Few things make me happier than getting a new game to the table—especially one made of wood, where you get to move the pieces around. There’s a tactile joy in that kind of play that’s hard to describe, but to put it simply: I like it.
So when Qubik hit the table, I was predisposed to enjoy it simply because the components are chunky, wooden cubes—well-made ones at that, with rounded corners. The varied colors make for an attractive display, too.
The rules of Qubik, from designer Preeda Pitianusorn, are wonderfully simple. Players take turns placing cubes into a 3×3×3 grid until someone creates a straight line of one color to win. Each player draws two cubes from a common bag and chooses one to play, drawing a replacement afterward.
A typical game of Qubik runs 5–15 minutes, though it tends to land closer to the shorter end of that range. Interestingly, it accommodates one to seven players. The Meeple Guild hasn’t tested it with a full group—larger numbers usually mean role-playing for us—but with only 27 cubes total, seven players would barely get more than a single turn or two before someone wins. Like many games, the sweet spot seems to be three or four players.
Qubik includes three play modes: casual, competitive, and solo. The first two feel largely the same (after all, most games are competitive by nature), but the solo mode turns the experience into a satisfying little puzzle—an enjoyable feature for such a compact title.
As one BoardGameGeek comment put it, “Qubik is a combination of the classic Tic-Tac-Toe and the Rubik’s Cube,” which sums it up perfectly.
No, Qubik isn’t going to top any “best of” lists, but it’s a quick, clever game that looks great on the table and makes for a solid coffee-break option. And of course, you get to stack those nice wooden cubes, which is always a bonus.
Check it out at: facebook.com/LifeDMSgame
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.
Block builder a bit to confined
So when Qubik hit the table, I was predisposed to enjoy it simply because the components are chunky, wooden cubes—well-made ones at that, with rounded corners. The varied colors make for an attractive display, too.
The rules of Qubik, from designer Preeda Pitianusorn, are wonderfully simple. Players take turns placing cubes into a 3×3×3 grid until someone creates a straight line of one color to win. Each player draws two cubes from a common bag and chooses one to play, drawing a replacement afterward.
A typical game of Qubik runs 5–15 minutes, though it tends to land closer to the shorter end of that range. Interestingly, it accommodates one to seven players. The Meeple Guild hasn’t tested it with a full group—larger numbers usually mean role-playing for us—but with only 27 cubes total, seven players would barely get more than a single turn or two before someone wins. Like many games, the sweet spot seems to be three or four players.
Qubik includes three play modes: casual, competitive, and solo. The first two feel largely the same (after all, most games are competitive by nature), but the solo mode turns the experience into a satisfying little puzzle—an enjoyable feature for such a compact title.
As one BoardGameGeek comment put it, “Qubik is a combination of the classic Tic-Tac-Toe and the Rubik’s Cube,” which sums it up perfectly.
No, Qubik isn’t going to top any “best of” lists, but it’s a quick, clever game that looks great on the table and makes for a solid coffee-break option. And of course, you get to stack those nice wooden cubes, which is always a bonus.
Check it out at: facebook.com/LifeDMSgame
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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