When dearg was still up, we went with Martin into the local games shop. It's a funny place, you wouldn't think it's open unless you knew or noticed the sign outside. Grilles on the windows, etc. Go in, and it's a cosy little place, stuff piled up by one side, boxes of magic cards etc. on the floor, lots of sourcebooks and games.

Anyway, spotted a few interesting games there. dearg bought a copy of Thud, which I believe he has desired for some time, and I bought Zèrtz. An interesting game. Martin and I have come to quite enjoy Zèrtz, which is quite a good show for a randomly bought game. The basic premise is that there are 6 white, 8 gray and 10 black marbles, and a hexagonal board made of circular plastic pieces. The aim is to get 4 white, or 5 grey, or 6 black, or 3 of each colour of marble, through moves of placing a marble and removing a piece of board, or (compulsory) capture of marbles, in the style of checkers. Very addictive, and really quite a clever game.

Zèrtz is part of the Gipf Project, a series of very interesting looking abstract games. There are a couple of ways to join these together using the central game Gipf; I'm not sure how interesting the idea is, and it seems rather ambitious. Perhaps it's something that just has to be tried. I want to play all the games in any case...

Thud is fun too, and dearg & I played a game while he was up (I still have the set here), but it hasn't really grabbed me. Given the types of moves, it should somehow appeal to me, but I get the impression that the story and pretty peices put me off; I'm not convinced I like the rules either. I can forsee me becoming into abstract games, in any case.

Update

Now I have Dvonn too, another Project Gipf game. A stacking game, it is also good.