Ricochet Robots CuriositiesMany people claim that Ricochet Robots is a puzzle disguised as a board game. One thing everyone agrees on is that the game is a very unique mental challenge. It's not a typical strategy game; it's an exercise in mental geometry and speed.Another striking feature of the game is that, unlike most games that accommodate 2 to 4 players, Ricochet Robots is technically infinite. Because all players look at the board at the same time and try to solve the same problem mentally, you can play it with 2, 10, or 50 people, as long as everyone can see the board!The game is frequently used in Artificial Intelligence studies and pathfinding algorithms. While a computer can solve any board in milliseconds using breadth-first search, the human brain needs to use intuition and pattern recognition to find "shortcuts" that are not obvious at first glance.The main mechanic is based on inertia: the robots move in a straight line and only stop when they hit a wall or another robot. This creates situations where you need to use a robot only as an "obstacle", so you can strategically reposition it so that the main robot can stop where you want it to.For these and other reasons, Ricochet Robots is widely recognized as a great game.Ricochet Robots - Game InfoRicochet Robots is a 1-to-10 players game, age 10+, by designer Alex Randolph. Game Art by Franz Vohwinkel.Ricochet Robots was released in 1999 by Hans im Glück and in Brazil, by Devir, in 2014. Its mechanics include: a modular board, variable setup, real-time gameplay, a square grid, and grid-based movement.Game ComponentsRicochet Robots, in the year of its release, was nominated for the Meeples Choice Award, which, for the time, was already a great achievement. It's a classic among "puzzle" board games, a notorious brain burner, since the game demands an extremely high level of mental focus, deep strategic planning, and complex tactical processing.Let's play!Playing the GameA computer malfunction at the company caused the factory floor robots to only be able to move in a straight line, without brakes, and ricochet when they encounter an obstacle. Now it's up to you and other technicians to help each robot find its target with as few movements as possible.It's a race against the clock. So, are you up for the challenge?This is the scenario of Ricochet Robots!The setup is simple, but offers countless combinations. The main gameboard is formed by joining other board parts, each one with 2 sides to choose from. In other words, the game has 8 double-sided board parts, and you will select 4:- Assemble the gameboard with 4 of the 8 parts in 4 different colors (red, green, blue, and yellow);- Place the central piece that unites the 4 board parts;- Shuffle (face down) the 17 objective chips, i.e., the targets;- Leave the sand timer within everyone's reach;- Place the 4 robots in any space on the gameboard that is not marked as target;- Place each robot's token under their respective robots.Game SetupAs previously mentioned, the robots have no brakes; they move in a straight line, vertically or horizontally, and cannot change direction unless they encounter an obstacle, which could be a wall or another robot. At that point, they can perform another movement in the opposite direction or change direction by 90º.One detail is that the central piece that unites the four parts of the board and the edges also has a wall. Each movement of the robot to the next obstacle counts as one movement.Robot MovementA round of Ricochet Robots is played in real time and simultaneously, namely:- revealing a chip;- planning the route;- placing a bet;- turning the sand timer over;- executing the route.To reveal a chip, a player flips over an objective chip and places it on the center piece of the gameboard. This chip represents the target of the robot of that respective color.Target ChipsFor example: if a green chip with a crescent moon drawn on it is revealed, all players must move their green robot to that position on the central board; that is, where the same green artwork with a crescent moon is located.Once the target is revealed, time to plan the route. All players simultaneously mentally plan possible routes for the robot of the corresponding chip color to reach the objective with the fewest possible moves, always striving for efficiency.Planning a RouteNow that we know how a robot moves, let's talk about a few details:- You can use more than one robot, that is, robots of other colors, as "support" to help your robot reach its target;- The movements of these other robots must also be included in the overall count;- On its way to the target, a robot must ricochet at least once and change direction by 90º after the movement. If there is any robot that can move directly to the target space without ricochet, it will have to take another route.A RicochetOnce a player has mentally mapped-out a route, it's time to bid. The player that believes they found the best route with the fewest moves announces it, claiming how many moves they will use to get the robot to its target. For example, a player says: "9". This represents their bid. Simple as that!Now the chaos begins! The player who announced their number of moves must turn the sand timer over, and then all other players have about 1 minute to find a route and announce it before the sand times runs out.About the bids, there are some important details, namely:- the player who made the first bid can also make more bids, but