This week's game...the game of insincere apologies that is the classic Sorry!
Time: 30-45 minutes
Genre: Casual Family Game
Sorry may be seen as a simplistic and old fashioned game in the modern board game era, but I think it is being unjustly lumped into the likes of other overly-simplistic games like Candy Land and Shoots 'n' Ladders that have little to no decision making. Upon replaying this game, you'll be surprised to see that there is a compelling amount of light strategy, plus there is a simple addition you can make to the game for added strategy and fun if desired.
The main premise of the game is simple enough: Get your colored team out of Start and around the board to Home. Each turn, players draw cards indicating how many spaces to move the pieces and how to move them, with the occasional Sorry card allowing players to swap one of their pieces from home with another player's piece, forcing them back to Start (cue apologetic mockery). And whenever a player moves their piece onto another player's piece, or lands on a slide strip that causes them to slide onto another player's piece, back to Start for that other player (again, remorseless regret). However, there is choice and deliberation to be made as you must select which piece to move based off the card drawn, and certain cards can be used in various ways. So you must ask yourself, is it worth bumping the opponents' piece if it puts you in danger of being taken out yourself? Do you want to split movement between your pieces with the 7, and if so how? Should I swap pieces to get closer to my Home or to move my opponent farther from their Home?
With only one card being drawn each turn, the choices are sometimes straight forward and limited, which is why I offer this simple rule addition for some added lighthearted strategy: Give each player a hand of five cards. With this simple addition, players now have more choice in which cards to play and when to play them. And it helps alleviate the slow start this game can sometimes suffer with players getting stuck at Start (players can't leave Start until a 1,2, or Sorry is drawn, the latter only if another player is on the board). I highly recommend you give it a try as it will breathe new life into this classic game. This game is recommended for casual gatherings and a nice breather after particular mentally taxing board games.
If you have any questions about Sorry, let me know in the comments. Or share your favorite twists on other classic games! Stay tuned for future installments of Tabletop Tuesday and until then, happy gaming!
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