Game: Quoridor

Image

zombiegod — 2008-08-20T14:48:22+00:00

Cover of Rulebook for Travel Edition

Image

zombiegod — 2008-08-20T14:13:11+00:00

Walls from Travel Edition

Image

zombiegod — 2008-08-04T15:49:51+00:00

pwned pawns

Image

zombiegod — 2008-08-04T15:44:08+00:00

Travel Quoridor - Pawns (Marks & Spencer version)

Thread: Re: An abstract strategy that reminds me of (wait for it) football?

AbundantChoice — 2008-07-14T04:52:45+00:00

electricvomit wrote:
I have had success in Quoridor by reducing my options down to one path before my opponent has the opportunity to.

The catch is how to do this without blowing through your reserve of walls, so you still have walls remaining to frustrate your opponent's path across the board. My friend is very good at this, luring me into committing my walls, then using strategic blockages of his own path that build off my placements, which simultaneously limit my future blocking options and levae with me a depleted wall reserve.

Image

ackmondual — 2008-06-20T16:29:42+00:00

box back, Gigamic edition

Image

ackmondual — 2008-06-20T16:26:11+00:00

Inside the box of a factory fresh copy of Quoridor, published by Gigamic

Thread: Re: Little pads included with Gigamic version

BugLaden — 2008-06-19T19:09:16+00:00

Within an hour of opening the box I played best 2 out of 3 with my two youngest daughters - 6 games total. What a neat little game!

Thread: Re: Little pads included with Gigamic version

ackmondual — 2008-06-19T18:56:52+00:00

I got my copy an hour ago. Makes more sense to put 'em beneath the board to prevent friction on tables and such. Some folks can be anal about that (and not completely unreasonable either) to say the least.

Putting it beneath the pawns would be nice to keep it more steady, so both are valid

Thread: Re: Little pads included with Gigamic version

russ — 2008-06-19T04:02:28+00:00

On the top of the pawns to not scratch your fingers.

Thread: Re: Little pads included with Gigamic version

ackmondual — 2008-06-19T01:26:27+00:00

BugLaden wrote:
I just got my Gigamic copy today (thanks Deep Discount!) and upon opening the box there are four little felt pads on a strip. You peel these off and put them somewhere...

I feel like an idiot for asking this, but do these pads go on the bottom of each pawns or are they supposed to be padded feet for the game board? There is no mention of assembly anywhere in the rule book that I can see.hmmm, I'm one state away. Hopefully my copy will arrive tomorrow

Thread: Re: Little pads included with Gigamic version

the_kid — 2008-06-18T22:20:47+00:00

On the bottom of the board to not scratch your table.

Thread: Little pads included with Gigamic version

BugLaden — 2008-06-18T22:10:53+00:00

I just got my Gigamic copy today (thanks Deep Discount!) and upon opening the box there are four little felt pads on a strip. You peel these off and put them somewhere...

I feel like an idiot for asking this, but do these pads go on the bottom of each pawns or are they supposed to be padded feet for the game board? There is no mention of assembly anywhere in the rule book that I can see.

Thread: Re: An abstract strategy that reminds me of (wait for it) football?

chrisjwmartin — 2008-06-01T08:16:52+00:00

Ohhh, you meant American football!

Thread: Re: An abstract strategy that reminds me of (wait for it) football?

Barticus88 — 2008-05-12T21:34:22+00:00

I like the football analogy.

Thread: Re: An abstract strategy that reminds me of (wait for it) football?

electricvomit — 2008-05-10T19:09:12+00:00

Big Bad Lex wrote:
electricvomit wrote:

After my sessions of playing Quoridor I would summarize the game play experience in one sentence. Give yourself one choice and force your opponent into many.

I'm not sure I exactly follow or agree. The key to success in Quoridor is the economical use of walls and conservative movement allocation in the early stages of the game leaving you a number of options whilst trapping your opponant to one predictable path. The art is to ensure that you are not committed to a specific path, or even a half of the board if your opponant can use his resources to close that route down forcing you to backtrack.

Might I suggest the opposite of your proposal to be true more often than not. In my experience a very successful tactic is to offer your opponant limited choice in the movement of their piece whilst you leave them guessing as to where you might be going. Channel their pawn using a few well placed walls, encourage them to strike for the other side whilst you dither and then close that route down completely forcing them to back track.

I have had success in Quoridor by reducing my options down to one path before my opponent has the opportunity to. By aggressively reducing my path to only one I essentially take away any long term plan they have been setting up.

