Game Review: TAC

By Richard Reilly
November 28, 2007

Publisher: Flower of Life Publishing Company
Designer: Kolja Sparrer
Players: 4 (or 1-4)
Ages: 10+
Playing Time: 60 minutes
Rules Language: German/English

[Note from the reviewer: I had the privilege of working with TAC’s designer on the English version of the rules, for which service I was rewarded with a special mahogany edition of the game. On the one hand, you might consider me biased; on the other, you may presume that I know the game quite well. I will try, of course, to be both honest and accurate.]

TAC is a member of the Parcheesi family of games, and most gamers will immediately recognize the similarities. As in Parcheesi, four players race their marbles from their starting corner around the board and into home; as in Dog and Sorry! (two other members of the family), movement is governed by cards instead of dice. There are special cards which allow actions other than simple movement, and some of these cards are similar to those in Dog and Sorry! (In all three games, for instance, the four card allows movement backwards.)

But TAC should not be regarded as a rip-off of these other games. Rather, it develops them in such a way as to maximize the potential for planning, tactics, and player interaction. As a result, it is—I believe—the finest member of the family.

First, each player is part of a team, sitting on opposite sides of the board from one another, and the game is played in rounds. At the beginning of a round each player receives five cards. After announcing whether or not one can “open"—that is, move a marble onto the track—each player swaps a card with his partner. Players then take turns playing one card at a time until everyone has played all five of his cards. Only then do players receive more cards before starting a new round. Thus, while luck of the draw is an important factor, the game also allows considerable room for tactical planning within each round.

Normal movement is clockwise around the board. Marbles cannot pass other marbles, but if one marble lands on another by exact count, the second marble is knocked back to its corner pocket; thus players can block each other, but doing so is risky. Players must take an action if possible, thereby making self knock-outs a real possibility. Marbles are safe from being knocked out only when they are at home.

Second, while some cards are similar to those in Sorry! and Dog, there are differences which increase a player’s freedom to make interesting tactical decisions. Consider, for instance, the seven: In Sorry!, the seven can be divided between two of a player’s pawns; in TAC, the seven can be divided among as many of his marbles as the player wishes, as long as the total number of spaces moved adds up to seven. The same marble may even be moved more than once, allowing a marble to move and knock out another marble, then move again. Similarly, while in Sorry! the eleven (and in Dog, the Jack) can be used to swap a player’s marble with that of another player, the Trickser in TAC can be used to swap any two marbles on the track, regardless of who owns them.

TAC includes other special cards unlike anything in Sorry! or Dog:

• The eight allows a player to either move one of his marbles or cancel the next player’s turn.

• The Jester requires each player to hand all of his cards to the player on his right.

• The Angel requires a player to move a marble of the next player from his corner pocket to his entrance or, if that isn’t possible, to move one of that player’s marbles forward 1 or 13 spaces.

• The Warrior requires a player to move a marble forward any number of spaces and to knock out the first marble it comes to. If there are no other marbles on the track, the Warrior knocks out itself!

• The Devil requires a player to make the next player’s move for him, using the latter’s own cards.

Two extra wild cards are also provided which players can use to invent special cards of their own.

The game doesn’t end until both members of a team have finished. When one member finishes, he continues to play, assisting his partner as if the partner’s marbles now belonged to him. This not only speeds up the endgame; it insures that no one will have to sit and wait while others play.

I have left out many details, but hopefully you can see from what I’ve said that play of TAC is full of surprises.

The game’s components are quite nice: a large, heavy wooden board with a “flower of life” design printed on it, high quality playing cards, and sixteen marbles. The English rules are (ahem) a model of clarity and precision, and several variations for 1-4 players are described in the rules. Special editions of the board and marbles—such as the mahogany one I received—are available to winners of tournaments and through yearly contests for the invention of new rules and special cards.

I think of TAC as falling into the category of social games, by which I mean games that are ideal for play while socializing with friends who may or may not be gamers. It’s a game that I’ll take along when my wife and I spend an evening with another couple, even though gaming isn’t the main reason we’re getting together. (Other games suitable for this purpose include Mah Jong and Rummikub, games that move fast, are relatively simple, and encourage lots of player interaction and chatter.) So far I have introduced the game to three other couples, and on all three occasions the game was a success. Two of the couples expressed interest in getting their own copy; those who recognized its similarity to Sorry! agreed that TAC was the better game.

As it’s not overly complex, TAC is a game suitable for young and old, making it an ideal family game. It requires skill to play well, but it isn’t a brain-burner that will bore casual players. Most importantly it’s fun! I recommend it highly.

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