only in less moves than the one they announced - that is, they found a better path, with fewer moves;- Other players can bid equal to the previously announced amount, or bid lower values, or even higher values. This is because the player who made the first announcement may have made a mistake.Players making their bidsThis is the climax of the game; it's a fun, "good" tension, with a lot of people looking at the gameboard, pointing fingers, mentally "creating" routes, and placing their bids before the sand timer runs out.Once it runs out, it's "the moment of truth," time to execute the route. Now, the first player - the one who bid the shortest route - must execute it. They must move the robot(s), counting the number of moves aloud so that all players can follow the count.5 movements using 2 robotsWhat if they aren't able to reach the target? In that case, the robots are returned to their starting positions, the robot tokens, and the next player with the lowest bid executes their route, and so on.7 movements using 2 robotsWhoever manages to reach the target within the announced bid gets the chip. The robots' chips are now placed under their respective robots; that is, this is now the robots' new starting position.If no one manages to reach the target, simply return the robot(s) to their respective starting positions, return the chip face down, and shuffle it with the other chips.That's a turn of Ricochet Robots!Ending the GameIn Ricochet Robots, the game will end in different ways depending on the number of players:- with 2 players: when one player accumulates 8 target chips;- with 3 players: when one player has 6 target chips;- with 4 players: when one player gets 5 target chips;- with 5 or more players: when the target chips run out.In case of a tie, the tied players share the victory.Strategy TipsIn Ricochet Robots, the golden rule is: find a solution with the fewest possible moves. It's a game where mental focus, strategic planning, logic, and tactical processing come into play.Basically, there are two lines of thought:- from the robot to the goal;- from the goal to the robot.From the robot to the goal is the most common strategy, meaning you mentally map out the robot's route, ricocheting, using other robots and obstacles, until it reaches the goal.Some argue that the opposite is easier, that is, from the goal to the robot, claiming that the reverse path is more logical because it offers a clearer way to reach the target.Personally, I always go with the first option, and if I can't manage it, then I go the other way.Another thing I highly recommend is trying to complete the route using only the robot that matches the objective chip's color. If I notice that it doesn't work either way, then I start considering using other robots as support and obstacles... it always helps, but then I repeat both options, back and forth.When I have an answer, I say it immediately and turn the sand timer, because that speeds up the opponents, and in the worst-case scenario, I'll have a route. While the timer is running down, I also start looking at other possible paths.It's possible to just say a number and end up winning the bid, so that afterwards, along with the group, then try to find the shortest path. I think that's kind of a high-risk high-reward, but I've seen many people use this strategy!Regarding the possibilities in Ricochet Robots, heavy gamers will go crazy: there are 8 double-sided game boards, which allows for over 1500 different combinations; to be more specific, there are 1536 possible combinations. The replayability is endless!To make the game even more challenging, since the board pieces are double-sided, the other side has a diagonal colored barrier. If a robot reaches a space with a barrier of the same color, it passes directly through it.An obstacle with the same color as the robotHowever, if robots encounter barriers that are not their color, they ricochet at angles toward the barrier, continuing to the next obstacle.An obstacle with different color than the robotNote that, in both cases, the complete movement counts as a single movement, regardless of whether the robot passed straight through because it was the same color as the barrier, or ricocheted off it.Test your brains, find the shortest path, and win in Ricochet Robots.Unboxing, Rules, and Gameplay VideosUnboxing:Rules:Gameplay:Pedagogical TipsIf you're looking for a game to keep the kids' eyes on the board, Ricochet Robots is your game. Easy to explain, language-independent, fun, and with just the right amount of "good tension," plus, of course, it provides several important stimuli for children.Yes, it's a demanding brain game, but it offers important stimuli such as:- resource management: managing the robots and other obstacles to create a path;- strategy: thinking and rethinking the best paths to minimize movements;- decision-making: choosing "this" or "that" path, or moving "this" and/or "that" robot;- logical-mathematical reasoning: calculating the best routes involves simple calculations, but they will always be present throughout the game;- focus, strategic planning, and a lot, a lot of brain processing, for obvious reasons.From a pedagogical standpoint, Ricochet Robots addresses resource management, stimulates strategy, decision-making, logical-mathematical reasoning, focus, strategic planning, and on top of that, it's fun!I recommend Ricochet Robots for your collection!
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