I do suppose that the game is open enough to provide virtually opposite, but still valid, strategies.

Thread: Re: An abstract strategy that reminds me of (wait for it) football?

Big Bad Lex — 2008-05-10T18:52:26+00:00

electricvomit wrote:

After my sessions of playing Quoridor I would summarize the game play experience in one sentence. Give yourself one choice and force your opponent into many.

I'm not sure I exactly follow or agree. The key to success in Quoridor is the economical use of walls and conservative movement allocation in the early stages of the game leaving you a number of options whilst trapping your opponant to one predictable path. The art is to ensure that you are not committed to a specific path, or even a half of the board if your opponant can use his resources to close that route down forcing you to backtrack.

Might I suggest the opposite of your proposal to be true more often than not. In my experience a very successful tactic is to offer your opponant limited choice in the movement of their piece whilst you leave them guessing as to where you might be going. Channel their pawn using a few well placed walls, encourage them to strike for the other side whilst you dither and then close that route down completely forcing them to back track.

Thread: An abstract strategy that reminds me of (wait for it) football?

electricvomit — 2008-05-09T22:10:56+00:00

In the last two weeks I have played Quoridor six times. In this time period I have made a what I feel valid association with a particular type of play in football, the option, and the game Quoridor.

The option play in football involves the quarterback "reading" a specific defensive opponent and making a decision preferably after the defensive opponent has committed to a decision. For example: a bootleg option play involves the quarterback and tailback running in a sickle-shaped path towards the sideline. The quarterback will read the outside linebacker or cornerback. If the defensive player commits to tackling the quarterback, the QB will pitch the ball to the tailback. If the defense commits to the tailback, the QB will keep the ball and cut straight upfield. In a textbook play you make your opponent choose between and then punish them for doing so.

I had success in Quoridor by making my opponent commit, and sealing off their route after they had committed turns to that decision. Like a quarterback pitching the ball at the last second, I successfully used the same strategy to success in Quoridor.

Defensively, I recognized this situation and prevented it from happening to myself. By looking at the board and sealing off one of the two potential paths, I kept my opponent from making the decision for me. As a result, I limited myself to one path before my opponent could make me choose between two or more.

After my sessions of playing Quoridor I would summarize the game play experience in one sentence. Give yourself one choice and force your opponent into many.

Image

electricvomit — 2008-05-09T00:33:08+00:00

Thread: Re: ChipChuck Reviews: Quoridor

Big Bad Lex — 2008-05-01T09:29:41+00:00

Not sure what rules would have to do to score a 5 in this rating system. Quoridor has as you say later very few rules and it takes less than a minute to explain. Clear, simple, concise, surely this should be a 5?

Thread: Re: ChipChuck Reviews: Quoridor

tommynomad — 2008-05-01T04:59:51+00:00

Nice review. The only place I'd argue with you is on presentation. This (like most of Gigamic's productions) is a piece of art. My parents leave my copy out on the coffee table for exactly that reason. I got my Quoridor in 2000. To this day it remains the only game in my collection to earn a BGG 10 rating.

Thread: ChipChuck Reviews: Quoridor

ChipChuck — 2008-04-30T23:25:43+00:00

Facts:

Designer: Mirko Marchesi
Year: 1997
Players: 2 or 4
Ages: 6 +

Factors:

Presentation:
Covers the overall look and feel of the game (graphics, box art, board art, pawns, etc.) Scored 1-5

Quoridor’s box art is the typical game in progress photo. The board does not contain art because it is constricted out of wood and stained. Pawns are simple head-and-body style and very simple. The presentation is nice, but there is nothing outrageously fantastic about it. With that said, there is nothing that would detract from it in my opinion. I give it 3 stars.

Rules:
Rates how easy to understand the rules are, and how those rules apply to gameplay. Scored 1-5

Quoridor is another “rules light” strategy game. The rulebook is a simple booklet. All rules fit on one page so they are able to print a booklet in many different languages. There are a few illustrations but overall the rule book is simple. Again, nothing fancy here. I give it another 3.

Time:
Covers the amount of time needed to play based on a standard knowledge of the rules. Scored 1-5

15 minutes is stated on the box and I’d say that would be a game that had A LOT of hardcore thinking. My friends and I are able to shoot through a game in about 5 minutes. This makes Quoridor a great game for lunch breaks and mid-morning/mid-afternoon work breaks. For this I rate it a 5. It seems like the perfect play time for a quick and simple game.

