Board Game of the Week: Rummikub

Every week during #Lockdown2020, West London Living suggests one of their favourite board games to help keep the whole family entertained with not a screen in sight.

This week’s game:

Rummikub

The blurb:

The game is based on the traditional middle-eastern game of Okey. First created in the 1930s and sold in hand-produced versions until the late 1970s. Similar to the Rummy that you play with cards – you try to get rid of all your tiles by forming numbers into runs of 3 tiles or more, or 3 to 4 of a kind. The colours of the numbers on the tiles are like card suits. This game may start rather uneventfully, but when the players start putting more and more tiles in play, the options for your upcoming turns can become more complex, challenging, and exciting

What to expect:

Rummikub is a game for the brain that has staked a firm claim to our kitchen table during the lockdown. While it starts a little slow, it soon becomes a strategic puzzlefest as players try to rid themselves of all their tiles. The thing that makes Rummikub so engaging is the mental gymnastics players have to perform as they try to work out if they can get rid of more tiles from their hand by adding to existing sets or groups, or more satisfyingly, by rearranging those sets and groups into whole new combinations to accommodate what they want to get rid of out of their hand.

The game requires concentration and focus which is great for calming everyone down but is also relaxed enough to enjoy over a glass of wine and a nice soundtrack or family chitchat. Highly recommended for addictive fun that gets your brain cells whirring.

The specifics:

  • 2-4 players
  • Suitable for age 7+
  • Learning time: a few minutes
  • Game time: 20-40mins per round

Try Rummikub yourself. Available to purchase for £26.99 over at: www.johnlewis.com

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