Scoozie is a game so unique it's patented. An abstract
representation of American Football, Scoozie is a game of
pure skill - no chance involved at all. The game requires as much
thought as chess, but is much quicker - a complete game can be played
in twenty minutes, usually. There are rules to allow for longer games,
if desired.
The board is very hard to describe - perhaps I'll try to scan it later.
For now, picture a chessboard, with alternating green and white
squares. Turn the chessboard 45 degrees, so you are now looking at
diamonds instead of squares. Expand the diamonds out so the green
diamonds are seven rows long by six columns wide (the white diamonds
are six by five).
At the junction where two horizontally adjacent green diamonds meet
two vertically adjacent white diamonds, place a large circle. Connect
all the circles, orthagonally and diagonally. Ah, see, I told you it
was hard to describe . . .
At any rate, there are only three types of pieces, all represented by
handsome wooden pawns. The defense has eleven tackles. The offense
has eight guards and three ball-carriers/receivers. Guards and tackles
can only move from square to square - they can't go on the large
circles described above. Ball-carriers/receivers, which have a peg on
top to hold a wooden ball, are limited to movement on the circles,
along the paths connecting the circles, and must always move forward
when they move. They may not move on the squares, nor may they move
through a tackle, or through a path next to a tackle. However, they
may pass the ball to one another along a clear path, as far as
possible, so long as it follows a path in a straight line.
Each turn, beginning with offense, you move exactly two pieces. You
can block another piece by moving into its space, and pulling it
to the side of the path through that space. Both pieces, the blocker
and the blockee, are then locked in place the rest of the game. A
blocked tackle still controls the paths along his half of the square,
but not along the other half - the player initiating the block decides
which half of the square is occupied by which piece.
The object for offense is to open up a path to allow a ball-carrier
through, and for defense to tackle the ball-carrier as soon as
possible. Points are awarded to offense depending on how far the ball
travelled before being tackled (if at all), and then the players switch
sides.
While hard to describe, the game plays very well. It doesn't provide
the lightning fast moves that some football fans expect, but instead a
deep-thinking, satisfying game that can be played twice in a lunch
hour. Recommended.
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