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If you play games – pretty much anything that is not a video game – you have probably heard of WizKids Games. And if you have heard of WizKids, you probably know that they make collectible games. Miniatures were the big start, of course, but now they also have collectible games where you build stuff out of credit card plastic. WizKids is well-known for making collectible games, so it might be something of a surprise to find out that they are taking on an entirely new dimension – board games.
The first board game from WizKids is called Tsuro. It is intriguingly attractive, but can it stand up as a game? Does the gang at WizKids have the rules-writing know-how to change from complex collectible games to simple board games?
The Pieces
Everything about Tsuro is heavy on style and beauty. The box itself is decorated with a thoroughly attractive Chinese dragon, and the Chinese calligraphy on the back of the box makes even the obligatory game summary stylish and good-looking. This is a box that can sit out on a bookshelf, inviting people to take a longer look.
The inside of the box is also long on stylish design. A thin sheet of paper is placed atop the contents, so that the first thing you see is this nicely-designed fly sheet for the game. Where many games dazzle with the set-up of the board and pieces, Tsuro goes for the visual kick before you have even unpacked the box.
The rules are simple enough that they fit on a single sheet of paper, but for a game this visually slick, that is simply not good enough. Instead, the rules are explained in an artistically-decorated foldout that continues to announce itself as a piece of art.
The game board is a six-by-six grid of squares superimposed over a beautifully-painted phoenix. The earthy tones and stylish art is very nice, as are the 36 tiles used to create a play area that evolves as the game progresses. These tiles are covered with lines entering and exiting each tile, and even the game pieces are so well-designed as to seem like works of art.
The final touch to this game is the design of the player tokens. Where other games might offer sculpted figures, the pawns in Tsuro resemble engraved stones standing on end. They come in eight colors, none of which is emerald green or brilliant yellow. The colors of the pieces were obviously meticulously chosen to complete the artistic feel of the game as a whole.
The Game
Tsuro could not be much easier to play. At the beginning of the game, each player is dealt three tiles. They place these tiles on the board, creating expanding paths for their pawns to follow. Players take turns placing these tiles, moving their pawns along the newly-expanded path, and doing their best to avoid falling off the board. If a player's path leads him off of the play area, he is out of the game.
Placing tiles is not initially terribly difficult. You simply place tiles so that your pawn can have a longer path, and try to avoid the edge. Once the game progresses, however, an opponent's tile might cause you to slide in an unforeseen direction, or it could send you right off the board. Crafty play at certain points can dump opponents when they least expect it and help a skilled player get ahead.
The game goes incredibly fast. Turns go past in seconds, and a full game can last anywhere from five to fifteen minutes. Despite the quick pace, Tsuro is almost calming to play, as the combination of style and simplicity lends itself to quiet conversation and diversion.
Observations
The upside to Tsuro is clear – this is a game that you could leave on your coffee table, like an attractive chess or backgammon set. It is not just pretty, it is stylish and smooth. The art is so classy that Tsuro could be used just to decorate a room, and with graphics this good, Tsuro just sits there and begs to be played.
Unfortunately, Tsuro has a bit of a downside – it has almost no rewards for being a better player. Strategic options are very slim. After having played this game more than a dozen times, I still fail to see much in the way of tactics that can consistently cause a player to win.
Oddly enough, it just doesn't seem to matter if you lose. Tsuro is a fun, quick game, and even if a player is eliminated, he can wait two minutes and the whole game will be over. It is not just the quickness of the game that makes winning or losing feel so unimportant, it is the easy and almost-mindless game play.
Few people will buy Tsuro for its ability to feed the inner gamer. Though it is quite stylish, it has almost no substance. Interestingly enough, this lack of substance can be a bonus if used properly. Tsuro serves a purpose, and it serves it well. It is not an evening of intense decision-making and strategy, but it a nice diversion, an excellent conversation piece, and a great warm-up game.
To learn more about Tsuro, visit www.wizkidsgames.com/tsuro.
Style: 4 – Very cool and stylish graphics give Tsuro a very artistic feel.
Substance: 2 – There is almost no strategic capacity to Tsuro, but somehow, that doesn't really matter.
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