Connnect
- Board's Eye View
- 4 days ago
- 2 min read
On the face of it, Four Comma's Connnect looks like a super-simple roll & write game. There are three standard six-sided dice and there's no pasted on theme: this is an unashamedly abstract game where you're mainly scoring by making connected strings of ascending, descending or identical numbers (eg: 1, 2, 3 or 3, 2, 1 or 2, 2, 2). The catch is that they need not merely to connect but they must do so in the pattern indicated on the cards for the size of connection: for a Connect 3 there are two possible permutations of orthogonal connections - a straight line or an L shape - and both are always acceptable. There are more possibilities for a Connect 4 or Connect 5 but the shapes that are valid for the game are determined by the cards laid out in set up.
The roll & write grid on which players are recording their patterns is divided into 'zones': columns for 1-3 and rows for 4-6. In each of the game's 12 rounds, the active player rolls the three dice and determines which die should be used to determine the 'zone' where the other two die numbers are recorded. If you find you don't have a space to record a number in the indicated zone or if you just want to alter one of the die numbers to one that's better for you, you can mark off a 'free action' on your sheet. Don't let the term 'free action' lull you into a false sense of security tho': the actions aren't really free, they incur negative points at the end of the game...
It's obviously easier to create a Connect 3 shape than a Connect 4 or Connect 5, so there's an immediate push-your-luck decision over whether to claim a Connect 3 and nab the bonus it gives you or to hold out for it to become a Connect 4 or Connect 5. It's primarily the Connect 4 and Connect 5 shapes that provide the interaction with other players in this 2-4 player game: you're in a race to be the first to claim each Connect 4 shape, and once a Connect 5 shape is claimed that shape is no longer available to other players.
After the recent glut of relatively complex thematic roll & write games, it's refreshing to see Sarawut Jirawaree take us back to the genre's Ganz Schön Clever (Schmidt Spiele) roots with a cunning design that combines simplicity with depth.
Four Comma are based in Thailand. We picked up our copy of Connnect at last year's Spiel Essen and we're not aware as yet of any international distribution arrangements. Click here tho' to contact the publishers directly.