Gameplay:
Rates how the game mechanics work to create an enjoyable experience. Scored 1-5

Basically you have two choices in a turn. Move you pawn north, south, east or west, or you can place a wall segment. You must place the wall so that it blocks 2 spaces, and you cannot “box-in” your opponent(s). To be honest, these simple rules work very well for a game of this type. I’ve seen some folks talking about house rules where they can move walls after placement, but I really think that’s over complicating things. I give it a 4 here.

Overall:
Represents an average of Presentation, Rules, Time, & Gameplay. Shown 1-5

Averaging the scores leaves Quoridor with 3.75 so we’ll call it a 4. It’s not a beast of complication, but if you are looking for a quick and easy game to play in a short amount of time, it’s perfect. It’s like a powerbar of boardgaming, right when you need a quick fix of gaming.

Thread: Re: Pre-1997

mrtof — 2008-04-03T17:22:05+00:00

Quoridor and Blockade are by the same designer.
Quoridor is a simpler and more elegant updated version of Blockade.

Thread: Re: Pre-1997

Germarish — 2008-04-03T13:03:58+00:00

Barticus88 wrote:
The description says 1997, but two days ago a friend told me she played this in a plastic version back in the 1980s.

Was she talking about Blockade?
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/2559

Thread: Re: Pre-1997

russ — 2008-04-03T06:50:38+00:00

Barticus88 wrote:
Quoridor won awards as an original game, so the publisher would have incentive to cover up prior history. I'm wondering how far back this goes.
It goes at least as far back as the grassy knoll. I recommend you drop this line of inquiry, for your own safety. You don't know the kind of people you're dealing with!

Thread: Re: Pre-1997

Barticus88 — 2008-04-03T06:41:00+00:00

Meat wrote:
If this page is to be believed:
Well that's the question: Is the official story to be believed? Confound was not Mirko Marchesi; it was some American. Confound had a large rectangular board (maybe 12x20), more fences, and the goal was to get either of your two pawns to either of two marked spots on the board, not the far edge. It played identically: You move your pawn one square or play a fence which blocks two sides.

Quoridor won awards as an original game, so the publisher would have incentive to cover up prior history. I'm wondering how far back this goes.

Thread: Re: Pre-1997

Meat — 2008-04-03T03:20:19+00:00

If this page is to be believed:

http://www.educationallearninggames.com/quoridor-game.asp

it's 1997. They make mention of Pinko Pallino, also in the Geek's DB, from 1995. The designer also worked on video games, and the article makes mention of his original idea to develop this as a computer game, so maybe that's the shareware version you remember.

Thread: Pre-1997

Barticus88 — 2008-04-03T03:06:38+00:00

The description says 1997, but two days ago a friend told me she played this in a plastic version back in the 1980s. I know that I had a computer shareware version called Confound that came out in 1995. So when was this game invented?

Thread: Re: Play with nine walls

Barticus88 — 2008-03-05T17:29:18+00:00

First, I'm not talking about the 3 and 4 player variants.

If you never lose while you still have walls, then you are not using your walls on offense. Often the best use for a wall is to block your own retreat, so your opponent can't block your progress.

I am not saying that the tenth wall is rarely used, but with skillful play there is often no useful place for an 11th wall, so running out of walls isn't part of the game.

The first version of this that I played was the computer game Confound (1994). It was a bigger board with options for various numbers of walls, including unlimited. With unlimited walls it was just making your opponent follow the most convoluted path to the goal, but with limited walls there is also the factor of making your opponent use his walls too early, and then once he is out making your run. On the small Quoridor board, making your opponent run out of walls rarely is effective, because as I said there is rarely a place to put the eleventh wall.

BTW, I wish the Quoridor board was just a little bigger.

Thread: Re: Play with nine walls

Big Bad Lex — 2008-03-05T08:43:15+00:00

Barticus88 wrote:
yet with ten running out of walls is quite rare.

I must have played this over 50 times and the walls have always run out for at least one of the players. Why would you not use your remaining walls to make life as hard as possible for the player racing for the line by placing all of your remaining walls?

Thread: Re: Play with nine walls

pHr0sT — 2008-03-05T02:12:46+00:00

I've only played this a few times, but have played 2, 3, and 4 players. I try to keep my walls as long as possible, but even in the 2 player game, all of the walls were used everytime. I can't imagine losing while still having walls to place.

Thread: Play with nine walls

Barticus88 — 2008-03-05T01:18:38+00:00

I find this game is better with nine walls instead of ten. With nine walls you are at risk of running out of walls, yet with ten running out of walls is quite rare. Nine is the tipping point on this.

