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Ophiuchus

The 13^th constellation

The game features 13 cards with stellar constellations that correspond to the twelve zodiacal signs of astrology, plus a constellation called Ophiuchus as 13^th constellations. On the left side of those cards you see colored or white pattern rows, colored ones demand that color, white means any color and the symbols that are depicted in the row. The constellation cards are displayed openly on the table.

The tiles to place are halved like Domino pieces, each of the halves can show up to six different symbols/colors. Players are dealt such tiles face-down -  there are different options for the number of tiles and the handling of remaining stock – and one tile is placed open-faced to begin the common display. You add a tile to one already in the display, side by side, either over both halves or one half only, or the short side, without a gab and within a9x9 grid. When you thus form the pattern on a constellation card in an uninterrupted row, you can take the corresponding constellation card. When the new tile produces a row of exactly 13 symbols, you can draw an additional tile or take a victory point chip. At the end of your turn you draw one tile from stock, called Astral Reserve. When all constellation cards have been taken, you win with most points from constellation cards minus two points for each unused tile in your reserve.

Ophiuchus is an ambitious attempt at an abstract tile placement game, based on Domino. Basically a very good attempt with a nice topic, but the rules need very extensive revision to be easily understandable and the graphic, which is beautiful, could also be simplified.

Players: 1-4

Age: 14+

Time: 60+

Designer: Emiliano Zampa

Artist: Maurizio Faleschini

Price: ca. 25 Euro

Publisher: ApokalypseInc 2015

Web: www.apokalypseinc.com

Genre: Tile placement, pattern formation

Users: With friends

Special: 1 player

Version: multi

Rules: en it

In-game text: no

Comments:

Good components

Nice topic

Very problematic rules

Rather irritating graphics

Compares to:

Tile placement games with pattern formation

Other editions:

Currently none

Chance (pink): 1

Tactic (turquoise): 2

Strategy (blue): 0

Creativity (dark blue): 0

Knowledge (yellow): 0

Memory (orange): 0

Communication (red): 0

Interaction (brown): 3

Dexterity (green): 0

Action (dark green): 0