One of my favorite abstract games to play is Mancala. It’s not because it’s particularly exciting, but rather, the beauty and elegance of a well made set always elevates the game and invites me to open it, hold the pieces, and enjoy a game. A good old fashioned challenge between two players. 

I felt a similar feeling upon seeing Shōbu for the first time.

At first glance Shobu is a game that just invites you to pick it up. It’s has a beautiful, organic design. And much like the box promises, it is beautifully challenging too!

How Do You Play Shōbu?

Shobu is an abstract strategy game for two players. Players are trying to push all of their opponent’s rocks off of one of the boards. The first player to do this is the winner.

Players sit across from each other, each with two boards, one dark and one light, in front of them and a rope in between the players’ boards separating the playing area into two sections. Each player has 16 river rocks, four on each of the four boards.

A turn plays out in two parts. First, you may move one of your rocks currently on one of your two home boards up to two spaces in any direction for your “passive” or set up move. Then, you take your second, “aggressive” move.  Your aggressive move must be made in the same direction and number of spaces as the passive move, but it must be made on one of the opposite color boards, either yours or your opponent’s. 

You are allowed to push a rock of your opponent on your aggressive move. You may not push your own rock. Rocks pushed off the board in this way stay on the table and are removed from play.

Players alternate turns, taking a passive and then an aggressive move, until one player has eliminated the rocks of another player off a single board.

What Do We think?

In a world of two player abstract strategy games that often feel the same, Shobu stands out as unique. 

I absolutely enjoy the thoughtful and creative strategy involved in using one board to set up your move on another board. It requires this delicate balance where you have to spread out your passive moves amongst both boards so as not to leave yourself vulnerable to your opponent while also allowing yourself to make those strategic aggressive moves that get you closer to the win. 

Shobu has a really fun amount of tension right from the get go. You don’t have that many moves available to you so each move you can make is very important. The game bounces back and forth between both players, often when you make a great move, you realize that it opened you up to your opponent countering right away. Things really start to feel intense when you or your opponent (or sometimes both!) Are down to one piece and each trying desperately to knock the other off the board before defeat claims you. 

As you play the game more and more you’ll really start to analyze your movements and juggle the balance between offense and defense more successfully. While you don’t have a lot of moves available to you at any given time, you’ll still find yourself thoughtfully considering each one, especially towards the end of the game when the pressure is on. That said, the game is true to it’s description and only takes about 15-20 minutes per game. Making it a great option for a “best of 3” contest!

For a game composed of rocks and wood, it is a lot of fun! 

The components really lend a classic, almost ancient feel to the game. If you would have told me that this was a game played out hundreds of years ago rather than a game designed within the last year I probably would have believed you. One thing that I would change however would be the board quality. It is a very light board and I wish that it would have been made of a heavier, sturdier wood, similar to some of the beautiful hardwood Mancala sets I’ve played on.

That said, its simplicity of design while maintaining a complexity of strategy really make it a game that you could enjoy playing for years. And it’s easily one you could use to up your decor by having it sit out permanently somewhere in your home. 

A quick, important note on the look of the game: The copy we received for a review features boards with a very orange stain rather than the beautiful walnut color pictured on the box. We reached out to the publishers to inquire if this was a mistake or the correct stain used. This is in fact a mistake, some (though not all) boards received the unapproved reddish/orange stain you can see in our pictures. All future print runs of the game will feature the darker stain.

Summary

While it appears unassuming, Shobu is a great two player game for any fans of abstract strategy. 

Playing Shobu feels unique in the two-player genre with nods to the classic and timeless, giving it an overall elegant feel. I absolutely love the organic components from the use of river rocks for player pieces to the rope separating the player boards. 

With simple rules you can teach in about a minute, yet deeper strategy that makes it addicting, this is a game you’ll keep coming back to and can enjoy sharing with new players.

Shobu is a game well worth checking out! 

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A special thank you to the folks at Smirk and Laughter for sending us a copy of Shobu for review. As always our thoughts and opinions are our own. 

Game Info:
Title: Shōbu
2 Players Ages 8+
Designer: Manolis Vranas, Jamie Sajdak
Publisher: Smirk & Laughter Games

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