Mix and Match, Colour and Shape
This game was bought so we could have a full size set to complement the travel version we bought to play on our boat. The fact that wehave two sets is an indication that we enjoy playing it. My wife says that's because it is a game she can win as it's not a game where there is deep strategy to be planned.
The back of the Qwirkle box
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The game box contains a set of rules and a bag to hold the 108 wooden tiles during play. There are three sets of wooden tiles, all painted black. Each set includes tiles with one of six symbols on it in one of six colours. What is not supplied is pencil and paper on which to keep score.
Play
You start the game with each player drawing six tiles from the bag. The player with the most tiles that match by either colour or shape, without duplicates, starts play by laying those tiles in a line and scores a point for each tile laid.
The next player then lays further tiles to extend the line or branch from it, scoring points for lines both created and extended, as is explained on the back of the box. A bonus of six points is scored when a player manages to complete a "Qwirkle", a line of six tiles that all match by colour or shape. A line cannot be longer than six tiles.
After each turn a player draws further tiles from the bag to make up their stock to six tiles. The game ends once the bag is empty and a player has laid their last tile. There's a further bonus of six points for the player that ends the game. The winner is the player with the highest score.
As an aside when discussing a game and how it went, I'd love to know how others refer to the six shapes. We've settled on Square, Diamond, Circle, Flower, Star and Cross.
A travel size version of Qwirkle in play. Poor lighting can make it
difficult to distinguish the blue and purple colours and to a lesser
extent the red and orange.
The Number of Players
The box suggests that the game is for 2-4 players of 6+ years. Unusually for a modern game, the box does not indicate a typical playing time, thought the rules suggest 30-60 minutes. I've only played it with two and reckon a game lasts about 40 minutes. I can well imagine that a four players would take an hour, but not double the time. That's because some of your thinking time can be done while the three other players are taking their time to choose their move.
There are no special rules about what to do when there are three players. I'm slightly surprised by that as if one player is particularly weak then the following player will have the advantage of being able to capitalise on any blunders made by the previous player. Maybe a rule is needed to that requires alternate games to be played clockwise then anti-clockwise. There's also no suggestion that, in a four player game, opposite players might pay as a team, combining their scores. It could make play with parents and two children more balanced.
Age Range
I am sure that our six year old granddaughter will enjoy playing Qwirkle when we next have her visit. The rules are certainly simple enough for a child of that age to learn and understand, but perhaps not mature enough to make the best plays.
Strategy and Tactics.
There are some "Strategy Tips" included in the rules. They are:
- Play your tiles so that they are part of more than one line.
- Save tiles that can help you make a Qwirkle.
- Avoid creating places for other players to make a Qwirkle.
- Remember that there are three of each type of tile.
I see those as tactics rather than strategy. They suggest turn by turn approaches to play that will help you make the best score for a turn or two ahead. The fact that the last of the tips only comes into play from the mid-game onwards could classify it as strategic in nature, but it is important to recognise it as an approach to assist with the third tip and perhaps the one that a six year old player is likely to forget to consider.
In general, however, in strategic terms, it all comes down to the luck of the draw of tiles. However, you could argue that with over a hundred plays in the course of the game, the chance of bad luck hitting one player more than another is so much reduced over a series of games that it is effectively diminished to the extent that a good tactician will consistently win over an average player.
Conclusion
This is a good light-hearted non-taxing game that is playable by younger family members and, for adults, doesn't require too much thinking about. That's not to say that there aren't frequently times when you need to study the table with care to ensure you are not providing your opponent with the opportunity to make a high scoring Qwirkle. Even in it's non-travel form it it will pack into a small space in your bags, so worth taking on holiday with you.