Talat (game)
| Talat | |
|---|---|
| Game data | |
| author | Bruce Whitehill |
| publishing company | Puzzlewood (2008) HUCH! & friends (2011) |
| Publishing year | 2008, 2011 |
| Art | Board game |
| Teammates | 2-3 |
| Duration | about 30 minutes |
| Age | from 8 years
|
| Awards | |
|
Toy Award 2012 |
|
Talat - The Power of Three is an abstract tactical strategy game for three players, devised by Bruce Whitehill and published by HUCH in 2011 ! & friends . Designed by Whitehill in 2007, a forerunner version of the game was released under the name "Drei" in a different design in 2008 by the US game publisher Puzzlewood, which, as an expensive import version and with its design, could not establish itself on the European market.
Talat received the “ Toy Innovation Award 2012” from the Nuremberg Toy Fair in the “Teenager & Family” category. In 2013 the jury from Mensa in Germany voted the game in second place for the " MinD game tip 2013".
Game idea and process
Almost everything in this board game is based on the number "three": pawns in three heights, number of corners and colors on three playing fields for three players. The maximum playing time is specified as 33 minutes. If no one ponders for a long time, it can also be played through in 20 minutes.
The game begins by gradually building your own battle line. Alternately, exactly one figure is placed on the baseline. It is important to be able to counter the opposite characters in a predictable way. The movement phase only begins when all figures have been placed. Whenever it is your turn, you move exactly one of your own pieces one space forward. You have to choose one of the two playing fields that belong to one.
The target square of the train straight ahead or diagonally must be normally free. Pulling backwards, skipping and passing is not allowed. However, it is allowed to hit sideways, diagonally or straight ahead. The game ends as soon as two of the three playing fields do not allow any further advancement or capture. This is called "freezing".
You get five points for capturing opposing pieces or three for reaching the opposing baseline with your own piece. A rook can capture if the opponent is the same size and has fewer corners or is exactly one step smaller. An exception to capturing applies to the small triangular tower, which can capture the large hexagon figure (Goliath rule). Whoever has collected the most points at the end of the game wins.
design
The Arabic word for 'three' is “Talat”. The design of the game box backs the title of the game Talat with curved arabesques. For once there is little air packed in, the figures fill the hollow space. No game designer is named because the design was created in-house.
The game material includes:
- 27 towers made of aesthetic, heavy plastic, 9 each of different heights and number of corners in three different colors
- 3 game boards with 5 × 5 fields and marked baselines
- 1 rulebook
Variant game for two
If you don't get three players together, only two can compete against each other. The position of the third party is then included as “Zihin” (Arabic for “spirit”) by both opponents. Instead of making a Zihin move on your own field, you can even score points for it. There are three points in the scoring for each Zihin tower on the opponent's starting line.
Reviews
The critics' reviews were mostly positive. It was made clear, however, that it is not suitable for people who do not like abstract tactical and logic games.
The innovative basic mechanics of the three-player game, the high-quality game material and the clear, uncomplicated game rules were praised in unison. "A quick learnability with versatile movement options and great depth of play" was highlighted. It was criticized several times as unfavorable that in some games two players could ally against the third, who then hardly had a chance. Schools and youth institutions, if they run a game library, should take the game into their inventory, recommended the reviewer of the games academy.
Web links
- Talat in the Luding games database
- Talat in the games database BoardGameGeek (English)
supporting documents
- ↑ a b ToyAward winner 2012
- ↑ The TOP 10 toys 2012
- ↑ a b MinD game award 2013
- ↑ http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/39406/talat
- ^ Game review by Jörg Lehmann from May 13, 2012, accessed January 17, 2013
- ↑ Review by Johannes Halbig for Reich der Spiele from April 28, 2013
- ↑ Review by Gabriele Orymek for spielkult.de
- ↑ Review by Manfred Wahl in Die Pöppelkiste
- ↑ Review of spiele-akademie.de from March 15, 2013