Squadro Mini

All I had to do was get there and back. 4 out of 5 pieces across the board and back to me again. In straight lines. Did I manage it? Not a chance! Gigamic’s newest instalment, Squadro, in their purely abstract collection has bested me like a beast!

But, before you mock me mercilessly, it’s not so easy when you don’t set the pace – or have any say over the pattern for moving your pieces! Oh, plus your opponent can send your ships back to their starting docks whenever they intersect with one of yours.

Yep, that’s a rule in Squadro – should one of theirs sail over the top of one of yours en-route to their own side of the board, your boat is going to be backtracking. Oh, and to add insult to injury, they then get to advance one space ahead of your recently vacated space.

(Okay so they aren’t technically ships but, to me, they look like little ships traversing the wooden waves, so I am going to name them such for the purposes of this review!)

The other rules are equally straightforward but no less spikey. Each dock shows how many spaces each ship can move every turn (1,2, or 3). This switches up in the second half, as the opposite ends of the board have different speed “strengths”. You have to predict where your opponent might go next (so that you can avoid putting yourself somewhere worth hopping over), look for opportunities to send their ships back, and race back to your own home base with four of your wooden wave riders.

So far, I have seen my ships sent back more times than they have reached the finish line first. But that’s okay because I know my husband is a master of spatial strategy! It doesn’t lessen the sting, but it definitely doesn’t put me off. If you are against someone who is very good, I won’t lie; it can feel one-sided – a bit like Chess or Go. But the games are short, which means plenty of time to try again. And each game is an opportunity to practice and hone your strategic skills for next time!

Squadro is an easy to learn, quick to play, beautiful looking abstract strategy game. The pieces are chunky and the sustainable wood finish is lovely. And, although I call the pieces ships and they look like they are riding the wooden waves, there is zero theme in this game. But pure abstract strategy doesn’t need bling or bits. It just needs you, your brain, and a game plan!