ABSOLUTE ASCENDANCY
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Gaming Zone – Gargoyles Tic-Tac-Toe
Commencing operation . . .
Overview
After six months, I was finally able to meet up with a couple of my old university friends for a solid weekend gaming session. They also generously spoilt me with a bundle of late 30th birthday presents!
The gloves will be super useful in the winter. Unfortunately, I cannot play the piano while wearing them as they don’t quite feel right; however, I can type just fine with them on which is excellent. The feather pen is a fancy writing tool I intend to make use of as well while I am at my desk. The hat, unfortunately, is too big for me; however, I plan to wear it while I am in the garden. The mugs are placed on a shelf to serve as ornaments. Talisman is an excellent game which I have played once, and I am looking forward to seeing how the Kingdom Hearts edition fares. Trials of Mana PS4 game is not one I have come across so I will be diving into it blind!
There is one present in particular, I want to talk about today in good detail. I stared blankly at the box for a few moments after unwrapping it. When it occurred to me what one of my friends had bought me, I couldn’t help but laugh – it was a gargoyle themed version of noughts and crosses!
Contents
Upon opening the box, I was presented with 10 Gargoyle resin models, all in dark grey (unpainted).
At first, I couldn’t tell the difference among the models, to determine which gargoyles were ‘noughts’ and which were ‘crosses’. I thought it had something to do with the mouths as some of the models seemed to have their mouths open, and some seemed to be closed. Fortunately, the brains in our group promptly told us the difference was in the arms – one set was crossed, and the other set was open!
My only potential defence is that I may have been looking at identical models, rather than comparing a crossed arm to an open arm model. Otherwise, there is no hope for my redemption on this comparison challenge!
Anyhow, underneath the models is a resin board to place the miniatures on for gameplay. I have to admit, the designers put in a fair amount of detail into the models and board.
Strategy
I had to have a few games of this for laughs. I played three of my friends and ended up with a score of 1/1/1. Now for those of you who know, Tic-Tac-Toe, in theory, should always end in a draw. The only way for a person to lose is if they make a tactical error in judgement. Errors in judgement were made indeed, as painful as it is for me to admit it. It was a humbling experience if nothing else.
Anyway, I did some research on strategy for this game which I will pass onto you in case you ever find yourself in a situation where you are challenged to a game of Tic-Tac-Toe!
Rule 1 – Go First
Try to be the starting player if you can as it gives you an advantage. Going first means that you should either win (if your opponent makes a mistake) or draw. The only way to lose by going first is if you make a poor move.
Your first move is to take any of the corners. If your opponent does not take the centre on their first play, then you have secured a path to victory. If they do take the centre, then the game should end in a draw as long as you block any attempt they make to get three in a row.
Rule 2 – Going Second
If you do end up going second, then your first move is to either take the centre if the opponent did not or secure a corner. You will most likely be fighting for a tie but observe in case your opponent slips up as an opportunity to win may present itself to you.
Rule 3 – The Fork
The way to win at noughts and crosses is to create a fork whereby you have two spaces where you could win on your next turn, and your opponent can therefore only block one of them off. This is usually achieved either by securing two outer edges and the centre or three corners. If you can set up either of those scenarios, victory will be close at hand!
Explanation
Because of how eccentric the box and contents appear, most people won’t know what the game is about at an intricate glance. When I introduced it to one of my other friends, I gave a bit of a speech about the glory of the game to troll gargoyle him a little. I have revised it as follows, and you can use it to introduce the game to your friends!
“I am going to need your undivided attention while I explain the intricacies behind this game. Firstly, we are each assigned five gargoyles which serve as our loyal minions in the battle for cathedral supremacy!
Gameplay alternates between players and each turn a player can take one action, and there is only one possible action for a player to take. That action is for the turn player to take one of his loyal gargoyles and strategically position it on any of the unoccupied spaces on the game board. This continues until a victor is determined or every single space on the board is occupied with a gargoyle.
The winner is determined by successfully aligning your loyal gargoyle troops to form a direct line across the board, thereby creating a unified front in which the opposing gargoyles can be driven away! If neither player is unable to accomplish this objective, the battle ends in a draw.”
Conclusion
Tic-Tac-Toe ticks off many boxes for the type of game one of my friends likes to play. It’s simple to understand, quick to play, and therefore multiple rounds can be played in a single session! The dojo I train at used to run a youth club, and once that is reinstated, I will likely take my copy of Gargoyles Tic-Tac-Toe to see how the youths handle the game. I will, of course, introduce them to the game using the explanation detailed in the previous section! Let me know what you think of noughts and crosses in the comments below!
Mission complete – Overlord Drakow signing out.