When it comes to two-player abstract strategy games, publisher Gigamic produces some of the nicest-looking games to hit the market in recent years.
The games are all wooden and, simply put, look great. They are the kind of games that are coffee-table-worthy showpieces. Qawale, Quantik, Quoridor, Quixo, and Quarto are among them.
Now you can add Qomet, from designer Fabrice Puleo, to the list.
Rules-wise, Qomet is super simple, starting with the game goal: create a square of any size connected by lines.
Each player starts with seven “stars,” which are wooden game pieces.
On a turn, a player can either play a piece on the board or move a piece they already have on the board.
If you move, you go to the next square connected by a line. If the square is empty, nothing else happens. If the square is occupied, push the star, no matter what color it is. You cannot push more than one star.
You can push stars outside of the board.
That’s it as far as the rules go.
At first blush, Trevor and I thought this one might be too simple.
But playing it proved to be a little trickier than the rules suggest.
There are, however, a few bumps in play with Qomet.
Like most abstract strategy games, there is a first-player advantage here, one that seems perhaps more pronounced than usual.
Secondly, the center space is advantageous. It is not the only path to victory, but it is rarely a bad spot to control.
And finally, the game does feel like it gives players fewer move options than typically make for a great game. It is often a case of one player’s move forcing a single move option in response.
With all the bumps considered, Qomet is not among the best of the many games mentioned from Gigamic, but over coffee, it is still a very nice-looking game that fills the break with solid competition.
Check it out at www.gigamic.com or www.randolph.ca.
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.
Gigamic Has a New Wooden Beauty
The games are all wooden and, simply put, look great. They are the kind of games that are coffee-table-worthy showpieces. Qawale, Quantik, Quoridor, Quixo, and Quarto are among them.
Now you can add Qomet, from designer Fabrice Puleo, to the list.
Rules-wise, Qomet is super simple, starting with the game goal: create a square of any size connected by lines.
Each player starts with seven “stars,” which are wooden game pieces.
On a turn, a player can either play a piece on the board or move a piece they already have on the board.
If you move, you go to the next square connected by a line. If the square is empty, nothing else happens. If the square is occupied, push the star, no matter what color it is. You cannot push more than one star.
You can push stars outside of the board.
That’s it as far as the rules go.
At first blush, Trevor and I thought this one might be too simple.
But playing it proved to be a little trickier than the rules suggest.
There are, however, a few bumps in play with Qomet.
Like most abstract strategy games, there is a first-player advantage here, one that seems perhaps more pronounced than usual.
Secondly, the center space is advantageous. It is not the only path to victory, but it is rarely a bad spot to control.
And finally, the game does feel like it gives players fewer move options than typically make for a great game. It is often a case of one player’s move forcing a single move option in response.
With all the bumps considered, Qomet is not among the best of the many games mentioned from Gigamic, but over coffee, it is still a very nice-looking game that fills the break with solid competition.
Check it out at www.gigamic.com or www.randolph.ca.
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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