I picked up a copy of Looney Lab’s latest at Origins. Called “Zendo”, it seemed interesting and if nothing else novel. The side of the box proclaimed “The Icehouse Game with the Buddha-Nature”. Having never played a board game “with the Buddha-Nature” before, I’ll admit that I was intrigued. Let me first make it clear that I am a Looney Labs fan. This is the same company that brought you Chrononauts (which won Best Traditional Card Game at Origins in 2000) and Fluxx (which was Origins award nominated). If you’ve missed out on either of those two first rate games, you should check them out. As a result, I had high expectations for “Zendo.”

Physically the game is nearly perfect. The box is sturdy and survived without damage a plane trip from Colombus to Dallas and from Dallas to L.A. The box is functional without a lot of dead space. The contents all arrived undamaged and without problem. The cover art is attractive and relevant. The pieces are durable and well made. If I have anything bad to say about the presentation it is the plain paper, very typical rules booklet (which already has its first wine stain). Still, it is a trivial complaint.

The game includes a set of sixty Icehouse plastic pyramids (four stashes) which are useful for many different games. Seven reference cards summarize rules for seven more Icehouse games beside Zendo. In fact if you visit “IcehouseGames.com” a card included claims you can find at least a hundred more complete games you can play with your plastic pyramids. Quite a bargain. This single box of games could keep you busy for many nights playing many different games. The twelve-page rules booklet is simply laid out, clear and concise. It took me about five minutes to have fully read it and understand the rules. Then it was no problem to start playing the game immediately.

But all of that is merely an aside. The game stands or falls on its play value. And it is in the actual game play that “Zendo” really shines. The game is unique, easy to understand and challenging while not being overly complex. It has a robust elegance that makes it a joy to play. I played the game with people who never plays RPGs or complex board games (but are avid card game players) and yet they instantly got the hang of it and enjoyed it. The basic game plays like this: A Master comes up with a geometric riddle using the pyramids. For example, “It has no large pieces.” The players or “students” must try and guess that riddle using further examples. The Master creates two koans (pyramid setups), one that illustrates a correct example and one that illustrates an incorrect example. The students take turns building their own koans and can discover whether they have followed the rule or have violated it. The winner is the first person to guess the rule. The game comes with 16 sample rules cards that mean you can start play immediately. These cards also provide excellent examples so that you can later make up your own riddles.

That is only a summary of the rules. You can actually find the entire rules online at:

http://www.wunderland.com/WTS/Kory/Games/Zendo/index.html

It is in riddle creation by the way, that the game encounters its only problem. The sixteen rule cards in the box will be quickly exhausted. The game demands that you make up your own riddles. If you have access to someone who is good at making up creative and interesting riddles, this game is a blast. If you are playing with someone who is no good at that or is simply uncooperative, the game will likely be no fun. For example, the riddle “Only one piece is grounded” is interesting and simple enough that it could be guessed. The riddle “Only an odd number of pieces which point to another piece of either the same size or the same color” would be nearly impossible to solve. There is no rule in the game for being stumped and simply giving up. The game rules assume you will continue play till the riddle is solved.

An excellent supplementary product for "Zendo" would be a deck of a hundred cards each with one to three riddles on them, perhaps rated by difficulty. That would be enough riddles that you could play this game even without actually creating your own. This is a valuable aid for many players.

But even with that caveat, “Zendo” is a triumph of game design. At once both elegant and engaging, I plan to play it again and again. It’s simple enough to be a good party game and complex enough that I have already started designing more deviously "simple" riddles. This is a game that would make a good gift for kids or those who rarely play games. The only people I can see not enjoying it are those put off by its references to Buddhism. And if you happen to be friends with a hippy gamer, this is the perfect gift. In short, I had high expectations for a release from Looney Labs, and “Zendo” did not disappoint.

Check it out!

--Gary McBride