Dance of Ibexes

• Designer: Wolfgang Kramer
• Publisher: plyte
• Players: 2-8
• Age: 14+
• Time: 45 minutes
• Preorder link: preorder.playte.com
• Played with review copy provided by publisher

Dance of Ibexes, which was first released as Tanz der Hornochsen! (“Dance of the Horned Oxen”) challenges players to place their ibexes/cows on the game board without being pushed over the edge.  In this highly competitive board game, you must choose a number tile each round.  Your ibex may be attacked by an eagle or fall off a cliff due to your choices.  Try to avoid these situations and earn the fewest penalty points before someone gets 60 penalty points and ends the game.

Players start with a random assortment of numbered tiles in hand. The game board depicts multiple rows that will hold tiles, with the rows being of varying lengths and with symbols in some spaces. Draw four tiles at random, and place one in the leftmost space of each of the first four rows.

Each round, each player selects and reveals a tile at the same time. Tiles are placed on the board in order, from lowest to highest, and which row a tile is placed in is determined according to these rules:

1. Lowest number: If the played tile’s number is lower than that of the end tile of all four rows, place this tile at the end of the row with the highest number.
2. Increasing number value: The number on the tile must be higher than the number on the tile that is currently the last tile in that row, but…
3. Smallest difference: The tile must be placed at the end of the row where there will be the smallest difference between it and the tile currently at the end of that row. All four active rows must be examined to determine which has the smallest difference.

When a player places a tile on an eagle, they score that many penalty points, moving their pawn that many spaces on the score track. (If any of the active rows has an uncovered “Salt” space, the player loses penalty points instead of gaining them.)

When a player places a tile on the final space at the end of a row, that row is completed, and the player must execute the following actions in order:

1. Score penalty points as shown on the final space by moving their pawn on the score track.
2. Move the just-played tile to the first space of the next unoccupied row.
3. Remove the remaining tiles from the completed row. Choose one or two to keep behind their player screen, then place the remaining tiles in the box or off to the side as they will not be used for the remainder of the game.

At the start of a round, players can purchase 1-3 random tiles from the supply at a cost of 1 point per tile. (If someone plays their final tile in a round, they immediately draw six tiles for free.) A player can have at most nine tiles on hand. If a double play space is uncovered in an active row, then players must play and reveal two tiles. Twice during the game, when a player passes a specified point on the score track, in the next round players reveal their tile choices face up in order from fewest points to most points.

When a player reaches the end of the score track or no tiles remain to be purchased, finish the round, then the player with the fewest points wins.

My thoughts on the game

So, I remember playing the original version of this some 20 years ago, then known as 6 nimmt! Brettspiel.  Given how things were back then, I’m sure that we had a dodgy translation of the rules and it probably needed pasteups.  Playte has been doing a wonderful job of finding these classic games and republishing them in their trademark miniaturized boxes.  Production quality is top notch, and my game collection really appreciates the small format.

Dance of Ibexes uses many of the same mechanics that have made 6 nimmt! a classic card game.  The secret-and-simultaneous reveal of cards/tiles always creates lots of tension and also laughs/groans/swearing once the tiles are placed.

This version of the game adds in the board – and this makes the game a bit more variable. First, the number of cards in each particular row can change as you move up the board.  Further, the penalties change as well – and this might alter how/where you want to play.  The two biggest changes are the icons on a few rows.  The Double play row really ratchets up the danger and variation.  On these rounds, when all players have to play two of their tiles – whoo boy, who knows what is going to happen!  Closer to the top, the salt spaces put the game on its head, and suddenly all the penalty points become positive!  It’s the one time in the game where you might rush to play a “bad” tile…

I do like the rule here for buying tiles; it does seem to give the player a little agency and risk/reward decision in trying to improve their hand.  Sure, it costs a point per tile, but that can easily be profitable if you avoid an 8 penalty point play instead!

The game takes just over half an hour, and it’s super handy to have around given its upper player limit of 8.  The rules are generally easy to explain, and you can even leave out the double play and salt rules until the game reaches that point.  Thus, you can get a big group playing this within 2 or 3 minutes, and as it often does, the whole group will be engaged and vocal within a few turns.

The whole 6 nimmt! family is a proven successful franchise, and Dance of the Ibexes is no exception.  It is almost always well received, and this new small format version is a joy to own and play.  I really like the chunky tiles in this version, and since they stand up on their own, players don’t need a screen to hide them. 

Ratings from the Opinionated Gamers

• I love it!
• I like it. Dale Y
• Neutral.
• Not for me…

Preorder link: preorder.playte.com