Game Review: Geominos

By Greg J. Schloesser
December 8, 2007

Publisher: Hilaria and Ludi
Designer: Tod Teeple
Players: 2-4
Playing Time: 20-30 minutes
Rules Language: English

In spite of being packaged in a cardboard pizza box and bearing a name that sounds strikingly similar to that of a major pizza enterprise, Geominos has nothing to do with the sauce-covered doughy delight. Rather, it is a clever placement game wherein players must match the geometrically-shaped tiles in a dominoes-like fashion while avoiding having their tiles overlap into “unsafe” spaces on the board.

The game is the creation of Tod Teeple and the first title published by Hilaria and Ludi. The board is comprised of a series of squares laid out in a 7x7 pattern. Each of these squares is further subdivided into nine squares contained in a 3x3 grid. Twenty of the larger squares are shaded, and represent “safe” spaces when playing the tiles. The board is not mounted, but is laminated to protect the surface from damage. The twenty-one tiles come in a variety of shapes, and depict a variety of numbers in a domino-like fashion. The layout of the numbers is different on both sides of the tiles, so players have several options when placing the tiles. Completing the components is a set of cards, one matching each tile, and two 1-minute sand timers. While the components are certainly functional, they do fall short of those with which most gamers are accustomed.

Game play is actually exceedingly simple. Players alternate placing tiles to the board, attempting to minimize the points they suffer for pips that fall in “unsafe” areas. When placing a tile, a player must match at least one square of the tile he is placing to a previously placed tile. If any of the squares of the tile fall into the “unsafe” areas, the player scores points for the value of the squares in those areas. For example, if three squares bearing values of 5, 2 and 1 fall in an unsafe area, the player scores 8 points. You don’t want to score points in this game, so the main objective is to minimize the points you score, while forcing your opponents to make placements that will result in large scores.

While you’ll be tempted to place a tile so as to minimize the points you will score, a player must also be careful not to provide an easy placement option for his opponent. Often, it is wiser to sacrifice a few points so that your opponent will be left with an undesirable placement option. When playing with multiple players—the game plays well with two to four players—you will primarily be concerned with the player seated to your left.

Play concludes once players have placed all of their tiles. The player with the fewest cumulative points is victorious.

There are numerous ways to play the game, but the main difference is how the tiles are selected during the course of the game. My favorite method gives each player five tiles, with a new one being drawn after each placement. The tile to be taken is determined by drawing a card and taking the matching tile. Variations include giving players only one tile that must be placed, or giving players all of the tiles at the beginning of the game. The sand timers are included to add some time tension to the game and help eliminate any potential downtime caused by over-thinking.

The game is certainly not difficult, and it is easily accessible for just about any but the youngest audience. When I first played, I immediately thought that my wife would really enjoy the game … and she does. I also played with gamers, and they, too, found it enjoyable. The game certainly isn’t a heavyweight in depth or strategy, but it has just enough to make it challenging and appealing. Packaged properly with upgraded components, Geominos is the type of game that could easily appeal to a wide audience and become mainstream. It would be a delight to see it lining the shelves of major retailers. That may never occur, though, so grab your copy now!

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