Isn't Qwirkle a Great Family Game ?

After playing Qwirkle a few times and having tons of fun with it, I decided I should write a short summary about the game since I haven’t heard many others talking about it. The game has been around since 2006 and it’s about time it gets more exposure. Once you play, you’ll agree that Qwirkle is a game to add to the weekly game night list.

Actually, I’m quite surprised that the Qwirkle game is not a household favorite. Just this past year, 2011, it won a coveted award called the Spiel des Jahres (Game of the Year) by a jury of board game critics from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. They based their review on originality, rule structure, layout, and design, just to name a few criteria.

What makes Qwirkle, sometimes misspelled as Quirkle, such an engaging game is the strategy that the player must be conscious of during game play. It’s very similar to the game Scrabble except the tiles are shapes and colors instead of letters. Now, I’ll admit I love playing Scrabble too but the Qwirkle board game allows you to have that cognitive superiority without having to resort to a dictionary.

Qwirkle is a game similar to Scrabble and Dominoes. It consists of 108 tiles that have 6 different shapes of 6 different colors printed on one side. The shapes and colors determine the tiles attributes. The tiles are shuffled face down on a flat surface, much like Dominoes, and each player draws 6. Play begins with the player that has the most tiles sharing the same attribute e.g. all blue or all squares.

Tiles are played in rows or columns the same way as both Dominoes and Scrabble. Tiles can be added to the end of another row or column, just as in Scrabble where the word “rob” can become “problem.” Points are given for each tile used. All players must have 6 tiles, so when they are used in play they must take from the draw pile. Game play is over when the draw pile is exhausted and a player is out of tiles.

While technically Qwirkle is not a board game in the sense that it has a board you must play on, it is considered a board game because the board is virtual and appears during game play. So there isn’t really a board, but your kitchen table or living room floor or coffee table can become the playing surface.

If you have a game night with family or friends then you should really give Qwirkle a try. It’s always fun to try out new games just to keep things fresh. Check out the great deals for Qwirkle listed on this page. Here is your chance to be the first of your friends or neighbors to introduce a fantastic and engaging game. But you don’t want to wait too long because I’m certain that being such an amazing game, everyone is going to have at least tried it sooner or later. If you don’t believe me, try asking your Facebook friends or your Twitter friends or anyone in your social networks if they have heard of Qwirkle. When the overwhelming majority tell you no, then you know you have a shot at becoming the center of attention at your next get together, assuming you bring along your new Qwirkle Board Game!!!