Tsuro is a tile placement game. This particular version also includes sea monsters (Daikaiju), but we have yet to play with those. Everyone picks a ship and gets 3 Wake Tiles. Starting with the oldest player, everyone places their ships on the start markers around the board. Then once again beginning with the oldest player, you place a Wake Tile, move your ship along the path (or wake), and draw a new tile. The goal is to not be eliminated by having your ship sent off the edge of the board.
When placing tiles you can’t:
- Purposefully send your ship off the board unless it’s your only move (this tends to happen a lot in the end game)
- Set your ship on an endless loop unless it’s your only move – this does eliminate you from the game
- Place a tile that causes you and another player to travel in the same direction on the same path
The more tiles placed on the board, the trickier it gets to stay on the board. Other players tiles can cause your ship to move, which can interfere with your plans or send you off the board. A good strategy is to try to stay away from other ships (which is easier with fewer players) and the edge of the board, which again becomes harder the longer the game goes on.
The last ship left on the board wins. If the last two player are sent off the edge due to the last tile placement, those players tie.
This is a fun, quick game. We often play it when someone is running late to game day. That way they don’t have to wait until we finish a long game before they get to play. It’s also a nice one to play if someone has to leave in 20 minutes. The rules are simple and there aren’t many decisions to make.