DVONN

Deep abstract game who gets better after playing more games. This game has more strategy than other games from the GIPF series. I own a HUCH version and, also, I made a [url=https://www.boardgamegeek.com/image/5985939/dvonn]homemade version[/url] using a Flax board and the TZAAR pieces (also three red LYNGK pieces). [i]Handicap house rule: after setup, the stronger player removes a few rings in his color from the outer edge of the board.[/i]

my favorite abstract game: barely any rule, difficult choices along the way, an existential metaphor about the fight between wanting to do many things and learning what and when to let go.

Even more claustrophobic than TZAAR, but with different rules. It's the way pieces can move exactly X spaces, so it's very easy for them to get stuck, and the board shrinks super fast. But controlling the red pieces to keep stacks alive is really cool, and I love how a big stack could easily become the enemy's. Maybe the latter is too easy to read, but I do love the red tokens. I still like it a lot, just not quite as much as the shrinking board of TZAAR (and YINSH is amazing).

I am loving all the GIPF games so far (DVONN, LYNGYK and YINSH). So far LYNGYK is my favorite. They each have very interesting twists, and complete replace games like Chess for me. They are just easier to teach, and don't feel like they give up much need for smart decision making. Chess just takes far too much long term planning for my taste. I wish they would release all the games in one box. Once I collect them all, I plan to do this very thing.

A series of simple, but challenging logic games I've played with my son. Each one is different, however few have similar mechanisms. Here are our ratings of all: DVONN: 10; 10 YINSH: 10; 8 ZERTZ: 9; 9 GIPF: 7; 7 TZAAR: 6; 8 PUNCT: 6; 6 LYNGK: 5; 5