The Game of Zen (Tsuro)

Since the beginning, humanity has struggled to achieve a state of mind where one could accept all, and stress would no longer affect them.  Some have called this Zen, others meditation.  And although the name changes, the path still remains as elusive and unfocused as the path one walks on in Tsuro.



BACKGROUND:  Tsuro is a tile based board game. It was published in 2004 for 2 to 8 players by Calliope Games.  Players create paths to further their own pieces and eliminate opponents. 

GAMEPLAY:  Each player has a hand of three tiles.  On a players turn, they place a tile in front of their pawn, and follow the path of white until it stops, with other players moving if they have a path in front of them, then play passes to the next player.  Players may not deliberately cause themselves to be eliminated unless their only action is to do so.

WINNING:  When a player goes off the board, they are eliminated from the game.  If a pawn runs into another players pawn, both players are eliminated.  Shuffle any eliminated players hand back into the deck.  The last player standing wins.

CONCLUSION:  Tsuro is a very relaxing game, but that doesn't mean it isn't cutthroat or strategic.  Due to the simplicity, there is an ease of understanding the game for all audiences, and yet there's a layer of strategy not found in games even kids could play.  At the end of the day, games take so little time that you don't have to worry about losing, as you'll generally be able to play again in 10 or 15 minutes.  Tsuro is a game that all people should at least attempt, and that most would be able to enjoy.