Tsuro

Amazon Product Name (APN): Calliope Tsuro

Review by: Dad

Our Rating: 5 of 5 stars

Tsuro by Calliope Games is a wonderfully delightful tile laying game for two to eight players, easy to play for ages eight and up. In Tsuro, you are an ancient dragon flying a path through the skies. The tiles have twisting lines representing these paths, and you lay them down one at a time to move your dragon through the skies.

The tiles can be placed in any orientation, but must be put down in the path of your dragon. If your path takes you off the board or runs you into another dragon, you are eliminated. Players take turns laying tiles, moving the dragons until all tiles have been placed or only one dragon remains on the board.

Tsuro is very fun, easy to learn, and quick to play even with a full eight players sitting around the gaming table. Its attractive Asian theme is beautiful and consistent throughout the box and game pieces.

As easy as the board game is to play, there is ample opportunity for strategy as well. It pays to be careful reviewing the tiles in your hand, choosing the one that will keep you alive while eliminating another player.

Another strategy is to isolate your dragon in one section of the board, doing your best to stay away from other player’s tile influence in hopes that you can survive longer than anyone else. This strategy has obvious diminishing returns with a higher number of players in the game. But, there is still room for the gaming group to experience high level play if everyone chooses to be competitive and cutthroat.

Tsuro is a staple of our family game night and travels with us on camping trips, along with other great portable games like Qwirkle and Zombie Dice. In fact, we love Tsuro so much that it made it on our Top 10 Board Games list, which you can read here.

Calliope also makes another version of Tsuro called Tsuro of the Seas (pictured above) where you are a ship captain sailing the seas, avoiding the dangers the lurk both above and below the waves. Both games make great inclusions to your gaming collection. If you want to add Tsuro to your family game night, look for it on Amazon here.

Want more? Check out some of our other lists and reviews below.