Like Chess but better?

Onitama is a pretty highly rated abstract 2-player game, but in case you don’t know it yet, we are here to give you the scoop! 😉 It definitely has a chess-like ♟️ quality to it, not just in its appearance, but in the way it makes you think when playing. However it’s much more dense and quicker, with a variable setup! So even though you have perfect information when playing, games will vary depending on what cards are used.

So how do you actually play? 🤔
During setup both players place their 5 figures on their side of the 5x5 grid map, with their bigger main piece in the middle, then 5 movement cards are randomly chosen from a pool of 16 cards - 2 for each player plus 1 next to the board in the middle. That’s it, you can start to play! 🙃

Each card details a distinct movement pattern. On your turn you have to choose one of your 2 cards and move one of your figures according to the depicted pattern. After your move, exchange the used card with the shared card. This keeps your tactical choices evolving throughout the game. ☝️ You capture an opponent’s piece by moving onto their square, and the goal is to either remove their main piece or advance your main piece to their starting point to win. 🏆

💬 Very easy to understand, but hard to master! 🧐 Each turn you have to decide how to get yourself into a more advantageous position, keeping an eye on your opponent's potential strategies, especially since the card you play will be available to them on the next turn. The playing field is just 5x5 squares, but the decisions you can make are numerous. This makes turns of this relatively quick game slow and methodical, where each decision has to be thought out carefully. (At least it is definitely case for us 😄).

So if you are on the lookout for your next abstract duel game, you might want to consider Onitama too. The presentation is very pleasant, with a nice playmat and chunky colorful figures. 👌