How To Play: Amazons

Overview

If you’re like me and thought Amazons was about online shopping and not board game glory, welcome to the club. This guide shows you How To Play amazons, covers the basics, and helps you outsmart your friends (and maybe your enemies, if they’re invited). I include a simple outline of the rules and, more important, my favorite strategies for actually winning. Spoiler: it’s not all luck—you gotta place those pieces right!

What’s in the box

• 1 game board
• 4 black amazons
• 4 white amazons
• 92 arrow markers
• 1 rulebook

How To Play Amazons: Rules Summary

Setup

1. Place the board in the center of your table. Make sure there’s no leftover pizza grease on it.
2. Each player gets four amazons (the fierce chess queen lookalikes, not delivery drivers).
3. Set the amazons on their starting spaces. In a two-player game, you sit across from each other; more players sit at the next available chairs, hopefully not on the cat.
4. Put the arrows nearby. These represent blocked spaces—trust me, you’ll need plenty.

Gameplay

1. Players take turns. The person who lost the last game goes first. Or settle it with a thumb war—your call.
2. On your turn, pick one of your amazons and move it like a chess queen: any number of open squares, in any direction.
3. After you’ve moved, fire an arrow from your amazon’s new square. Arrows fly like the queen too. Where it lands, that spot is blocked forever, like your WiFi during a storm.
4. End your turn. Keep your elbows off the board—or else.

Winning

1. The game ends when no one can move any of their amazons. Usually, my friend Becky is stuck way before everyone else.
2. Count the number of spaces your amazons can reach. Whoever controls the most territory wins. Gloating is optional (but recommended).

Special Rules & Conditions

1. Amazons and arrows cannot move through or land on blocked spaces—no teleporting, sorry.
2. Once you shoot an arrow, you can’t take it back. No “Oops, I meant here instead.” (Yes, Steve, this means you.)
3. If you get boxed in with nowhere to go, that amazon is out. Just like when I’m stuck in a corner at family parties.

If you are still confused, try reading these rules with a snack—everything’s clearer with snacks. That’s How To Play amazons, from setup to sweet, sweet victory!

Best Amazons Strategies

Mastering the Amazons: Opening Moves and Positioning

Claim Your Corners First

When I play with my friends, I always rush for corners. Corners make your amazon tough to block and give lots of options early on.

1. Move your first amazon straight to a corner.
2. Watch for opponents eyeing the same spot.

Control the Center

Next, grab the center if you can. The center lets you pivot to every part of the board. My friend Dave once took the middle and ruined us all.

1. Make an aggressive play toward the center.
2. Prepare to defend your spot right away.

Stay Flexible

Never lock in your amazons too soon. Instead, keep your moves flexible. How To Play amazons well means always keeping your options open.

1. Leave exit routes near your amazons.
2. React to your rivals’ early moves.

Block Your Way To Victory: Mastering Opponent Movement in Amazons

Use Arrows Like a Pro

1. Shoot an arrow where your rival wants to move next.
2. Think ahead. Ask yourself, “Where would I hate to get blocked right now?”
3. Trap them in corners or along the edge so their choices shrink fast.

Cut Off Escape Routes

1. Close off paths using two amazons at once.
2. Build walls with arrows, so your opponent runs out of room.

Force Bad Moves

1. Block just enough to push rivals into tight spaces.
2. Leave them with weak moves, so you control the board next turn.

Remember, in “How To Play amazons”, blocking is not about luck. Practice with pals, and soon, you’ll be the reason they groan every time you play arrows.

How To Play amazons: Endgame Area Control to Seal Your Victory!

Spot Your Zones Early

When the arrows are flying and horses are cornered, you gotta spot those key sections of the board to snag points. To keep your cool, try these steps:

1. Count how many spaces you control versus your rivals.
2. Divide the board into zones and check which ones you can keep safe.

Shut Your Opponents Out

First, block paths so no one sneaks in. Then:

1. Fill small spaces quickly to deny others easy moves.
2. Cut off big areas with well-placed arrows.

Maximize Your Moves

When you’re almost done, plan every move to fill out your remaining space and dodge dead-ends. Winning at How To Play amazons is all about smart area control at the end!

Last Thoughts Before You Unleash The Amazons

Look, if you’ve made it this far, you’re already smarter than I was my first time playing. My friends still tease me about the time I tried to block everyone, then trapped myself in a corner (10/10, do not recommend). The best tip I can share—besides not copying my blunders—is to keep practicing and mess around with different strategies. Remember, “How To Play amazons” is part art, part wild guessing, and a teeny bit of luck. Now, grab your friends, set up the board, and may your amazons always find a way out. Or at least, may you laugh a lot trying!

Want to know what we think of Amazons? Read our detailed review of Amazons here