pentago is a game for two players and is played on a 6 x 6 board divided into four 3 x 3 sub-boards (or quadrants). the two players place a marble of their colour (either black or white) onto an unoccupied space on the board, and then rotate one of the sub-boards by 90 degrees either clockwise or counter-clockwise. you win by getting five of your marbles in a vertical, horizontal, or diagonal row (either before or after the sub-board rotation in your move). if all 36 spaces on the board are occupied without a row of five being formed then the game is a draw. games generally last about five minutes depending on the skill level of the players. a four player game has also been developed named pentago xl.
it has multi-coloured marbles and you can play as individuals, or as partners.
pentago integrates elements of chess, checkers, and go into a game that obviously functions on many levels. to learn more about the game then you should visit its dedicated website.
next is “colosseum”.
the idea in colosseum is that you are a roman impresario - producing great spectacles in your arena in the hopes of attracting the most spectators. in the role of impresario you earn wealth and glory for each event run, using it to create bigger, better, more glamorous events. along the way you have to improve your arena, find the best performers, lure the emperor and his nobles, and manage assets for long-term success, all in the hope that one day you will be granted the title of “grand impresario”.
far from being a roll-the-dice and move your player type game, colosseum combines luck, tactics, strategy and negotiation skills. for more information visit colosseum’s dedicated website.
somewhat along the same lines is “siena”.
a visually stunning game, the story line driving the gameplay takes place in the year 1338. at that time the town council of siena retained the famous artist ambrogio lorenzetti to paint a fresco showing the town and its commerce. the resulting massive fresco entitled “the effects of good government on the city” is beautifully reproduced on the gameboard
so as you can see, you get to play the game above the painting lorenzetti made.
you start the game as a peasant, sowing seeds and selling your crop along the via francigena. the idea at this stage is that if you save enough florins you will be better off, eventually trading in cloth and spices throughout tuscany.
but you are much more ambitious than that of course! your next objective is to enter the council of nine, the town's government. at this point of the game there are many things happening including big decisions regarding the finacing of artists, the building of new structures and all the while you need to be watching your back for beggars, thieves, pretty women inside the inn... a more detailed analysis of the game can be found at funagain’s siena page .
shangri-la, first described in james hilton’s novel lost horizon is the subject for a game combining strategy with fantasy. named “the bridges of shangri-la”, the premise of the game is that despite its fabled peaceful and tranquil exterior, the isolated utopia nestled high in the mountains, is experiencing a strange struggle for dominance. it seems that the masters of the competing mountain-folk are training their students and sending them out across bridges to control neighboring villages. to take control of a village, the students have formed alliances.
eventually the students become masters themselves, train new students and expand their ambitions to other villages. however, and this is where the fantasy element brings hazhard and chance into the game, there is one thing each student must keep in mind as they travel from village to village -- the mystical powers of shangri-la mysteriously cause the bridges to collapse, separating villages forever.
the goal of the game is the question who will control the greatest number of masters of shangri-la?
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