Game Thursday is back! And we're back from near the Mediterranean, more specifically from the Aegean Sea, which bathes the Greek islands...
...and what does the Aegean have to do with this board game that we are going to review today,
Ariadne's Thread , from the Italian company Milaniwood?
Well, it has to do with the fact that the name of this sea comes from King Aegeus, father of Theseus, Ariadne's boyfriend, who went to kill the Minotaur in his labyrinth, helped by her and her famous thread...
...but Greek mythology is so vast that this post doesn't allow for much more detail. So, let's move on to explaining a bit about this board game, which is unique in its materials and original in its gameplay.
Ariadne's Thread is a board game with surprising materials: wooden buttons of different shapes, colors, and sizes, and a cotton board. You must follow a path following certain rules to escape the maze. This game develops motor and visual-motor skills by placing the pieces on the board in the correct order.
6 to 99 years
2 to 4 players
15 minutes
| Rating: (1-5) |
|
|
|
| Sociability |
***
|
Luck |
***
|
| Cooperation |
*
|
Sensory |
**** |
| Speed |
*
|
Strategy |
**
|
| Memory |
**
|
Visual dexterity |
****
|
It enhances visual dexterity, the sense of touch and strategic thinking.
Preparations:
Spread the cotton board on the table and distribute 5 buttons randomly drawn from the cloth bag to each player. The remaining buttons should remain in the bag. Now, without looking, take a new button from the bag and place it on the first square.
How do you play?
Each player, taking turns, must carefully choose one of their five buttons and place it on the next spot in the maze. Will any button be fine? No! It has to be the same size, color, or shape as the last button placed. If you've managed to place one of your buttons, take another from the bag (take the opportunity to tap carefully without looking to pick out the one that suits you best), place it in your spot, and pass the turn.
What happens if you can't place any buttons? You must discard one of your buttons and pass the turn.
If you land on a square with arrows, the button you place must not only be the same in shape, size, or color as the last one placed, but also match the buttons indicated by the arrows.
If you can't do any of these actions, it's fine; it's the next player's turn. And if no player can place any of their buttons, everyone draws a button from the bag, and the player who was supposed to place it continues playing.
If your button matches the size and shape of the last button, and the color of the second-to-last button, place your button on top of the last one (not in the next box), and take TWO buttons from the bag.
If you run out of buttons, you are automatically eliminated.
If the bag runs out of buttons, everyone must "donate" a button to the bag to continue playing.
When does the game end?
When the button is placed in the last square of the maze, whoever placed it takes two buttons from the bag. The buttons are then counted, and whoever has the most... wins!
Did you like this board game? You can buy it
here .
