| GIPF Project | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| GIPF | - | £15.00 |  |
| TAMSK | - | £25.00 | |
| ZÈRTZ / Zertz | - | £15.00 | |
| DVONN | - | £15.00 | |
| YINSH | - | £15.00 | |
| PÜNCT / Punct | - | £15.00 | |
GIPF is a strategic game for two players based on a classic concept: in turns, players introduce one piece into play until achieving four-in-a-row. Players then remove their row and capture any of their opponent's pieces which extend that row. This principle of capturing pieces creates each time again completely changes situations on the board. The purpose is to form successive rows of at least 4 pieces, until the opponent has no piece left to bring into play or (in the standard and tournament version) when he has no more GIPF-pieces on the board.
GIPF is a pure and challenging game that combines classic systems with completely new elements. Full of surprises and offering unlimited possibilities, it will appeal to occasional players as well as to fanatic gamers.
TAMSK is the second game of Project GIPF. It is played under permanent time pressure. Both players start the game with 3 hour-glasses and 32 rings. The hour-glasses are the playing pieces; the aim is to get rid of as many rings as possible. Each turn you must move one of your hour-glasses and turn it over; next you may play a ring in the newly covered space. The more spaces you visit, the more rings you will be able to play. But the more rings you play, the more difficult it will become to move your hour-glasses. Watch your hour-glasses closely; each one that runs out of time is lost! TAMSK introduces time as a substantial strategic element. If you are prepared to think fast and to play quickly without losing your cool, then you have the right attitude. Enjoy the pressure!
ZÈRTZ is a fast, dynamic game for 2 players. It is played with 5 white, 7 grey and 9 black marbles on a board that gets smaller and smaller. The aim is to capture either 3 white, 4 grey or 5 black marbles, or 2 marbles of each color. To capture you must jump with a marble over another marble. Sounds easy? Not when you know that both players play with the same marbles. And because the board that gets smaller with every move, you and your opponent are forced towards a tense situation in which any move could be the crucial one… So, be careful: if you create a trap for your opponent at the wrong moment, you may well face the consequences yourself!
DVONN is a stacking game. It is played on an elongated hexagonal board, with 23 white, 23 black and 3 red DVONN-pieces. In the beginning the board is empty. The players first place the DVONN-pieces on the board and next their own pieces. Then they start stacking pieces on top of each other. A single piece may be moved 1 space in any direction, a stack of two pieces may be moved two spaces, etc. A stack must always be moved as a whole and a move must always end on top of another piece or stack. If pieces or stacks lose contact with the DVONN pieces, they must be removed from the board. The game ends when no more moves can be made. The players put the stacks they control on top of each other and the one with the highest stack is the winner. That's all...
Just like GIPF, DVONN picks up the tradition again of just a board with pieces on it. No fuzz; the game in itself is tricky enough. The higher a stack, the more valuable it is, but the less mobile it is, too. With that in mind: watch out for the red DVONN-pieces: they may be moved! The outcome of a game of DVONN can completely change right up to the very last move.
The players each start with 5 rings on the board. Every time a ring is moved, it leaves a marker behind. Markers are white on one side and black on the other. When markers are jumped over by a ring they must be flipped, so their color is constantly changing. The players must try to form a row of 5 markers with their own color face up. If a player succeeds in doing so, he removes one of his rings as an indication that he has formed such a row. The first player to remove 3 of his rings wins the game. In other words, each row you make brings you closer to victory-but also makes you weaker, because you have one less ring to play with. Very tricky!
As you may or may not have noticed, the graphics of the GIPF box shows a board with pieces in a wide, natural environment. The idea behind this design was putting an abstract game, symbolizing the human mind, in the midst of the 4 elements. The sceneries on the boxes of the 4 games that followed, TAMSK, ZÈRTZ, DVONN and YINSH, represented, respectively, earth, water, fire and air. That left one possibility for the last game, which is explained as follows in the rulebook:
This is a game about the 5th element: spirit, in its broadest sense! That is: the human mind, the mix of conscious and sub-conscious, divine sparks of inspiration, the potential to create. And therefore, also,: the sense for meaning, the sense for art, the sense for beauty. And, last but not least, also: courage! Linking the elements, interpreting what exists, daring to add a personal touch! That is why PUNCT is a game about connecting opposite sides.
PÜNCT is a connection game: the goal is to link two opposite sites. On your turn, you either bring a new piece into play, or you move a piece that is already on the board. The more pieces you bring into play, the more possibilities to have to make a connection. But… each time you put a new piece on the board, you reveal a bit of what your plan is. The trick is to place your pieces in such a way that your opponent will expect you to do something different from what you really have in mind. As such, PÜNCT is not only about making a connection, but also about misleading your opponent! Be subtle - and enjoy it!