Image

zombiegod — 2008-01-26T14:15:39+00:00

Thread: Quoridor joins the 2008 IAGO World Tour

docreason — 2008-01-25T04:00:32+00:00

Quoridor joins the 2008 IAGO World Tour. It will be at Noncon 2008, which is held at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, NY.

The event will be on Sunday, February 23, 2008.

You can learn more about Noncon here:
http://noncon.vassar.edu

For more information on all 2008 IAGO World Tour events, visit:
http://www.IAGOWorldTour.com

Image

zombiegod — 2008-01-22T16:16:12+00:00

Cover of the Deluxe Edition

Image

zombiegod — 2008-01-09T20:10:07+00:00

Another Cyberboard version

Thread: Re: Quoridor and Multiple Intelligences

wittdooley — 2007-12-12T17:53:01+00:00

Really cool to see someone using Gardner in terms of boardgames! I do the same thing on occasion.

Thread: Quoridor and Multiple Intelligences

sdonohue — 2007-09-09T23:33:05+00:00

Quoridor is a fun maze-building and solving game for two or four players. It does not include rules for three, but there are some variant rules available on the geek. I’ve never played it with other than 2 or 4 players, so this review will be of the “official” version of the game.

The object of the game is to be the first player to move from your side of the board to the opposite side of the board.

Components
The components, like most Gigamic games, are wooden and of high quality and a nice finish. There are 20 wooden walls, 4 players pawns, and a nice wooden board with a 9 x 9 grid of squares. The squares are routed out and the walls are made to fit in the gaps between squares.

Gameplay
In a two player game, each player gets 1 pawn and 10 walls. In a 4 player game, they still get 1 pawn, but only 5 walls.
Play is very simple. On each of your turns you may either move your pawn one space or place a wall onto the board to block some of the spaces.

If you run out of walls, then you must move your pawn.
You move your pawn one space orthogonally each turn. If you are blocked by a single opposing player, you may jump him. In the four player version, you can’t jump two pawns in the same move. If a wall blocks you from landing on the space beyond you may choose the one to the left or right of him.

If you choose to place a wall, you must place it in a way that leaves your opponent(s) with a path to victory, so you can’t just draw a line across the board behind yourself. You also have to play the wall so it blocks 2 squares – you can’t place it partially across one square and you can’t play it vertically.

The winner is the first player to move across the board into his opponents home row.

Intelligences
This review is part of a series of reviews I’m doing as I evaluate games my wife may use in her classroom or that I’m using with my Boy Scouts. Apart from the normal review, I try to identify the kinds of intelligence that the game will use. For an explanation of multiple intelligences, see: my blog post at: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/article/786097

Logical-Mathematical Intelligence
Like most games, a keen logical sense will help with this one. Identifying when and where to move or when to block will serve you well in this game.

Spatial Intelligence
Spatial intelligence is the most important skill in this game. You need to be able to plan your moves out ahead of time and visualizing the board is a key skill in doing this.

Age Appropriateness
There is nothing inappropriate in the game. The game reads ages 6 and up, but most 6 year olds need some help to play. I think 8 is more likely for most kids. Of course, if your child has been gaming for years, they may perform better than this.

Balancing the game for different age groups or skill levels can be easily accomplished by changing the number of walls given to each player.

Recommendation
Quoridor is a fun game that most people I’ve played with have really enjoyed - in fact, most have wanted an immediate rematch. It usually plays in 15-30 minutes and the only gotcha for new players is the rule that you have to leave the opponent(s) a way to win. Overall, I recommend it highly for anyone who enjoys mazes or problem solving games.

Thread: Re: Child's Play Review

Sprydle — 2007-08-27T21:45:08+00:00

Meat wrote:

Children may be a bit predictable when they play, always moving their pawn even though it's obvious to you that you will just force them along a long path. If they try this tactic multiple consecutive times, explain to them how you're steering them and encourage them to use their fences earlier. After a while, you will likely find them blocking you like a pro.

Dean, I'd love to see even more of this kind of insight in your Child's Play reviews/sections. This is great info, and the kind of helping tactic I'm very much interested in as my daughter begins to enter the gaming enclave.

Thread: Re: Jumping and the board edge

webregkey — 2007-08-24T21:15:25+00:00

Rulemonger wrote:
"If you move your pawn onto your opponent's pawn, you must immediately move the pawn again (following the standard rules on movement)."
"You are not allowed to move back on the same location you came from."

