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Ingenious
KOSMOS · 2004
1–430–45 min8+ yrs1.9/5 complexity7.1 BGG#640 BGG23,8 KCouplesFamilyStrategy
⚡ short answer
How do you play Ingenious?
The objective of Ingenious is unique: instead of simply accumulating the most points, players aim to have the highest minimum score across all six colors. This means you must try to score points evenly in all colors, as your final score will be determined by the color in which you have the fewest points. For example, if your scores are 10, 12, 15, 18, 18, and 9, your final score is 9. The player with the highest minimum score wins.
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FromRON 101· 4 shops
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the rules in 60 seconds▶ auto · 1/6
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01
Setup
Players receive six hexagonal tiles, hidden from opponents, and place their colored pegs on the zero mark of the scoring track.
The rules, step by step
Setup
To set up Ingenious, each player receives a rack to hold six hexagonal tiles, keeping them hidden from other players. Each player also takes six colored pegs, one for each of the six colors in the game, and places them on the zero mark of the corresponding color on their scoring track. The game board, which is a large hexagonal grid, is placed in the center. The black bag containing all the tiles is placed within reach of all players. For the first round, players choose a starting corner on the board to place their first tile.
Objective
The objective of Ingenious is unique: instead of simply accumulating the most points, players aim to have the highest minimum score across all six colors. This means you must try to score points evenly in all colors, as your final score will be determined by the color in which you have the fewest points. For example, if your scores are 10, 12, 15, 18, 18, and 9, your final score is 9. The player with the highest minimum score wins.
On your turn
During a player's turn, they must place one of their six hexagonal tiles onto an empty space on the game board. Each tile consists of two colored hexagons joined together. After placing a tile, the player scores points based on the lines of matching colors extending from the newly placed tile. After scoring, the player draws a new tile from the black bag to replenish their hand to six tiles. Play proceeds clockwise around the table.
Scoring
Points are scored by creating lines of matching colors. When a tile is placed, you check all six directions radiating from each of the two hexagons on the tile. For each direction, count how many consecutive tiles of the same color extend from the placed tile. Each matching tile in a line (excluding the newly placed tile itself) earns one point for that color. If a tile has two different colors, you score for both colors independently. If a tile has two of the same color, you score for that color from both ends of the tile. Points are tracked on the individual scoring tracks.
Game end
The game ends under one of two conditions: either no player can make a legal move (meaning there are no empty spaces on the board where a tile can be placed, or a player has no tiles that can be legally placed), or a player achieves a score of 18 in all six colors. Once the game ends, players compare their lowest scores across all six colors. The player with the highest lowest score is declared the winner.
Tips
A key strategy in Ingenious is to maintain a balanced score across all six colors. Avoid focusing too heavily on one color, as your lowest score will determine your victory. If you find yourself with a very low score in a particular color and no suitable tiles to improve it, you can choose to discard your entire hand and draw six new tiles from the bag. This can only be done once per turn and only if your lowest score is truly represented by a color for which you have no tiles in hand. Additionally, if you reach 18 points in any color, you immediately get to place an extra tile. If this extra tile also leads to another 18-point score in a different color, you get to place yet another extra tile. However, if a single tile placement results in two colors reaching 18 points simultaneously, you only get one extra tile placement.
game anatomy
Complexity1.9 / 5
BGG rating7.1 / 10
Vibe
CouplesFamilyStrategy
Language dependence
No in-game text needed
Play time
30–45 min
Players
1–4
Recommended age
8+ yrs
BGG rank
#640
from Trișache · verified
Frequently asked questions
Q1What is the goal of the game?
The objective of Ingenious is unique: instead of simply accumulating the most points, players aim to have the highest minimum score across all six colors. This means you must try to score points evenly in all colors, as your final score will be determined by the color in which you have the fewest points. For example, if your scores are 10, 12, 15, 18, 18, and 9, your final score is 9. The player with the highest minimum score wins.
Q2How do you set up the game?
To set up Ingenious, each player receives a rack to hold six hexagonal tiles, keeping them hidden from other players. Each player also takes six colored pegs, one for each of the six colors in the game, and places them on the zero mark of the corresponding color on their scoring track. The game board, which is a large hexagonal grid, is placed in the center. The black bag containing all the tiles is placed within reach of all players. For the first round, players choose a starting corner on the board to place their first tile.
Q3How does a turn work?
During a player's turn, they must place one of their six hexagonal tiles onto an empty space on the game board. Each tile consists of two colored hexagons joined together. After placing a tile, the player scores points based on the lines of matching colors extending from the newly placed tile. After scoring, the player draws a new tile from the black bag to replenish their hand to six tiles. Play proceeds clockwise around the table.
Q4How is scoring calculated?
Points are scored by creating lines of matching colors. When a tile is placed, you check all six directions radiating from each of the two hexagons on the tile. For each direction, count how many consecutive tiles of the same color extend from the placed tile. Each matching tile in a line (excluding the newly placed tile itself) earns one point for that color. If a tile has two different colors, you score for both colors independently. If a tile has two of the same color, you score for that color from both ends of the tile. Points are tracked on the individual scoring tracks.
Q5When and how does the game end?
The game ends under one of two conditions: either no player can make a legal move (meaning there are no empty spaces on the board where a tile can be placed, or a player has no tiles that can be legally placed), or a player achieves a score of 18 in all six colors. Once the game ends, players compare their lowest scores across all six colors. The player with the highest lowest score is declared the winner.
Q6What tips are there for beginners?
A key strategy in Ingenious is to maintain a balanced score across all six colors. Avoid focusing too heavily on one color, as your lowest score will determine your victory. If you find yourself with a very low score in a particular color and no suitable tiles to improve it, you can choose to discard your entire hand and draw six new tiles from the bag. This can only be done once per turn and only if your lowest score is truly represented by a color for which you have no tiles in hand. Additionally, if you reach 18 points in any color, you immediately get to place an extra tile. If this extra tile also leads to another 18-point score in a different color, you get to place yet another extra tile. However, if a single tile placement results in two colors reaching 18 points simultaneously, you only get one extra tile placement.
Q7How much does Ingenious cost?
Ingenious costs between 101 and 127 RON across Romanian stores.
Q8Where can I buy Ingenious cheapest?
The lowest price for Ingenious right now is 101 RON at IBG.ro. The Prices tab lists every store currently tracking it.
Q9How do you play Ingenious?
Ingenious is a abstract strategy game, for 1–4 players, taking ~30–45 minutes, featuring hand management. Check the Rules tab for setup, gameplay, and scoring, or ask Trișache anything about Ingenious — our AI assistant built by howtoplay.ro and trained specifically on board game rulebooks.
Q10How many players does Ingenious support?
Ingenious is played by 1–4 players.
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Regatul JocurilorEnglish edition 2024easyboxCultural voucher
Ingenious (2024 English Edition)
free over RON 149
● in stock
RON 119
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Price history
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Price trend over the last 90 days: minimum 50 lei, maximum 139 lei, now 50 lei.
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