[Review] Deflexion
- From: "tomvasel@xxxxxxxxx" <tomvasel@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: 23 Dec 2005 10:19:15 -0800
Lasers are cool. Deflexion (Deflexion, 2005 - Del Sugura, Luke
Hopper, and Michael Larson) has lasers. That automatically should
alert you to whether or not you'll want to pick up the game. My whole
life I've been fascinated by lasers, and how they bounce off of
mirrors. When I heard that there was a game that was centered around
this concept, I knew that it was one that I would have to play. I have
found however, that a cool concept (rolling marbles in Balanx) doesn't
always make a good game - and was therefore slightly wary.
Well, there was no need for this caution, because Deflexion is an
excellent abstract game; and while lasers are intrigal to the central
game structure, the game plays like a slightly easier form of chess.
At first, the concept of firing a laser to destroy enemy pieces, and
seeing how many mirrors one can bounce it off of, tends to dominate
play. But after (or during) a game, players suddenly realize the depth
of strategy to the game. Oftimes a game will come down to a single
mistake a player has made, but I almost always hear, "Let's play it
again." Perhaps the laser is a "gimmick", but it's one that works, so
who cares!
Each player starts with a series of pieces on an eight by ten grid of
squares. Players set their pieces up according to a prearranged
pattern (there are two included in the rulebook). Players have four
different types of pieces:
- Obelisk - which looks just like it sounds, a towering plastic piece.
- Pyramid - this is actually half of a pyramid, with a mirror inside to
angle the laser ninety degrees.
- Djed - this is a double-sided mirror piece that also angles lasers
from either direction ninety degrees.
- Pharoah - This plastic pharaoh piece is a player's leader. If
killed, they lose.
The gold player goes first, and play alternates for the remainder of
the game...
On a player's turn, they may move any of their own pieces one space in
any direction, including diagonally. Alternatively, they may rotate a
single piece ninety degrees. No piece can move into a spot occupied by
another piece, except the Djed, which can "switch" spots with an
adjacent piece (except another Djed or Pharoah). Each player has one
row (on the far side of the board) that is in their color, and the
other player may never move a piece into that row.
After a player moves / rotates a piece, they fire their laser. Each
player's laser shoots directly down their colored row, bouncing off of
any mirrors it may encounter. Often the laser will harmlessly end in a
wall, but if it strikes a piece on a non-mirrored side (which means
that the Djeds are invincible), that piece is killed and removed from
the board. A player MUST fire their laser, even if it kills one of
their own pieces. Play passes to the other player. The first player
to kill their opponent's pharaoh is the winner!
Some comments on the game...
1.) Components: As might be suspected, Deflexion is a huge game and
comes in a rather large box. More surprisingly, however, the game
really is fairly lightweight, and all of the pieces are fairly durable.
Each playing piece is made of an opaque plastic color (silver or
gold), and the mirrors do a good job of reflecting. After about eight
consecutive reflections, the laser eventually misfires slightly; but
such long combinations are rare, and players can still, by using ninety
degree angles, figure out exactly where the laser goes. The game
packages well, using a plastic covering and styrofoam piece to hold the
game into position. The lasers themselves are small diode lasers,
which while not the highest quality, certainly work well enough for the
game. I'm tempted to play the game in the dark or buy a smoke machine
to get the full effect of the game.
2.) Rules: There are only three pages of rules with full color
diagrams. That makes sense because the game is so easy. "Move or
rotate, then fire," is all that need be said, with only the Djed
movement and colored row restrictions as exceptions. I've taught this
game to many people and shown several people who NEVER play games, and
they all understood it.
3.) Lasers: You can't separate Deflexion from the lasers; they're not
only cool, but they are a way to get people interested in the game.
I've shown the game to many people who normally don't have an interest
in games, and they wanted to move the pieces and shoot the lasers.
It's a feature that will have many adolescents interested, and adults
will crowd around, hoping to get a chance to fire the laser. And by
the way, I saw some concerns about people using the lasers. It would
take some chicanery and tricky maneuvering to have them do this, so
it's nothing I would worry about.
4.) Strategy: The game isn't all about shooting lasers; that's just
the draw to the game. Moving the pieces around, trying to set up the
perfect shot to kill your opponent is the real meat of the game. Many
players play defensively, attempting to protect their king at all
costs, and block their opponent's laser. I myself like to play a
little more aggressively, which involves my trying to set up a good
shot, killing every piece that gets in my way. Often this means that
I'll make a mistake and set up my opponent's shot. Either way, after
every game I'll think about it, and wonder what I should have / could
have done differently.
5.) Djeds: These pieces are, without a doubt, the most powerful pieces
in the game. Since they can never die (which means the game WILL end
at some point), they can help deflect shots all over the board, and
their "switching" power is quite useful. However, they are also
dangerous. Having one near your pharaoh is almost a double-edged
sword, because they can be used by your opponent to destroy your own
pieces! Having mirrors on both side of a piece is not always good!
6.) Obelisks: I'm not exactly sure what the purpose of these pieces
are other than they look cool. All they can do is soak up a shot from
the enemy. While that is useful, it's not really that big of a deal,
and in many games they are never moved. I saw on the internet where
one player suggested that they can move like Chess rooks, but I haven't
found that necessary. They seem like big stupid guards, ready to take
the dagger meant for the pharaoh.
7.) Setups: There are two setups in the rulebook: Classic and Ihmotep.
I've played both of them several times and am satisfied, although I
look for new ways to setup, and I'm sure some will pop on the 'net. It
is critical to have a balanced setup, because when a friend of mine and
I took turns placing pieces on the board to set up, it became a blood
bath and ended in less than five minutes.
8.) Decisions, Decisions: Players can take a long time to think of
their turn, since you can't shoot the laser until AFTER you move.
However, this "analysis paralysis" isn't any worse than most other
abstract games I've had, so I didn't find it to be much of a problem.
Most of my games took thirty minutes or less, so Deflexion became a
"meaty", quick game.
9.) Fun Factor: The game comes with two lasers. That's all I need to
say.
Okay, maybe you're not a person who is "wowed" by the fact that a laser
is involved in this game. Perhaps you still be impressed by the pretty
good depth of strategy and tactics in this abstract strategy game. But
for the rest of us - who cares! It has lasers, and that automatically
puts it on many people's want lists. And while lasers are the neatest
thing ever, it's nice to know that there's a good solid game backing
them up.
Tom Vasel
"Real men play board games"
www.tomvasel.com
.
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