Thread: Re: Quoridor for three players

judgecrandall — 2007-07-10T15:09:00+00:00

I tried this with 3 players the other day and made up the following variant:

The game is set up like a normal 4 player game, with each player getting 5 walls. The 4th "dummy" player is controlled by one of the players, with this role alternating every round. When playing as the dummy, a player has the normal options, moving the pawn or placing a wall.

At first, I thought the dummy's pawn wouldn't really do anything, while the dummy's walls would be in high demand. For most of the game, that was the case. The dummy pawn just shuffled around and the walls were used rather quickly. In the endgame, however, the dummy pawn became more important as one player tried to use it to jump his own pawn and advance more quickly. While this was interesting, no one was able to jump the dummy pawn because the other 2 players use their dummy moves to prevent this. As I see it, the only time a jump can/will happen is if there are 2 players near the dummy pawn and any move will result in one of the players being able to jump, or if the walls restrict any moves to prevent a jump. Ideally, this aspect could be made more prominent.

One player is going towards the dummy, so I thought there would be some sort of advantage/disadvantage in this regard, but that didn't seem to be the case. Both games were quite close, with this player winning the second game by one move. I think the game balances well with 3, judging by how closely both games finished. Everyone was within a few spaces at the end of both games.

I thought these 3 player rules worked fairly well, but it was just something we made up on the spot, without too much time or thought put into it. I'm sure they could be improved. Any comments or suggestions?

Thread: Re: Warped Board

sharkus — 2007-06-16T16:11:21+00:00

This must be common as I just received my copy and the board is also warped. To be more specific it seems to be slightly rounded on the bottom with the peak being close to the middle of the board. I was able to put the included little rubber feet about 1-2" from the corners so the middle is no longer the high point and the board doesn't spin as easily. I'll probably just live with it as it doesn't seem to effect gameplay. If the included feet are not big enough or wear down I figured I could switch to furniture sliders (used for hard floors).

Thread: Re: Child's Play Review

Meat — 2007-05-20T13:47:53+00:00

Spire wrote:
There are 20 wooden fences. In a two-player game, each player gets 10, and in a four-player game, each player gets five.
Thanks. I suppose typos are what I should expect when writing reviews late at night, where my proofreading abilities are weak. Weaker than my normal 'weak' at least. I've corrected this.

Thread: Re: Child's Play Review

Spire — 2007-05-20T09:10:48+00:00

Meat wrote:
10 wooden fences
There are 20 wooden fences. In a two-player game, each player gets 10, and in a four-player game, each player gets five.

Thread: Child's Play Review

Meat — 2007-05-20T05:29:23+00:00

Quoridor Classic is a thrift purchase of mine from a few months back, and my first introduction to the wooden games of Gigamic. This review is being written after several plays with one of my regular gaming buddies and more against my 6 year old son.

Overview:
Quoridor is a wooden abstract published by Gigamic. There are many versions of the game, from mini to deluxe. I have the Quoridor Classic version published in 1997.

This is primarily a two player game. There's a four player variant that I have not yet tried and will not touch upon here.

Components:
In your slim cardboard box that could really stand to be a bit sturdier, you will find:

4 wooden pawns, each stained a different shade
20 wooden fences
the wooden board with grooves cut in it
the rules, written in an impressive number of languages
4 LRFs (little rubber feet)

Being my first Gigamic game, and a thrift shop purchase at that, I wasn't sure what to expect from the components. They are, in a word, superlative, awesome, incredible, and / or wonderful. Take your pick. There's something about natural wood that is very appealing to me.

The rules are well written, very clear, and nicely illustrated. The rule book looks daunting until you notice that just about every major language on Earth is included.

Gameplay:
The rules are simplicity itself. It's a race between you and your opponent. Starting on opposite sides of the board, your goal is to reach the other side before your opponent reaches yours. On your turn you can move your pawn to an adjacent square (orthogonal, not diagonal) OR place one of your fences. Your only restriction is that you can't block your opponent's path entirely -- you must leave them at least one path to reach your side. There's a fourth rule that lets you jump over an adjacent opponent's pawn to the next legal square. And that's it.

The fences slide into the groves cut in the board and serve primarily to hinder your opponent. There are both offensive and defensive opportunities for the fences. Often times, you will want to place a fence to create a path to your opponent's goal -- at times, if you place a fence 'just so', your opponent won't be able to block your shortest route. You can also use the "can't block all paths to the other side" rule to your advantage -- if you close off the 'long path' to the other side, your opponent won't be allowed to cut off your short path. It's the clever placing of the fences where the game is won or lost, and the moving of the pawns is largely secondary. "If I had just one more fence" is a common utterance when playing.

