TOPPEN (2013)

About this game

バベルの塔 ("Tower of Babel"), also known as TOPPEN, is played with ten tiles — five black and five red — with each player taking one color. During set-up, the second player places the ten tiles face down randomly in a square grid so as to form a continuous shape of their choice. The tiles are flipped color-side up, then the game begins. Taking turns, players take one of their tiles and place it on top of a neighboring tile/stack. The following restrictions apply: You can take only one tile, the topmost of a stack. You cannot split the tiles into two separate groups. You cannot move a tile to an empty space. If you cannot make a legal move, you must pass until a legal move is available to you again. You cannot pass if a move is available. The goal is to have your own tile at the top of the last pile remaining when the game ends.

Does it fit your group?

• Group size. Strictly 2 players — no more, no fewer.
• Rules load. At 1.5/5 this is a light game — explain it in a few minutes, good for a table that has not played much.
• Age. The publisher suggests 6 and up. That rates the rules rather than the artwork, so judge the box yourself for younger players.