Ricochet Robot has a most impressive recommended number of players. On the box it says that the game can handle from two players up to an infinite number. The rules say that any number of players can play. Others say that as many players as can fit around the table can play. This is impressive, as very few games claim to handle more than eight players. So I decided to try the game out, and see how well it worked. So is Ricochet Robot a good game for you and your extended family? The short answer is that yes, it's a good game for many, but just as many will dislike it. It's a fun brain-teaser for some, and hair-pulling irritations for others. Now for a longer, wordier answer. First a short description of game play…. Four double-sided boards are attached to a Plexiglas center-piece in one of 96 different combinations. Four plastic robots are randomly placed on four spaces on the board. The board is made up of 252 squares. Seventeen of these squares have different colored symbols. The rest are clear spaces, with some walls in between, and a wall running along the outside of the board. Seventeen tokens with symbols matching those on the board are shuffled and placed face down next to the board. Each turn, one of these tokens is flipped over to begin each round. During each round, all players look at the board and try to solve the puzzle. This puzzle consists of moving the robot that matches the color on the chip (the active robot) to the symbol on the board that matches the chip. (One chip is multi-colored, and allows any robot to be the "active" robot.) The goal is to move the robots using as few moves as possible. Robots have some restrictions on how they move. They may only move in a straight line, horizontally or vertically - and cannot stop unless they hit a wall or another robot. Once they do hit an object, they may then move at a right angle in either direction, etc. Other robots may be moved besides the active robot, to better help the active robot reach its goal. Every time the robot hits an obstacle, it counts as one move. Players silently look at the board, moving the robots in their head. When one player finds a solution, where they can move the active robot to the symbol, they announce out loud how many moves their solution entails. They then flip a one-minute timer. The other players now have this amount of time to "bid" lower - to find a solution in fewer moves then the announced number. Once the timer runs out, whichever player has "bid" the lowest number of moves finishes the round. They move the robots on the board, showing their solution to the other players. If their solution is incorrect, then the next lowest player goes, etc. If, however, their solution is correct, they take the chip that was flipped over, and the round ends - with all robots staying where they are. Once a player has reached a certain number of chips (depending on the number of people playing), they win the game! Some comments on the game: 1). Components: The components of this game are of top notch quality. The box is a good, strong, typical Rio Grande Box and holds all the pieces well. The chips are very sturdy, and the symbols on them are very easy to distinguish one from another. The plastic robots are not great works of art, but are extremely durable, and very easy to see and move on the board. The board looks very nice - it holds well when snapped onto the center piece, and there aren't many distractions on it, so that it is fairly easy to look at the board and move the robots in one's head. 2). Rules: The rules come on one double-sided sheet of paper, and are very simple and easy to understand. Some illustrated examples help show how the robots move. I found the game very easy to teach, although some have trouble with robot's movement. Once a round is played out, however, everyone sees exactly how the robots move, and the game proceeds smoothly from that point. 3). Number of players: Yes, any number of players can play the game in theory. However, the more players around the table, the more crowding there is. Because there are too many people trying to get a good look at the board. Crowding is very rarely pleasant, so I don't think Ricochet Robot would be good with more than eight players - and it seems to work very well with 4-6 players. And the more players that there are in the game, the less time each individual player has. If someone has a hard time figuring out solutions, they may never get to move the robots and get a chip, and that can leave the player with a frustrated feeling. 4). Frustration: Some people have a really fun time, sitting down and figuring the solution for each round. Others are extremely frustrated by it. Some people have a hard time mentally moving the robots, and would rather see them move visually to help them. Others are slower thinkers, and get extremely frustrated when they start to work out a solution in their heads, and another player shouts out the answer. 5). Fun Factor: Others, however, find the game extremely fun. I've found that when I teach the game to new people, I can't predict who will be the best at it. People who I consider very logical and smart have a very hard time with it, while others who I didn't have such high regard for do very well. Most people have fun, playing the game. Due to the nature of the game, however, it isn't a rollicking good time. Each round is usually played in total silence, with the players staring hard at the board, concentrating on the robots, trying to move them around in their heads. This game does not provoke shouts of laughter and joy, but rather groans when another player figures out a solution better than yours. This doesn't mean I don't enjoy the game - I do. However, it's more of a multi-player puzzle than it is a game. I have fun trying to figure out the best way to get the robot to its chip, and like watching other people's solutions. I will admit, however, that it is very annoying, after I've worked out a 22 move solution, to hear another player shout "5"! And some of my friends were very put off by the game, as it required rather strenuous thinking. Some times, when you sit down to play a game, you want a break from all the mental stress from the day. I'm not sure I would recommend Ricochet Robot for such a time. But, if you are looking for a game that will challenge everyone's minds, while providing a bit of fun, then Ricochet Robot is the game for you! Back to Table of Contents -- Game! # 6 To Game! List of Issues To MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 2004 by George Phillies. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com