The simple rules serve to bend your brain in ways you have never before contemplated. The offensive and defensive possibilities that unfold can be staggering, and yet the games are usually very quick -- in the 10 minute range. After a good game, if feels like you completed a 100 meter mental sprint -- your brain is running at a high intensity and almost before you know it you're done. This is because the game has a built-in timer -- once most of the fences are placed it's a matter of moving the pawns down the obvious path. Often you can declare the winner before a player reaches the objective. The usual reaction is for the loosing player to demand an immediate rematch. In this way, you can fill quite a good deal of time with a string of matches.

Child's Play:
This game promotes problem solving, planning and non-linear thinking. The rules are simple enough for children as young as 5 or 6 to understand without difficulty.

Children may be a bit predictable when they play, always moving their pawn even though it's obvious to you that you will just force them along a long path. If they try this tactic multiple consecutive times, explain to them how you're steering them and encourage them to use their fences earlier. After a while, you will likely find them blocking you like a pro.

If you like, you can handicap yourself by taking fewer fences than your child. I'm not sure this is necessary, though. Either my son (at 6 years of age) if insanely good at this game, or I'm fantastically bad, but he never really needed a handicap. He wins a good number of games against me. A better means of handicapping, I think, is to play faster than you would normally and allow your child to use 'take-backs'.

Who will like this game:
Fans of zero-luck abstracts will enjoy Quoridor, as will those who like fast, brain-burning games. "Coffee-table" gamers may also appreciate the look of this game, the Deluxe version particularly.

If you don't enjoy abstracts or zero-luck games, you should probably steer clear of this one.

Miscellaneous comments:
This was my first 'dime in a day'. The day I purchased this, I went over to a friend's house. We then played 10 games of this spread over the evening.

This is a game my son requests occasionally -- not as often as his favourites, but still enough times to take notice. He taught his mother how to play and then proceeded to beat her soundly!

Summary:
Components: Beyond excellent. Suitable for display.
Gameplay: Fast but brain-burning. Somewhat addictive.
Rules: Excellent.
Recommendation: Excellent purchase if you enjoy abstracts or brain-burners.

Thread: Re: A-maze-ingly good

Randall Silver — 2007-05-10T06:30:33+00:00

Three people may sound a bit awkward, but it can be done. Ok, you each get only 6 walls (and 2 walls will never be used like that).
But somewhere in the middle, everything starts colliding and all three people will have a hard time getting there.

Still, you have a point: 2 or 4 people definitely is the most fun!

Thread: Re: A-maze-ingly good

cdefrisco — 2007-05-09T19:01:59+00:00

Nice review! I like the reviews I can read quickly to get a feel for the game right away.

I've dismissed this game in the past, thinking that it's just another twixt (which I don't find all that fun). But based on your review I'm going to have to keep my eyes open for a chance to play.

One Question: How does this play with three people? It seems, based on a square board, that the middle man would have an advantage (or disadvantage) compared to the other two?

Thread: Re: A-maze-ingly good

mrbass — 2007-05-09T15:13:37+00:00

Simple rules yet a deep thinking/brain burning strategy game. Maybe in 20 years there might be a computer A.I. strong enough to beat a human...then again perhaps not. Nice review!

Thread: A-maze-ingly good

Randall Silver — 2007-05-09T06:49:13+00:00

Quoridor is a fun little abstract strategy game for 2 - 4 players. Game play lasts for about 10 - 20 minutes, and if you read on, you'll find out what the game is about.

How does it look?

Simple, yet good. Gigamic is known for their wooden games, and despite the basic forms, they always look good. Games you want to put on your coffee table, in other words.

Several versions are available: deluxe, normal, a travel version, and I once saw a children's version as well. That one had the setting of crabs crossing a beach, with parasols and stuff as walls.

The normal version looks great, as does the deluxe version, of course. The travel version is nice enough for a pocket game, although the little walls sometimes have trouble fitting in the slits.

The gameplay

The object of the game is very simple: just get your pawn across the board, to the opposite side. First one to do that, wins.

Everyone receives an even amount of the 20 walls available. In other words: 10 each in a 2- player game, for example.
Each turn, a player gets the option of either moving his pawn a space, or putting down a wall. The wall must always block 2 spaces, exactly.

So, you can either hinder your opponent to reach the other side, or use your own walls to help you. In any case, you must always leave your opponent at least one route to reach the other side. So: "boxing" someone in is not allowed.

