Qwirkle
We're back! In truth, we never left, and we never stopped playing games.
The past month has been full of activity. Between gymnastics, soccer, a surprise birthday party on the other side of the country, and a long bout with illnesses, it has proven difficult to keep up with blogging. This post is long overdue, as we played this game for the first time over a month ago.
Qwirkle is many things. It involves matching, strategy, color and shape recognition, and a whole lot of fun. It is suggested for ages 6 and up, but Genevieve (3 1/2) had no trouble learning the basics. She knows colors and shapes, so it didn't take long before she was able to play without assistance.
I must admit, however, that I didn't read the rules as well as I should have. During our first playthrough we setup the game wrong, and ended up having to start over after realizing my mistake. Its not that the rules are difficult to understand; I just wasn't paying as much attention as I should have. In any case, it is beneficial for children to learn that their parents don't have all of the answers. We'll just call it an opportunity for learning.
Qwirkle is a visually appealing game, whose brilliance is in its simplicity. There are six colors and six shapes. Each color/shape combination is represented three times, for a total of 108 wooden tiles. The tiles are large enough for small hands to hold on to, and the colors are nice and bright. Each player starts by drawing six tiles from the included drawstring bag, and on their turn, places one tile on the table. Then they will draw a tile from the bag to replenish their hand. The goal is to score as many points as possible by placing tiles in rows and columns, but each row/column can only contain one of each color/shape. Those who are proficient in basic math will derive that each row or column can have a maximum of six tiles. Scoring is fairly straightforward: the player gains one point for each tile in the row/column that they played their tile in. For instance, if they placed a green triangle where it matched a row of green shapes, they would count one point for each of the unique green shapes. If it also aligned with a column of triangles (of various colors), they would add a point for each triangle. When a player completes a set of six colors or six shapes (or both!) they also gain a bonus six points for completing the set.
Qwirkle is a fairly simple game, but allows for a great deal of strategic planning for more advanced players. We had Genevieve play with all of her tiles face-up, and gave her several options to choose from. She would name the color and shape that she wanted to play and we helped her find the best place for the tile. The boys and I helped her count her tiles for scoring purposes, but she did the actual counting. As with all of the games we play, we encouraged the importance of having fun and spending time together, rather than trying to score points and win.
As it has been so long since we first played this game, I'm not sure who won...but I'm positive it wasn't me. We've played a few times since, and each time was more enjoyable than the last. I highly recommend Qwirkle to gamers of all ages, but especially to families with small children who are still learning shapes and colors, and older players who are relatively new to tabletop games.
The past month has been full of activity. Between gymnastics, soccer, a surprise birthday party on the other side of the country, and a long bout with illnesses, it has proven difficult to keep up with blogging. This post is long overdue, as we played this game for the first time over a month ago.
 |
| Isaiah, ever the eager scorekeeper |
Qwirkle is many things. It involves matching, strategy, color and shape recognition, and a whole lot of fun. It is suggested for ages 6 and up, but Genevieve (3 1/2) had no trouble learning the basics. She knows colors and shapes, so it didn't take long before she was able to play without assistance.
I must admit, however, that I didn't read the rules as well as I should have. During our first playthrough we setup the game wrong, and ended up having to start over after realizing my mistake. Its not that the rules are difficult to understand; I just wasn't paying as much attention as I should have. In any case, it is beneficial for children to learn that their parents don't have all of the answers. We'll just call it an opportunity for learning.
 |
| Benjamin is scoring big on this play |
Qwirkle is a visually appealing game, whose brilliance is in its simplicity. There are six colors and six shapes. Each color/shape combination is represented three times, for a total of 108 wooden tiles. The tiles are large enough for small hands to hold on to, and the colors are nice and bright. Each player starts by drawing six tiles from the included drawstring bag, and on their turn, places one tile on the table. Then they will draw a tile from the bag to replenish their hand. The goal is to score as many points as possible by placing tiles in rows and columns, but each row/column can only contain one of each color/shape. Those who are proficient in basic math will derive that each row or column can have a maximum of six tiles. Scoring is fairly straightforward: the player gains one point for each tile in the row/column that they played their tile in. For instance, if they placed a green triangle where it matched a row of green shapes, they would count one point for each of the unique green shapes. If it also aligned with a column of triangles (of various colors), they would add a point for each triangle. When a player completes a set of six colors or six shapes (or both!) they also gain a bonus six points for completing the set.
 |
| Genevieve really enjoyed the bold colors |
Qwirkle is a fairly simple game, but allows for a great deal of strategic planning for more advanced players. We had Genevieve play with all of her tiles face-up, and gave her several options to choose from. She would name the color and shape that she wanted to play and we helped her find the best place for the tile. The boys and I helped her count her tiles for scoring purposes, but she did the actual counting. As with all of the games we play, we encouraged the importance of having fun and spending time together, rather than trying to score points and win.
 |
| Be sure to play on a large surface; the tiles can take up a lot of space. |
As it has been so long since we first played this game, I'm not sure who won...but I'm positive it wasn't me. We've played a few times since, and each time was more enjoyable than the last. I highly recommend Qwirkle to gamers of all ages, but especially to families with small children who are still learning shapes and colors, and older players who are relatively new to tabletop games.
Comments
Post a Comment