Ingenious Board Game Review

Written by Chris Jarvis

What is Ingenious?

Ingenious is not a new game. There have been a number of editions since it first appeared in 2004, but it’s become a staple of many families and game groups and a new edition from KOSMOS provides an opportunity to look again at what makes it so compelling.

Related article: Original versions can often be found in charity shops – so much so it made our list of the best board games to be found in charity shops!

How do you play Ingenious?

As an abstract strategy game, Ingenious first brings Dominoes to mind. Every player has a hidden hand of six double-ended tiles, and each turn you play a tile to the board, matching one of its symbols to one already on the board. However, these dominoes are hexagon-based, so fitting the tiles together onto the board will eventually create a mosaic of shapes, colours and scoring opportunities.

It is in both building and controlling the scoring possibilities where the clever design of Ingenious comes through. Each half of the tile will score a point for each matching symbol in straight lines from itself. So, rather than creating fat clusters of matches as in many tile-laying games, additional thought is required in order to keep the colours lined up.

However, while you can easily gain massive points for any of the six colours/patterns, your final tally is based on your lowest score only. Therefore the only way to win is to both build good scores with each move, but also to make that placement support your other colours later. It’s no good running away with combos in red if you only have one green point. Scoring is a careful balance.

Ultimately it is that mix of incredibly simple turns and deep tactical possibility that make Ingenious such a modern classic. And it’s a delight for newcomers, too; many modern games offer a first experience where, by the time you’ve realised how the game is played you’ve slipped into an unwinnable position. With Ingenious, the implications of scoring become clear very early on and even a newbie will have a shot at victory. 

Related Article: The best family board games

The New Ingenious

So, what’s different about the new version? The most significant change is that this is a slimmed-down, fully cardboard and – significantly – cheaper edition of the game. Gone are the “Scrabble-style” holders for your tiles, replaced by a set of slots in the board which will hold six pieces by their corners (which are innovative, if not great). The score counters are now wooden cubes on a printed tracker as opposed to the slot-in pegs found in other versions. Importantly, though, there is still a bag provided to draw out pieces!

The end result is a significantly cheaper edition of Ingenious. The box size is smaller and the weight reduced by around a third. All this makes the list price almost half of previous editions. This puts Ingenious into a bracket with the £15 titles, rather than being among the £30-£40 bigger titles – and that feels like a very generous prospect given the table presence of the game and its pedigree. It’s a reverse makeover: removing the frills to provide the clever gameplay at as low a bar as possible.

Now, that approach won’t be for everyone: In a hobby where gamers will happily shell out high prices for deluxe extra components, metal coins and 3D printed plastic pieces, this isn’t a beautified edition for hardcore fans of the game. What it does do is open the game up to a wider market. It may now find its way into your collection as an impulse buy; a family gift; or even a stocking-filler. It’s a production which focuses your appreciation very much on the strategy puzzle at its core and says “I’ve stripped away all of the distractions – look at what makes me Ingenious.” 

Ingenious Review

At this new price, there’s almost no reason to say no to it. Certainly, if you like abstract tile-laying games with a Dominoes feel and a clever scoring strategy, then you should definitely try this if you haven’t already.

Try this if you liked Quirkle, a similar abstract tile-laying game, and another modern classic. 

Buy Ingenious on Amazon

What's on the Box?

Designer: Reiner Knizia

Publisher: KOSMOS

Time: 30-45 minutes

Players: 1-4

Ages: 8+

Price: £20

What’s in the box?

• Gameboard
• Fabric bag
• 4 Scoreboards
• 24 Score markers
• 120 Tiles