Cheapass Games 245CAG Accessories

Tak University Edition is sold as a 'travel version' of the original  Tak: A Beautiful Game . The goal of the game is to build a 'road', which is a string of pieces that connects opposite sides of the board. If you can trace a path of your coloured pieces from one side to the other (regardless of their height, but pieces cannot connect diagonally) then you win the game. I have been wanting Tak for a while now, but I felt that the board artwork in the original version looked both unattractive and distracting (the box cover art is pretty dire as well), and its also pretty expensive (currently over £45). So when I heard they had released a 'University Edition' with a nice and simple looking board, a bag for easier portability, and at a cheaper price point, I decided to go for it.The box itself is really lean and neat in size, making storage really easy. Inside you get a 5x5 board, 42 square wooden pieces, 2 wooden capstone pieces, a drawstring bag and a rules book. The board is made of the same material that you would find on a board for any other board game (Note that you can only play the 5x5 version of the game with this set, which is the recommended play anyway. If you want to be able to play 6x6 or 7x7 games then you will need to buy the original which has the board size and number of pieces to accommodate this). The wooden square pieces are pretty small in size, about 2cm, but they aren't fiddly to hold and look decent on the board. The bag is good quality and all of the wooden pieces fit in it easily. The board doesn't fold so will not fit in the bag, but as its not that big anyway it doesn't matter. I plan on taking the set on holiday as the whole thing is very easy to transport and hardly takes up any space. The rules book is more like a rules fold-out leaflet which I don't particularly care for, but the instructions themselves were simple enough to follow.Although I am a huge fan of the series of books in which this game features (Patrick Rothfuss' Kingkiller Chronicles), I am also an avid board game collector, so I was intrigued to see whether this would hold up as a genuinely fun and thought-provoking 2-player strategy game, rather than a piece of merchandise sold for fans of the books. I'm pleased to say that the game is indeed a well-designed game. The author and the designer have worked together to create something fairly simple in its execution, yet difficult in its mastery. The game has enough strategy and depth for me to get my teeth into, but was also easy enough to learn and play for my girlfriend (who doesn't often enjoy these back and forth abstract-style games). And the brilliant thing is that despite the amount of strategy there is, the board is tight enough that one ill-considered move can quickly change the balance of power. So although I am quite heavy in my planning when playing the game, my girlfriend (who doesn't think more than one move ahead) still wins a fair amount of the time. The stacking and dropping of pieces as you move is satisfying to do in and of itself, and thus only strengthens the enjoyment of playing the game.Overall I'm impressed with the quality of the components here. Of course the pieces aren't made of the best wood available, but they don't look like they have been cheaply produced either. The whole thing actually looks pretty nice when set up. I'm also pleased with my decision to wait for this edition to be released. Unless you are wanting to play larger games or are desperate to have pieces shaped in the form of currency from the books, then I would 100% recommend getting the University Edition over the original, more expensive one, as not only is the quality good, but you can take it to play anywhere with no trouble at all.

I bought this as a gift for my mum (a very keen fan of the king killer chronicles) and she loves it! The game itself is brilliant the problem (at least I think) is the board I think this game would be much nicer if it had a wooden board rather than a card one, and for the price I think this is a reasonable request. Personally I feel it detracts from the experience playing tak. The game itself is very good and I would recommend!

The game has simple rules which are easy to learn, and lead to all kinds of interesting patterns and strategies. Great fun.This particular set has a 5x5 board and enough pieces for a 5x5 game. If you want to play the 6x6 game then you will need the other, larger boxed game. However this particular size is perfect for playing in the lunch hour.There is also a cloth bag for keeping the pieces in.

The game is decent, addictive, fun.I'm not sure why they are saying this version is portable: The game board is in fact a cardboard piece. I was hoping for cloth or leather. Nevertheless, worth it, as you can totally play without it.

It came with a little imperfection on the board but it contains anything needed for 5- games. The sizes are convenient and everything is very light.

A beautiful game. Easier to pick up and play compared to chess and more strategy than draughts. Highly recommend

Great