When J’emme arrived, the rules were entirely in French. Fortunately, the daughter of one of our Guilders speaks enough French to translate them, and we were quickly up and running—helped by the fact that the rules are refreshingly simple.
J’emme belongs to a fairly rare category: an abstract strategy game that supports anywhere from two to six players. (In fact, with multiple sets, it can scale even higher.) Abstract games that claim broad player counts often falter beyond two, so we approached this one with some apprehension.
We began with a two-player game—Trevor and I—and while J’emme plays perfectly solidly at that count, it doesn’t offer much that you can’t already find in the classic Pente, originally released in 1977. The main difference lies in J’emme’s multiple win conditions, which vary depending on the number of players:
-
First to create a line of six
-
First to create X lines of five (X varies by player count)
-
First to create X lines of four (X varies by player count)
-
First to capture X opponent stones (X varies by player count)
These varied victory conditions do make J’emme play longer than Pente, which isn’t necessarily a positive at lower player counts.
At three players, however, the game became notably more interesting. Situations arise where you can effectively force one opponent to block another by deliberately ignoring a threat to yourself. While frustrating for the player being forced into defense, this dynamic adds strategic depth and tends to balance out over the course of a game.
That said, the potential for kingmaking is very real—especially at three players—when one player can’t block two imminent winning positions and their move determines who ultimately wins.
With higher player counts, the board becomes increasingly chaotic. This chaos demands sharper positional play, stronger formations, and a keen eye for capture opportunities. Unsurprisingly, the capture-based win condition seems far more likely to come into play as the number of players increases.
Component-wise, J’emme is pleasing. The board has a clean, attractive look, and while the stones are on the small side, they’re molded flat on one side so they sit neatly in place. Their bright colors give the game an appealing, almost Art Nouveau aesthetic when fully set up.
In the end, the fact that J’emme holds up better at higher player counts than most abstract strategy games we’ve encountered makes it an easy recommendation—particularly for groups looking for something strategic beyond the usual two-player fare.
J’emme is published by the French company Lansay, which has been in business since the 1970s.
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.
J’emme Expands Potential With Up to Eight Players
J’emme belongs to a fairly rare category: an abstract strategy game that supports anywhere from two to six players. (In fact, with multiple sets, it can scale even higher.) Abstract games that claim broad player counts often falter beyond two, so we approached this one with some apprehension.
We began with a two-player game—Trevor and I—and while J’emme plays perfectly solidly at that count, it doesn’t offer much that you can’t already find in the classic Pente, originally released in 1977. The main difference lies in J’emme’s multiple win conditions, which vary depending on the number of players:
First to create a line of six
First to create X lines of five (X varies by player count)
First to create X lines of four (X varies by player count)
First to capture X opponent stones (X varies by player count)
These varied victory conditions do make J’emme play longer than Pente, which isn’t necessarily a positive at lower player counts.
At three players, however, the game became notably more interesting. Situations arise where you can effectively force one opponent to block another by deliberately ignoring a threat to yourself. While frustrating for the player being forced into defense, this dynamic adds strategic depth and tends to balance out over the course of a game.
That said, the potential for kingmaking is very real—especially at three players—when one player can’t block two imminent winning positions and their move determines who ultimately wins.
With higher player counts, the board becomes increasingly chaotic. This chaos demands sharper positional play, stronger formations, and a keen eye for capture opportunities. Unsurprisingly, the capture-based win condition seems far more likely to come into play as the number of players increases.
Component-wise, J’emme is pleasing. The board has a clean, attractive look, and while the stones are on the small side, they’re molded flat on one side so they sit neatly in place. Their bright colors give the game an appealing, almost Art Nouveau aesthetic when fully set up.
In the end, the fact that J’emme holds up better at higher player counts than most abstract strategy games we’ve encountered makes it an easy recommendation—particularly for groups looking for something strategic beyond the usual two-player fare.
J’emme is published by the French company Lansay, which has been in business since the 1970s.
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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