Town 77

The residents of Town 77 cannot stand it when houses of the same shape or colour are in the same row. See whether you can build as many houses as possible without running out of options. Each player gets a hand of tiles, each showing one of seven houses in different colours.

The first player places a tile in the top left corner of a 7×7 square, and on their turn players add a tile to a row or column – the colour or shape of the house must not already be present in that row or column. The player can then choose whether or not to draw a new tile. If you cannot place a tile on your turn, you are out of the game, and when everyone is out, the player with the fewest tiles in hand wins. So it is about predicting when the tiles in your hand can no longer be played – and whether it makes sense not to draw new ones. If you do not draw new tiles, you may win the game – but it can also mean that you run out of options sooner and are knocked out. The colour of each tile is shown on its back, so you can keep an eye on what your opponents are holding and plan from there.

A cosy, abstract game in the style of sudoku.