If you are going to buy a game anyway and then discover that the reverse side of the board offers a second game, it is a pretty wonderful surprise. A two-for-one is almost always a good thing.
Now, when one of those games is considered by some to be a contender for one of the best abstract strategy games of the 1990s, originally released in 1999, and it comes in a beautiful all-new wooden edition, things are looking even better.
Welcome to Wood Ideas Store and its version of Entrapment from designer Rich Gowel.
Entrapment is an absolute gem of a game. They simply do not come much better.
This edition is crafted from a slab of juniper wood, giving it a beautiful natural appearance. The only drawback is that because the board is round, it is not perfectly symmetrical and is slightly smaller than Gowel’s original design. That said, the game still plays smoothly and retains what makes it special.
The goal of Entrapment is to eliminate your opponent’s roamers (pawns) by surrounding them with impenetrable obstacles and leaving them unable to move. A roamer that has no legal movement is considered captured and removed from the board. When all of a player’s roamers have been entrapped, the game ends and their opponent is declared the winner.
But the real bonus of this edition comes when you flip over that beautiful juniper board and discover a nicely rendered version of Robotory.
Designed by Susumu Kawasaki, Robotory has players maneuvering three wooden robots around the board. The robots themselves are wonderfully crafted and look fantastic as they move across the playing surface.
As the robots move, they consume other pieces placed on the board. Those pieces come from a limited supply, making the decision of when and where to place them the key tactical element of the game.
Unfortunately, that limited supply is also at the center of what may be one of the weakest victory conditions in board gaming. If you collect the final pieces from the supply and have two or more robots on your side of the board, you immediately win.
The problem is that you are often fighting to create a specific endgame condition rather than winning through a strong board position. The victory can feel unearned and a little empty.
Trevor and I quickly decided to modify the rule and simply play until players ran out of pieces. That variation created a much more satisfying experience for us.
Even with that issue, the wooden board alone is impressive, and Entrapment remains a game that anyone who enjoys abstract strategy games should own.
A beautiful production, a great primary game, and a bonus title on the reverse side, sometimes two games really are better than one.
About Author
Calvin Daniels is a Saskatchewan-born, self-taught journalist. He is currently Editor of Yorkton This Week, with 35-years in the newspaper business.
Two Games Are Always Better Than One
Now, when one of those games is considered by some to be a contender for one of the best abstract strategy games of the 1990s, originally released in 1999, and it comes in a beautiful all-new wooden edition, things are looking even better.
Welcome to Wood Ideas Store and its version of Entrapment from designer Rich Gowel.
Entrapment is an absolute gem of a game. They simply do not come much better.
This edition is crafted from a slab of juniper wood, giving it a beautiful natural appearance. The only drawback is that because the board is round, it is not perfectly symmetrical and is slightly smaller than Gowel’s original design. That said, the game still plays smoothly and retains what makes it special.
The goal of Entrapment is to eliminate your opponent’s roamers (pawns) by surrounding them with impenetrable obstacles and leaving them unable to move. A roamer that has no legal movement is considered captured and removed from the board. When all of a player’s roamers have been entrapped, the game ends and their opponent is declared the winner.
But the real bonus of this edition comes when you flip over that beautiful juniper board and discover a nicely rendered version of Robotory.
Designed by Susumu Kawasaki, Robotory has players maneuvering three wooden robots around the board. The robots themselves are wonderfully crafted and look fantastic as they move across the playing surface.
As the robots move, they consume other pieces placed on the board. Those pieces come from a limited supply, making the decision of when and where to place them the key tactical element of the game.
Unfortunately, that limited supply is also at the center of what may be one of the weakest victory conditions in board gaming. If you collect the final pieces from the supply and have two or more robots on your side of the board, you immediately win.
The problem is that you are often fighting to create a specific endgame condition rather than winning through a strong board position. The victory can feel unearned and a little empty.
Trevor and I quickly decided to modify the rule and simply play until players ran out of pieces. That variation created a much more satisfying experience for us.
Even with that issue, the wooden board alone is impressive, and Entrapment remains a game that anyone who enjoys abstract strategy games should own.
A beautiful production, a great primary game, and a bonus title on the reverse side, sometimes two games really are better than one.
About Author
Calvin Daniels
Calvin Daniels is a Saskatchewan-born, self-taught journalist. He is currently Editor of Yorkton This Week, with 35-years in the newspaper business.
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