Qwirkle Board Game

Qwirkle Board Game
by MindWare

Qwirkle Board Game
List Price: $34.99
Our Price: $16.90
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Product Summary

Manufacturer: MindWare
Brand: MindWare
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Published)
Release Date: 2011-01-10
Model: 32016
Product features:
  • 2-4 players
  • ages 6 and up
  • 45 minutes
  • Games Magazine Award: Best Family Game Runner-up 2007
  • Mensa Best Mind Game Award Winner 2007; Major Fun Award Winner 2007

Toys and Games Reviews of Qwirkle Board Game

Customer Review: Fun and educational, but cheaply made
Summary: 4 Stars

I purchased Qwirkle for Christmas for my son. Dad and I have played the game more than he has, though he seems to enjoy it as well. The game is not too long to play with 3 or more players, however, it is noticeably longer (and seems a bit harder?) with only 2. I like this game and other MindWare games/products we own. My only qualm with this particular title is that the game is poorly made.

Qwirkle consists of a set of painted wooden tiles, a convenient canvas storage bag, and instructions. The box is quite a bit bigger than necessary for the pieces contained within, perhaps to keep it in size with other games. The Qwirkle tiles are quite a bit thicker than Scrabble tiles and, thus, will stand up on their own to protect the privacy of your "hand". The wood of which the tiles are made is fairly light-weight, but they feel substantial enough in hand. The tiles do not make a significant clacking sound when the tiles are laid on the table or poured into the storage bag. Game-play is fairly straightforward once you understand the concept and we did not find it necessary to refer back to the instructions after our initial reading. Qwirkle is like a mixture of dominoes and scrabble, but with colors and shapes.

Now, to my problems with the game. The game tiles come packaged together in three separate "sheets." Apparently, the tiles are painted as a sheet because it was necessary to snap the tiles apart to break the paint joints between pieces. After snapping the pieces apart I found that many small pieces of black paint had fallen off or were hanging from the edges of the tiles. This is still happening, even after playing the game four times. This could be a problem for those with small children who could potentially ingest the paint flakes.

After snapping apart the tiles, I found that, while all the sides of all of the tiles are black, only the fronts and backs of all the tiles are *completely* finished. This fact is particularly noticeable because the tiles are extra thick and these unfinished, rough edges are plainly visible when the tiles are upright forming your hand. To be accurate, while most tiles have no edges finished, one or two edges of *some* of the tiles are finished. This seems dependent on whether (and where) the tile was along the edge of the sheet when the sheet was painted. I would think, given that the game is only a bunch of fairly simple painted wooden tiles, the company could go the extra mile and finish the sides of all the pieces with a smooth, glossy coating like the fronts and back. The difference in finishing on the edges of the tiles makes the game seem cheap and cheesy. Also, these tiles are not nearly as nice to handle as a Scrabble tile.

The last problem actually affects game play: We find it difficult to differentiate between the colors red and orange when the pieces are standing upright in our hands. Once the pieces are laid down and played, it is easy to make the distinction between colors. This problem was experienced by every member of our family; we constantly find ourselves tilting our pieces to determine whether a piece is red or orange. This, unfortunately, tells any opponent that you have a red or orange piece in your hand. By the way, we play the game in a well-lit (certainly normally-lit) dining room. We would probably not experience the same problem if we played the game in an extra-bright supermarket. We are planning to modify either the red or orange tiles to make the colors easier to differentiate.

All this said, I would probably still buy Qwirkle if I had it to do over again. It is a fun and simple game that is easy to set-up and easy to break down. I would not, however, pay anywhere near the list price for this game - it is just too shabbily made for that price. Also, I would hesitate to buy Qwirkle as a gift for the same reason.

Description of Qwirkle Board Game

Our tactile wooden block game combines the logic and strategy of Set® with the creative multi-maneuver game play of Scrabble®. Easy-to-learn rules mean you'll be creating columns and rows of matching colors and shapes in no time! Look for opportunities to score big by placing a tile that touches multiple pieces and matches both shapes and colors; the player with the most points wins. 108 blocks.

An addictive strategy game in the tradition of Sequence, Scrabble, and Othello, the Qwirkle Board Game from MindWare has a simple, straightforward premise: match tiles and win points. But the real joy of the game lies in plotting and scheming your way to victory. Winner of the Parent's Choice Gold Award and a Mensa Select National Competition Winner, Qwirkle is destined to be a family game night favorite. This game is designed for ages six and up and for two to four players.

Mindware Logo
Qwirkle
Board Game
  • Ages: Six and up
  • Players: Two to four
At a Glance:
  • A fun twist on Scrabble and matching games
  • Players strategize to make matches and earn points
  • Comes with 108 wooden tiles
  • Winner of Parent's Choice Gold Award and Mensa National Competition
  • Includes drawstring bag for tile storage and instructions
Mindware Qwirkle Board Game
Mindware Qwirkle Board Game
This award-winning strategy game is easy to learn. View larger.
Mindware Qwirkle Board Game
Match colors and shapes in this enthralling strategy game. View larger.
Mix, Match, Score, and Win

Qwirkle consists of 108 wooden blocks with six different shapes in six colors. Using the blocks, players attempt to score the most points by building lines that share the same shape or color. The simple setup makes this an instant winner for younger kids, while adults will enjoy strategizing to win.

How to Play

A typical game of Qwirkle lasts about 45 minutes--longer when you're first learning how to play--and players will likely catch on to the rules in no time at all. The game can be set up anywhere, although a large tabletop is best to accommodate the generous number of tiles. The only other thing you'll need is a pencil and paper to keep track of everyone's point count.

Each tile has an illustration on the back (circle, eight-point star, four-point star, square, clover, or diamond). Each of these symbols appears in six different colors (red, yellow, orange, green, blue, and purple). In total, the game has three tiles each of the 36 possible color-symbol combinations. To help make sure you don't lose any tiles in between games, Qwirkle comes with a drawstring storage pouch.

Straightforward, Easy-to-Follow Rules

As in Scrabble, the game starts with players drawing their own "hand" of six tiles. The player with the most tiles that share something in common (color or symbol) plays their pieces and wins points. And so it goes until the pieces make up a giant grid. One rule adults will likely need to reiterate to little ones is that duplicate tiles don't count. For instance, if someone has three diamonds, and two of them are green, they can only count one of those diamonds for points.

As play continues and the stakes get higher, younger kids may need some help deciding where to build to maximize their points. Our testers found that the length of the game may make younger kids squirmy halfway through. To keep them engaged, parents can always distribute half the number of tiles to start. The game is over when all the tiles have been played and all the points have been tallied.

What's in the Box

108 wooden tiles, cloth drawstring bag, and instruction booklet.

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