be the outplayer, thus sweeping all of your opponent’s remaining cubes, you must bear off the 7th cube. However, the 7th cube has all the restrictions of a regular cube. It is bound to the rules of changing value (although you may combine both dice to move the cube, you must change the value and move, then change the value and move again), and to the rules of being vulnerable to getting pinched. It also cannot jump and it may be trapped.

If your 7th cube gets pinched, your opponent may bear off his/her cubes with impunity. Your opponent may also block your entrance to your player bank by placing one of his/her cubes at the pin. Though this rarely happens, it is frustrating when it happens.

So endgame strategy for the 7th cube is important. Each player will play it a little differently, but it is lots of fun.

Scoring, Running Tabs, etc.
There are several ways to tally the score at the end of the game. While many just total up the score, I find it is easiest to consolidate scores at the end. For example, instead of one player scoring 2-40s and the other player scoring 1-40, consolidate so the player with 2 ends with 40 points and the other player has no points.

Since this game plays quickly and is based on real numbers, it is really fun to keep running tabs on games. For example, another brother of mine have played roughly 50 games on my board. I am beating him 2,800 to 2,400, while the 20 games we played on his board, he is beating me by 390 points. So while you may have the “hot cubes” one night, you might still be playing from behind. It’s a fun thing to keep tabs on, especially if you’re wagering on the games.

Overall Review:
Well, it should come as no surprise that I am outrageously pleased with this game. I’ve had my board for nearly 2 years and have played about 100 games on it so far. It is many less than I would have liked, though overall I’ve played the game probably 200 times at least. Yet it doesn’t get boring. Even as a gumshoe I loved the game. It has all the hallmarks of a classic game, including the physical board and pieces.

I have a bunch of great games – some easier to play than others. This of course includes the true classics Chess and Backgammon. I love Chess, but the heavy-duty strategy involved sometimes makes it too heavy for me to take, especially if I’ve had a bad day at work. Backgammon is a lot of fun, but ultimately unfulfilling – but it is a lot of fun especially after those bad days of work.

Canoe, however, I am always in the mood to play. It has a lot of great strategy aspects to it, so you have to think and pay attention, not only to your own pieces and projects moves, but to your opponent’s, too. It has all the chance of Backgammon, and frequently comes out and bites you when you really need a roll to go your way. It is a game you can play when you’ve had a good day at work, a bad day at work, or just a day at work. You can play it so many places (it isn’t bad to carry anywhere). All-in-all, it is, simply, my favorite game to play.

Is it worth $79? (Or $62 if you buy the cherry version)
Absolutely. I’m actually thinking of buying a second board so that I can keep one at home and one in my car. Two boards at $79, though, may be a little steep.

Negatives
For me, there are none. But here is who the game will not likely appeal to:

Hardcore strategists. If you’re one of these, a game that adds the element of chance probably isn’t appealing to you. Adding in the cost of the game, you might be better served sticking with Chess.

Card gamers/tile-laying gamers. (What I call “concrete gamers.” Someone who doesn’t enjoy abstract games.) If these are the only games you are interested in, you might want to stay away. In other words, if you do not enjoy games like Chess or Backgammon because they are too abstract, this game probably won’t appeal to you.

Who will the game appeal to?
People like me – people who enjoy all kinds of games. Also, the occasional gamer (the Monopoly/Parcheesi/Trivial Pursuit players who sometimes pick up a chess board) will enjoy the game.

Image

Skyjack — 2005-07-07T12:26:59+00:00

Image

Skyjack — 2005-07-07T12:26:58+00:00

Image

Skyjack — 2005-07-07T12:26:58+00:00

Thread: Re: Canoe Review

Skyjack — 2005-07-06T17:09:09+00:00

heh yes I know. I need to make one correction to my review. The bag that comes with it is not leather. On closer inspection it is a very heavy canvas ( appears to be an oiled Canvas).

Terry Bailey Sr.

Thread: Re: Canoe Review

Spielguy — 2005-07-06T14:10:18+00:00

I see your review tells us about the game and that you enjoyed it but I can't see anywhere any discussion about the legal and ethical ramifications of making your own copy.

Thread: Canoe Review

Skyjack — 2005-07-06T01:41:37+00:00

I have had a chance to play Canoe about 3 times now. I will first give you a little insight about my game tastes. I most often play Euro games or designer games as do many here on the Geek. I enjoy a wide range of games from light to heavy. I tend to lean toward the light to middle weight games like Attika and Maharaja. While I enjoy those types of games a lot I from time to time enjoy a good abstract as well. Canoe is certainly that a good abstract.

Canoe has been described by the designer as a good game for those who like backgammon. I can see that clearly. Canoe involves moving cubes around on to a grid and back off again through a home area and off the board. With that said one can see where comparisons to backgammon would be justified. I am not one to gamble very much but this game would lend itself to a gambling game like backgammon would. One could certainly play it without gambling and thats the way I played it.

The board is a beautiful Mahogony. I would even say heirloom quality. It comes with a very nice leather pouch for keeping the cubes and dice in when it is not being played. Each board is numbered for collectors sake. Each person has 7 cubes. These cubes are rolled to determined their starting value. Each cube has the numbers 1, 8 , 16 , 24 , 32 , and 40. This adds of course an element of luck. During the course of the game you will move the pieces on to a grid on the board. One must roll two smaller dice and move the cubes. If the die is odd you turn a cube to the next number down (ex. if it is on 16 you would turn it to 8). If it is an even number you turn the cube to the next higher number. Once you rotate your cube you move it the number on the dice. I enjoy this mechanic I have not played a game as yet that moves pieces in this way. I played my young nieces in various times at a family reunion and they seemed to enjoy this part as well. Ok that is movement but it does not end there. You see if you move one of your cubes to a space occupied by your opponents cube that has the same number, you do what is called a pinch and you place his cube in your scoring area. That is one way to score. The other is to land your cube on one of your own cubes with the same number that is a stack and that stack must be moved backgammon style with dice rolls on subsequent turns. This adds the flavor that is the game. You see one must decide do I move on to my cube now or do I wait until I can rotate the cube higher. One might decide to wait BUT that can be dangerous. You see if you are the first person to get a set off the board you get to score both cubes where as all sets scored after only score the one of the cubes in the set. The first set off is called a canoe thus the name of the game. It gets better if you move all your cubes off the board first you get to sweep your opponents cubes off the board to score for yourself. At the end you total your cubes scored and the winner is the person with the higher score. There are a few more rules but that gives you a feel of what is happening.

Canoe has tension which for me is a good thing. You must weigh each turn whether to act fast and get your stacks and pinches or take time to get higher cubes. If you wait you run the risk of being pinched yourself or worse having all your pieces swept at the end. For me that makes for much more excitement and decisions than backgammon. I apparantly did not master this as my both my nieces who took turns playing me defeated me. I was helping them with some of the moves as we were all new to the game. Thats not to sell them short they played very well.

I enjoyed Canoe very much. If you like backgammon but long for something with just a little more decision making I would recommend Canoe. If you don't like luck in a game at all or don't like abstracts it might not be your cup of tea. This would be a great game to sit by the fire and play on a cold night with a cup of hot cocoa.

Terry Bailey Sr.