Abalone

While clearing things out, I dug up a few games from my misspent youth, and Abalone was among them. In the 1990s we played it a lot, usually while waiting for the group to gather for an RPG, before Magic and the other card games came along and pushed it aside. I dusted it off, put it on the table, and served it up to my heir; the fact that he now takes it off the shelf himself to throw down a challenge tells you plenty about its immediate, lasting charm.

At its core, it is a clean abstract duel with marbles: on each turn you move your own pieces, trying to push the opponent’s toward the edge. It does not need a story or a theme to put you in the mood straight away; the board and the marbles do all the work, with the very distinctive, almost ceremonial feel of an old tabletop classic.

Interaction is direct, since every move is both an attempt to improve your own position and to squeeze the other player. That is where the challenge my kid seems to enjoy so much comes from: a quick invitation to a contest, where you study the layout, choose your push, and see whether you can put the other side in a difficult spot.

Today I find it honest and pleasant, especially as an object from another era that has come back out and found a second life in the house. Still, I understand that, if I remove nostalgia from the picture, Abalone probably feels somewhat dated as a game. It is no small thing, though, that it can still call someone over from the shelf for one more match.