That's all the rules! It couldn't be simpler, but it can be really exciting. You can make your opponent almost reach the other side, then block him off so he must make a huge detour, or you can put a wall just behind you, so you have no choice but to go forward and win.
In a game with 4 players, it gets really chaotic. Focus too much on one player, and another wins with relative ease.

So, in short:

Quoridor is a really enjoyable game, and it is highly addictive as well. It's fast, you can teach it to virtually everyone, and it's great fun. Since it doesn't take too long to play, 3 games in a row is no exception here.

Certainly a great game to own, and a great game to play.

Thread: Re: Learning Strategy

weishaupt — 2007-03-16T15:54:32+00:00

Thanks for your thoughts, John.
I just got the game and I'm looking forward to playing it!

Thread: Re: Quoridor for three players

bilboq — 2007-01-02T03:00:42+00:00

Tried with 3 player, gave each 6 fences, 2 were put back in the box.
Two players against eachother, third was put on one side starting position.
But it is IMHO unfair to the third player, as when we played, the two opposing players trying to blocking each other usually block the sideways player considerably just as "side effect", usually much worse if any of those two decide to block him on purpose, so the game is a bit unfair to him.

Basically, I think it's not 2-4 players game but 2 OR 4 players game.

Thread: Caught in the Maze

manhattandoctor — 2006-12-13T17:05:20+00:00

Quoridor is a classic and beautiful abstract game. It's rules are extremely simple, it plays fast, but the player must make difficult decisions every turn of the game.

Quoridor is played on a 9x9 three-dimensional grid of squares. Between the squares are grooves. There are 2 types of pieces in the game: one pawn for each player and fences. While the game can be played with either 2 or 4 people, I've only played it with 2. In a two player game, each player controls 10 fences. The fences get played in the grooves of the board and span two squares while the pawns move on top of the raised squares. The following picture illustrates the components.

]]>

Gameplay could not be simpler. The object of the game is to move your pawn from the row in front of you to the row in front of your opponent. Your opponent has the opposite goal. On your turn, you can do one of two things: move your pawn one square in any of four directions (diagonal moves are prohibited, and no hopping fences) or play one of your fences. The only additional rule is that you cannot play a fence in a way that prevents you or your opponent from winning the game.

Just one decision to make each turn: fence or move. But if I play a fence, where do I put it? If I choose to move, which direction shall I take? The genius of the game is that the fences must be used in two ways. On the one hand, you need them to block your opponent from reaching your side of the board before you reach his side. Yet, don't block yourself in the process. On the other hand, you need them to thwart your opponent's plans of blocking you. Because you must always have some path to victory, your fences can be used to close off the board, thus making your path to the finish shorter than your opponent's.

Fences quickly become scarce. You'll frequently wish, "If only I had one more fence!", and you'll plan your tactics based on how many fences you have left compared to your opponent. Your plans for victory can be thwarted by not thinking far enough ahead. You may need to bluff your opponent about where your pawn is headed, and you'll need to lure your opponent into a trap while not getting lured into one yourself. Against a worthy adversary, the game is often decided by one or two moves.

Certainly, Quoridor, is not as deep a chess, but the game is over in under 30 minutes. The all-wooden components look nice and will last a long time. Additionally, unlike a lot of abstract games, it plays well against children. It's easy to teach them, and you can handicap yourself by letting your child have more fences than you. I find that kids like the idea of creating walls and the playing board resembles a maze by game's end.

I'm not a huge fan of abstracts, but Quoridor is one of my favorite games and easily my favorite abstract strategy game. It's remarkable that such a small, simple game can lead to such variation and such difficult decisions that will leave you thinking, "Oh, if I had just done that instead..."

Thread: Re: Quoridor for three players

gwidion — 2006-11-29T04:37:17+00:00

Actually,
once I had three people to play it. I did not think much about it: just gave the third palyer 6 fences, and 7 to each of the others. Gameplay was fairly normal, and neither player seemed to be worse due to the starting positions, or number of fences.

I've played just a few games with 3 players, but I'd say it is just sit down and play.

Thread: Jim's Quoridor for Mac OS X v0.81b uploaded

Getzen — 2006-10-27T16:12:08+00:00

This new version fixes the problem with the game working on Intel Macs. While we wait for the file to be approved by BGG, it can be downloaded, temporarily, from:

http://home.comcast.net/~getzen/JimsQuoridor.zip

Intel owners, please give it a try and let me know how it goes!

