Tak (game)
| Designer(s) |
James Ernest Patrick Rothfuss |
|---|---|
| Publisher(s) | Cheapass Games |
| Genre(s) |
Board game Abstract strategy game |
| Players | 2 |
| Setup time | Minimal |
| Playing time | Casual: 10-30 minutes Tournament: 30-90 minutes |
| Random chance | None |
| Skill(s) required | Tactics, Strategy |
Tak is a two-player abstract strategy game designed by James Ernest and Patrick Rothfuss and published by Cheapass Games in 2016. It was introduced in Patrick Rothfuss' book The Wise Man's Fear, Day 2 of The Kingkiller Chronicle.
The objective of Tak is to be the first to connect any two opposite edges of the board with their pieces, called "stones", creating a road. To this end, players will take turns attacking and capturing their opponent's pieces while supporting their own.
Cheapass Games created a Kickstarter campaign in order to bring the game to publication. The campaign was launched on April 19, 2016 with a goal of US$50,000; it ended on May 23, 2016 with 12,187 backers and US$1,351,142 pledged. Among tabletop games, it made #23 in funding and #13 in backer count at the time.
As of March 9, 2016, the official rules for Tak are described by Cheapass Games on their website.
Tak can be played on several sizes of boards. Depending on the size, players will use the appropriate number of stones. All Tak games start with an empty board.
Tak, similar to Chess and Checkers, can be played on a square board with alternating "light" and "dark" squares. In addition, Cheapass Games released a specialized hybrid board to provide a single surface for 6x6, 5x5, 4x4, and 3x3 games. For even-sized games, pieces are played on the squares (similar to a Chess board.) Odd-sized games are played on the small diamonds located at the corners and intersections of the squares (similar to a Go board.) If there is no board available, players may use an object or a temporary marker to designate the center of the board. Players must imagine the rest of the board until there are enough pieces in play to define it. The object or marker will then be removed.
Also similar to the conventions of chess, checkers, and Go, Tak game pieces, commonly referred to as "stones", are divided into white and black sets and players are often referred to as "White" and "Black" respectively. Tak sets, however, can come in a variety of colors and styles. The capstone can be of any shape, and the stones should be simple, stackable pieces in a matching style.
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Wikipedia