Alyss 2008-03-16
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Why Gobblet is great:
Instructions and rules can be explained in under 5min to a child or adult
but the game is not one that is easily mastered, unlike tic tac toe, which is the principle on which the game operates.
It can be played by adults but its concept is simple enough to be understood by a child, and it is the kind of game an adult can play with a child and enjoy- unlike most child's games which are only really enjoyable in themselves for the child.
It encourages logical thinking, strategy and spacial thinking.
I would compare it to RISK in that the basic principles are uncomplicated (position your pieces to attack and conquor those of your opponents and thus rule the world)but unlike RISK there isnt a whole book of rules, and a game of Gobblet can be completed in under ten minutes. Also like RISK there is much room for individual strategy, in fact that is what the game depends on, not luck or chance.
How you play Gobblet is a lot like tic-tac-toe. Only insted of 3 in a line, you need four and it is colors, not Xs & Os. The primary difference is what makes it so great- in tic-tac-toe, once you've mastered the game, nobody wins anymore. This is not possible with Gobblet. The pieces nest inside one another like stacking cups, the smallest being solid. You may "gobble" an opponents piece by putting your larger upside down cup over their smaller one. If they have a larger cup and they wish to gobble your piece on top of theirs, they may do so. The biggest cups cannot be gobbled, but each side only gets three of those, not enough to win. One strategy is to utilize your smallest pieces first, making your opponent waste their bigger pieces gobbling yours. You can gobble a tiny piece with one of the biggest ones if you wish, making your opponent unable to gobble it.
I have had experience with other Blue Orange games as well, and I do not wish to be unkind, but I wouldn't advise you to think they're all this good. Gobblet and Gobblet JR are, thus far their best and only really good creations. Some of their others are mediocre, others are downright poor.