Jim

Thread: Re: Jim's Quoridor for Mac OS X v0.8b uploaded

Getzen — 2006-10-26T13:18:09+00:00

** previous text of this post deleted **

I believe I have fixed the problem with the game working on Intel Macs. I have confirmation from three people that it works for them. I have uploaded the new v0.81b version of the game to:

http://home.comcast.net/~getzen/JimsQuoridor.zip

Intel owners, please give it a try and let me know how it goes!

Jim

Thread: Re: Jim's Quoridor for Mac OS X v0.8b uploaded

jglasson — 2006-10-26T06:24:53+00:00

I'm getting the same errors. MacBook Pro with 10.4.8.

Thread: Re: Jim's Quoridor for Mac OS X v0.8b uploaded

mrbass — 2006-10-26T01:46:50+00:00

cool...thought it was you.

Ok it closes right away. I said 'Show contents' then went to MacOS dir and clicked on Game but this is what it shows. This is on an Intel Macbookpro

[c]Last login: Tue Oct 24 21:12:30 on console
/Applications/Jim's Quoridor v0.8b.app/Contents/MacOS/Game; exit
Welcome to Darwin!
mrbass-computer:~ mrbass$ /Applications/Jim's Quoridor v0.8b.app/Contents/MacOS/Game; exit
/Applications/Jim's Quoridor v0.8b.app/Contents/lib/nkf.bundle: Failed to load /Applications/Jim's Quoridor v0.8b.app/Contents/lib/nkf.bundle (LoadError)
from /Applications/Jim's Quoridor v0.8b.app/Contents/Frameworks/RubyCocoa.framework/Versions/A/Resources/ruby/osx/objc/cocoa_macros.rb:13
from /Applications/Jim's Quoridor v0.8b.app/Contents/Frameworks/RubyCocoa.framework/Versions/A/Resources/ruby/osx/objc/cocoa.rb:14:in `require'
from /Applications/Jim's Quoridor v0.8b.app/Contents/Frameworks/RubyCocoa.framework/Versions/A/Resources/ruby/osx/objc/cocoa.rb:14
from /Applications/Jim's Quoridor v0.8b.app/Contents/Frameworks/RubyCocoa.framework/Versions/A/Resources/ruby/osx/cocoa.rb:11:in `require'
from /Applications/Jim's Quoridor v0.8b.app/Contents/Frameworks/RubyCocoa.framework/Versions/A/Resources/ruby/osx/cocoa.rb:11
from /Applications/Jim's Quoridor v0.8b.app/Contents/Resources/rb_main.rb:25:in `require'
from /Applications/Jim's Quoridor v0.8b.app/Contents/Resources/rb_main.rb:25
logout
[Process completed]
[/c]

Thread: Re: Jim's Quoridor for Mac OS X v0.8b uploaded

Getzen — 2006-10-26T00:23:50+00:00

OK, on a temporary basis, it can be downloaded from:
http://home.comcast.net/~getzen/JimsQuoridor.zip

Yes, I am the same guy who did Jim's San Juan. I am so glad you like it!

Jim

Thread: Re: Jim's Quoridor for Mac OS X v0.8b uploaded

mrbass — 2006-10-25T20:10:18+00:00

I have huge interest in the mac version. Currently have to play xoridor on my mac. I have a macbook pro intel so I can test it. The file you uploaded might take a couple weeks to get approved. Any chance you could post a link to it for a direct download? I can host it if you need me to.

Also are you the same guy who did Mac version of San Juan? If so thanks for that it's a great implementation.

Thread: Jim's Quoridor for Mac OS X v0.8b uploaded

Getzen — 2006-10-25T20:02:13+00:00

I uploaded a Quoridor implementation for Mac OS X. There is a fair amount of information in the Read Me file, but in a nutshell:

- While the game works well for me, it really is a beta. This was a testing/learning/experimenting project so the code is a little hairy. Expect some anomolies.

- You can play against three levels of AI, or human versus human (hotseat), or AI versus AI. The highest level takes a loooong time to make its move , but even the lowest, quickest level provides a fun game. Don't forget that you can change the AI setting when it's not its turn.

- The AI isn't brilliant or even particularly bright , especially if you consiously try to take advantage of the fact that it can't look very far ahead. So don't do that. I have the most fun with it when I vary my strategies.

- It is a Universal app, but I haven't tested it on an Intel Mac. Let me know if there is a problem.

- I'm sure the color scheme will be either hit or miss. It appeals to me, and I had a hard time coming up with woodsy colors that didn't all look alike.

- I am not planning to bring the game to v1.0 unless there is some interest (I have another project in the hopper). If you like the game and want to see it improved, please send me a note.

Have fun!

Jim