Of late I have been working through a selection of games from designer Philippe Proux and publisher Ludarden.
While I wouldn’t suggest any game from this designer is a ‘classic’, I will say they have almost all impressed.
The reason our group has been impressed is two-fold.
To begin with, the games are all made entirely of wood. Now I’m not sure if that is a good thing for the planet as we grow to appreciate the role trees play in a greater way, but in terms of game aesthetics it is a total win, at least from my perspective. Wooden games and toys harken back to my youth decades ago, and I am instantly drawn to them.
Proux also designs wonderfully simple games in terms of learning the rules.
I will note that since English is not the first language of the company, at times the English rules seem a touch convoluted, but that does seem as a result of translation. Gamers, especially those who have played a lot of games, will rather quickly discern the rules if translation has created any ambiguity.
Which brings me to Nivos another game from Proux.
In Nivos there are 25 building blocks of different shape and colour. Each turn you place one block within the simple parametres: when played on the starting grid: don’t put it on an empty space and don’t touch a block of the same colour.
With only 25 pieces you have basically 12 turns in a game, so play is quick.
Every time you cannot satisfy the rules, which includes having to start a new level, you get a wooden cylinder, with every cylinder being a little bigger than the one before.
You stack the cylinders and at the end of the game the player with the shortest stack is the winner. Among win conditions this one seems quite novel, and certainly adds a bit of interest to Nivos.
This is another of those fun filler games from Ludarden, allowing for two, three and in teams four players. While not very ‘deep’ in terms of game play, the quick play and nice wooden element endears the game to the point of recommendation.
Check it out at www.ludarden.com
Thanks to fellow Adam Daniels for his help in running through this game for review.
