YORKTON – If you can avoid over-analyzing then this week’s review game Nonaga is a quick, yet rather fulfilling little abstract strategy game.
In fact, this one might almost be too quick.
From designer Víktor Bautista i Roca, Nonaga has a playing area composed of 19 discs (at least in the version we have), with each player having three pieces that start in alternating vertices around the hexagon.
So as you can imagine this one sets up in a flash.
The game has only a couple of core rules.
On a turn, a player must do two things, in order:
• Move one of their pieces in a straight line up to the end of the board or up to colliding with another piece
• Move one of the exterior empty discs to another location on the playing area where it touches two rings
Whoever first manages to connect their three pieces wins.
This one reminds – at least a little — of the classic gipf series game Zertz, and that is a good thing as the entire gipf series are gems.
Now in Nonaga play is quick, and that makes it a game where you will be wanting to play a best-of-five, although a best-of-seven might be a bit too much for a single sitting – not time wise, but enjoyment wise.
In game decisions are rather limited, only three pieces and few directional options for each.
And when moving the distance is pre-determined, no decisions there either.
You get a handful of moves, the game ends, and you never feel like you did anything brilliant to win, or anything particularly wrong in losing either.
Certainly a game that fits a coffee break, and the small package fits in the car glovebox to play anytime nicely too – just don’t expect too much here.
Nonaga comes from Steffen-Spiele (www.steffen-spiele.de) via Ilo307.com in Canada.
