October 1st, 2018 by OYO SEO

Forget Candy Crush, PUBG, Temple Run, or whichever mobile game you’re currently addicted to. Next time you’re at an OYO Home, bring out your inner board game champion. We have a challenge waiting for you. The coffee table in the living room is no ordinary piece of furniture. It’s skilfully designed to include three board games – old, unusual and from different parts of the world. Mu Torere was played by the Maori people of New Zealand, before the British Empire took over the country. Fox and Geese was Queen Victoria’s favourite pastime. And Crokinole dates back to 19th century Canada. Intrigued?     

BOND OVER A BOARD

Take a break from your screen-dominated lives to look up and spend some quality time with the people accompanying you on a vacation. The living room is the spot where most of the hanging out happens. The ‘Krida’ coffee table will bring people together, becoming the centre of many gaming sessions with your partner or friends. And that’s the thought behind this signature piece from OYOxDesign, the in-house design arm of OYO.

MAKE IT YOUR OWN

Pour yourself a cup of coffee, fry up some nibbles in the kitchen and sit down for a game. You can put your cup down on the table, no problem. It is a remarkable combination of functionality and aesthetics – play, eat, prop up your feet, your choice. The top two levels slide out and can be carried wherever you like, so you can break into groups and choose a different game to play. Give your own spin to the games. Challenge the loser to a dare, or set a reward for the winner – anything that keeps you motivated. If you lose a disc, replace it with a coin, and the winner gets to keep all the profits!

NOSTALGIA TIME

For many of us, holidays as kids would mean spending hours planning the next chess move, or fighting over who cheated in a game of ludo. This table is your train ride back to those nostalgic times. And those millennials who grew up playing computer games, well, what can be a better time to start than a holiday? Put down your phone, pick up a disc, and let the games begin!

1. Fox and the Geese (2 player game)

Fox & Geese is a game of inequality. The geese cannot capture the fox but aim to hem the fox in so that he cannot move. The objective of the fox, on the other hand, is to capture the geese until it becomes impossible for them to trap him. One player is the fox and tries to eat the geese, and the opposing player directs the geese and attempts to trap the fox. There are many versions of this game played all over Europe, dating back to the 14th century. Fox and Geese is the version known in the English speaking world. It was the game of choice for many British royals.   

2. Crokinole (2 player / 2 teams)

Crokinole is a dexterity board game similar to carrom or marbles. Players take turns shooting discs across the circular playing surface, trying to have their discs land in the higher-scoring regions of the board, while also attempting to knock away opposing discs. Crokinole is most commonly played by two players, or by four players in teams of two. The earliest known crokinole board was made by a craftsman in 1876 in Ontario, Canada.

3. Mu Torere (2 player game)

This game has a board in the form of an eight-pointed star. Each player controls four discs kept on four points on the circle’s diameter at the beginning of the game. The centre remains empty at the beginning. The aim is to keep moving the discs in such a way that all your opponent’s discs are cornered together, surrounded by your discs and there are no empty spots for him to move. Reportedly, the chief of the Maori people of New Zealand had challenged British governor George Grey to this game. The winner would have kept the country. The governor had declined, of course. Let’s see if you are up for the challenge.  

OYOxDesign