TSURO (2005)

PLAYERS	TIME	DESIGNER	PUBLISHER
2-6	20 mins	Tom McMurchie	Calliope Games

This is a game where 2-6 players will be laying tiles on a 6×6 grid board in the hopes of guiding their dragon stone around without it hitting a) another player, or b) the edge of the board.

Each tile has eight exit points, two on each side. So the routes will always meet up.

But the tiles all have different patterns on them, with quarter turns and loop backs on them. You have to be careful with what you’re placing, and do your best to plan ahead.

Of course, planning is limited. You only have three tiles in your hand at a time. And of course, those pesky other players are going to get in your way if they can.

The beauty of TSURO comes from it’s simplicity. Place a tile and follow the path. It’s last man standing.

And then it’s extremely quick to clear the board and set up again.

However, the simplicity can bring repetitiveness with it, and it may slowly become more of an opener to an evening, a game where people play it relaxed while catching up at the start of a session.

And the randomness of the tiles and the routes can sometimes make players feel that someone won just because they did. It’s difficult to bring skill to this game. Luck is your friend.

Overall, TSURO is a great gateway game, and a great opener. There can be fun in the tension of seeing players get close to the wall and each other, but the last few turns will almost always have an unwanted inevitability to them.