Inside the Box
1 game board 38 game pieces (19 white, 19 black) 1 instruction booklet in four languages: Dutch, French, German, and English
Bits: 6/10
The box is set up so there is very little room for mess in storage, including plastic Ziploc-style bags for each color’s pieces. The main compartment also fits the instruction booklet perfectly
The game board is single-fold and colored in black, white, and gray. The material is sturdy and should hold up well against hundreds of plays. The main play surface is white with black lines, surrounded by a light gray border leading to black edges. The playing area is basically a hexagon with intersecting lines, forming a series of triangles. Looking closer, the triangular theme is completed as there are tiny (slightly darker than the border) gray lines intersecting the entire board, forming triangles. Overall, the board has a somewhat futuristic look to it.
The black and white game pieces are made of durable solid acrylic plastic which I’m sure will stand the test of time. In general the pieces look fine, but frankly I have an issue with the white pieces. These pieces are actually an ivory color. This would not normally be a problem, but in contrast with the bright white main playing surface on the game board, it comes off as more of an eyesore. Also, the black pieces show some scuffs and bubbles on their finish. Not a big deal, but worth mentioning. One extra piece (the game is played with 18 per player) of each color is included in the box.
The Game on Paper: 9/10
The rulebook is black and white with language-independent diagrams in the inside front cover of the booklet. I understand the need for brevity due to printing costs, but it would have been nice to have the diagrams in each section to avoid page flipping. Otherwise, the general format of the book is fine.
Wisely, the instructions move you into this game in baby steps. There are three levels of play: Basic, Standard, and Tournament.
The basic rules are the heart of the game. White goes first. Each player starts with 15 basic pieces of his or her color. Three of these are assigned preset starting spaces. All additional pieces enter from the outside of the play area via black dots. The pieces then move inward, pushing anything in their path down the line. The caveat here is that pieces can never be pushed off the play area. This action is performed until either player gets four in a row, at which time that row and any pieces touching it on the same line must be removed from the board. The player whose color made the row of four gets to keep all the pieces, getting to reuse their color and capture their opponent’s. Play continues until one player is unable to place a piece, through a combination of use and capture.
The standard rules use all 18 pieces per player and add what the designer calls GIPF pieces. These are simply two pieces stacked. The GIPF pieces replace the basic pieces at their starting locations. The significance here is that another way to win in standard play is to capture all of your opponent’s GIPF pieces. When a row in your color includes a GIPF piece, you remove all basic pieces and opponent GIPF pieces as normal, but you can leave your GIPF pieces behind. Should you choose to remove one of your own GIPF pieces, it becomes two basic pieces for you to replay.
The tournament rules make obligatory mention of common conventions that are recommended regarding move commitment and the way in which pieces are placed. Also, they add the final piece to the complete GIPF rules. At this level, the board starts empty. Taking turns as normal, each player’s first move must be a GIPF piece. Players may continue by adding GIPF or basic pieces as long as they have pieces, but once a player places a basic piece, no more GIPF pieces may be placed by that player.
The Game in Practice: 10/10
I played my first game of GIPF using the basic rules, then, after winning, moved right to the standard rules. In hindsight, this was a mistake. My second game led to my embarrassment, as I got “owned.” My opponent didn’t get the basic rule strategy as quickly as I did, so I was able to beat him readily. He, however, took to the GIPF capture strategy very quickly and was able to win with ease. If we had both spent more time with the basic rules, we could have elevated our play more evenly.
The interesting aspect of the four-in-a-row mechanic is that any player can be the cause of a row and removal of said row is compulsory. Many times I have made a row in my opponent’s color to either a) avoid my pieces from being captured or b) get them out of my way in preparation for a move I couldn’t previously make. This tactic should be used sparingly, though, as you may set your opponent up to win through attrition due to your “generosity.”
The GIPF pieces add another dimension entirely to the game. It is quite easy to get stuck just trying to block your opponent from making rows, let alone make sure these pieces aren’t captured. Do not underestimate how important these pieces are in play. It is easy to lose them if you’re not careful.
I found it difficult deciding (in the Tournament rules) how many GIPF pieces to start with, so I tended to stick with the Standard play three, which worked well. I plan on experimenting with this in future games and will post an update in the future.
Although not mentioned in the book, GIPF tournaments typically use chess clocks. A quick e-mail to designer Kris Burm came back with the following recommendations: standard tournaments use 25 minutes per player, though often this is limited to 20 minutes to expedite a five-round tourney. Setting the timers at 15 minutes per player is considered “blitz” play. Though I didn’t get a chance to try a timed game, any timer setting will aid in preventing the dreaded analysis paralysis (AP) that can occur in this type of game.
Reviewer’s Tilt: 8/10
I had a blast playing all versions of this game. The play options available make it easy to introduce to any skill level of gamer, which is definitely a boon. There doesn’t seem to be a way to break the game in terms of tic-tac-toe-like patterns. Pulling off a masterful move is all skill and luck. I say luck in a good way because I have never played a game where I didn’t discover something cool I did that wasn’t planned. The light bulb goes on and my play style is forever changed. I credit the experiential learning process to its amazing depth and compare the game’s depth to games like Go and Chess.
This is not the best game I’ve ever played, but it is surely one of the best Abstract strategy games.
Bottom Line: 8.25/10
The best way I can compare this game to others is to say it is a cross between Abalone and Connect Four, with more depth and challenge than both combined (that’s a good thing).
While I’m sure many abstract strategy veterans could just blast through the rules and start playing tournament style, I recommend against it, as you will likely miss some important elements of the game.
Overall, my favorite way to play (perhaps due to my limited skill level only a handful of games in) is Standard Rules. It tends to cut down on AP while still providing a deep game. This game is quickly moving toward the top of my list of abstract strategy favorites (on which Abalone currently sits).
The physical durability of the game will surely stand the test of time, but the overall look is a bit of a disappointment. It should go without saying that in a strategy game like this where the components of a game require constant close scrutiny, there should be more attention made to polish.
Despite this, the depth and satisfaction of the gameplay far outweighs any aesthetic problems. If you like abstract strategy games, you cannot go wrong with this game.
Parting Notes
The rulebook discusses some of the goals of the GIPF Project as a whole, which includes, at the time of this writing, four additional games: TAMSK, ZERTZ, DVONN, and YINSH (as an aside, the series will eventually total six games, the newest of which is due out by Holiday 2005). Additional game pieces are available (in sets called GIPF Project Sets) that link GIPF to the other games in the series. These pieces are called potentials. Apparently potentials are utilized by putting them into play on top of a basic piece. When a certain condition is met in game, the GIPF game stops and the players play the game to which the potential in question is related. If the person with the potential wins, they “unlock the potential,” which gives them a special move capability in the GIPF game. This is truly fascinating (if seemingly unwieldy). Since these potentials are specific to each of the other GIPF Project games, I will cover them in detail in each other game’s review as they are written.
It should be noted that the newest versions of GIPF will be made with Bakelite plastic (like other games in the series ZERTZ, DVONN, and YINSH). This is a good material (I’ve played YINSH and definitely like the feel and quality of those pieces better). However the white pieces are even darker than the originals. This change makes it so that current printings of GIPF’s potentials (made with the acrylic plastic) will not match these new GIPF pieces.
Also, the board is now a double-fold type like others in the series. There is a new box for the game, as well, complete with new artwork more in line with the series’ other games. All this is irrelevant at the time of this writing, as I have yet to see the new version come through distribution.
