Alright, folks, welcome to my review of a game that turned my sweet, innocent game night into a competitive brain workout. I’m talking about the classic strategy showdown: Amazons! If you like outsmarting your friends and causing polite chaos at the table, you’re in the right place. Grab a snack, get comfy, and let’s see if this ancient classic is worth adding to your shelf or if you’re better off sticking to tic-tac-toe.
How It Plays
Setting up
First, grab the 10×10 board and give each player four Amazons. Place your Amazons on the starting spaces like the rules say (corners and a few squares in). Get a pile of arrows nearby—you’ll need a heap of them.
Gameplay
On your turn, move one Amazon as far as you want in a straight line, like a queen in chess. Then, from that new spot, shoot an arrow in any straight line, blocking the arrow’s landing spot for the rest of the game. No one—no Amazon, no arrow—can ever move onto an arrow square! Now it’s the next player’s turn.
Winning the game
Keep going until nobody can move any Amazons anymore. The last player with a legal move wins! Or if you’re playing by area, the player who controls the most spaces at the end gets all the bragging rights. It’s all about boxing in your friends before they do it to you!
Want to know more? Read our extensive strategy guide for Amazons.
How to Play Amazons: Rules for a Battle of Wits
Alright, buckle up, because Amazons is not your grandma’s checkers. I learned this the hard way during game night, where my buddy Dave schooled me so bad I thought he’d read the rulebook upside down just for fun.
The game plays out on a 10×10 grid. Each player has four amazons, which are pretty cool little pawn-like pieces—no armor, but they look ready to take on the world. The goal? Trap your opponent’s amazons so they can’t move, similar to turning them into board game lawn ornaments.
Each turn, you zip one of your amazons as far as you want, in any straight line—vertically, horizontally, or diagonally. After you move, you immediately fire an “arrow” by placing a black disc anywhere you could move in a straight line from your amazon’s new spot. That arrow blocks that square for the rest of the game, basically making the board change shape as you go. Think Chess meets Laser Tag, but with fewer injuries and more shouting.
Players take turns moving and blocking until there are no more moves left for one side (or both). If you can’t move one of your amazons or shoot an arrow, you’re stuck. The winner is the last one standing with moves left—trust me, you’ll feel like a genius if you pull this off.
If this sounds like a brain burner, just wait till we talk about the wild strategies and tactics (and how to avoid humiliating defeat like I did my first game). Get your thinking cap ready, because next up, it’s all about Strategy and Player Skill Level!
Sharpen Your Mind: Strategy and Skill in Amazons
If you want a game where brains beat blind luck, Amazons should be on your shelf. When my friends and I sat around the board, I realized very fast this is chess for people who think chess needs more arrows and fewer rules about weird horse moves. Amazons doesn’t care who went first — it cares about who can spot the tiniest path across the board and then turn it into an impenetrable fortress.
Each turn, players get that classic analysis paralysis moment. Do you block your opponent, wall off your own territory, or shoot an arrow so random they’ll wonder if you sneezed? Mastering Amazons means thinking two, three, or even four moves ahead. I watched my friend Dave block himself in by mistake, and the rest of us didn’t let him forget it. Ever. The game punishes sloppy plays, and rewards those who can spot a weakness and pounce with Amazonian fury. The skill ceiling is sky high. Beginners can learn the basics quick, but veterans will see patterns and traps the rest of us only notice after it’s way too late.
The best part? There’s almost zero luck. So, when I lose, I can’t just blame the dice — only my own questionable choices! The game shines with two to four players, but the more, the merrier. Each player brings their own chaos into the mix, and you’ve got to adapt or end up like Dave, surrounded by arrows and regret.
Next up, we’ll stir the pot with some spicy tales of sabotage and sweet revenge as we talk about player interaction and competition!
Player Interaction and Competitive Fire in Amazons
I’ll say this straight up: if you want a board game where everyone just quietly does their own thing, Amazons is not for you. In our group, there’s chatter, plotting, and a lot of side-eye. Because in Amazons, your every move matters. Each turn, you get to block someone’s path, corner an opponent, or mess up their beautifully planned move. It’s like chess, but with more dramatic sighs and accusations of betrayal (all in good fun, I promise!).
Amazons shines brightest when players are determined to outwit each other. You have to keep your eyes glued not just to your own pieces, but to everyone else’s. One time, my friend Ethan was so focused on his own glorious advance that he didn’t notice my subtle block creeping up. His howl of frustration was heard three apartments away. It’s that kind of game: positioning isn’t just about helping yourself, it’s about slowing everyone else down. The final rounds get spicy, with players fencing each other in and blocking every hope of escape. And no, you can’t bargain your way out of a tight spot – this isn’t Monopoly, folks. Once you’re trapped, you’re trapped.
It’s also a game where grudges form and last the entire session. I once made an enemy for life (okay, for ten minutes) after a particularly sneaky arrow shot. Amazons is straight up competitive, but in the best way.
Now, as we pack away our bruised egos, let’s see if Amazons stands the test of time when it comes to game length and replay value!
Amazons: How Long, and How Many Times Before You Flip the Table?
So, let’s talk about game length and replay value with Amazons. Unless you’re the human version of a chess engine, a game of Amazons can take anywhere between 30 minutes and a full hour. My group once took 45 minutes on a single match, mostly because Steve can’t make decisions without consulting his spirit animal (which, based on speed, is a sloth). The game feels quick if you know what you’re doing, but, trust me, analysis paralysis is real in this one.
Now, on to replay value. After playing at least a dozen times (yes, we keep a tally!), I can say Amazons rewards getting better. Some board games get old once you spot a winning tactic, but that’s not the case here. The board changes every play, and there are just too many variables for one cheesy strategy to ruin things. You always want another go—partially because you’re still holding a grudge from last time someone boxed you in the corner like a naughty cat.
The game offers enough variety to keep things fresh. Add some snacks, a competitive friend group, and maybe a timer to keep Steve moving, and Amazons doesn’t wear thin. Sure, if your friends hate losing they might want to invent new rules, but that’s a sign of a great game, right?
Do I recommend Amazons? Absolutely, unless you hate thinking or making moves your future self will regret. If you want a game with brains and buckets of replay, this is gold. Just keep the table-flipping to a minimum.
Conclusion
That wraps up my review of Amazons! If you want a game that rewards clever moves while keeping luck out of the way, Amazons will make your strategy-loving heart happy. The rules are simple, but don’t be fooled – this is a pure test of brains and nerves. Every match feels like a new puzzle, and your best move will always depend on what sneaky stunt your friends pull next. Sure, the game can get a bit brain-melty at times, especially if you both start playing chess grandmaster style. But when you finally trap your opponent, oh boy, it’s worth all the thinking. If you enjoy games where you win because you outsmarted everyone and not just because you rolled a lucky six, then Amazons belongs on your table. Thanks for reading, and may your arrows never get blocked!
