SHōBU Review
Robust, weighty, and abstracted components of old (e.g., wood, stones, and rope) meet a contemporary set of rules in the 2-player SHōBU (2019). A battle of tactical maneuvering where it is required to have patience and awareness in just the right places and in just the right moments. In SHōBU, you must be careful not to snatch defeat out of the jaws of victory.
PeteSteele: Hey, Keegan, fancy a game of Chess in the park?
KeeganKing: Not really, no.
PeteSteele: What about Go?
KeeganKing: Not really, no.
PeteSteele: Checkers?
KeeganKing: Not really, no.
PeteSteele: What about a new game that has a grid board similar to Chess, the aesthetic and tactile appeal of Go, and kind of plays like Checkers, but in many ways does not?
KeeganKing: . . .
PeteSteele: That is not a “no.” You’re intrigued, aren’t you?
KeeganKing: Maybe. Maybe. One question: How does it hold up to powerful gusts of wind?
PeteSteele: Like a rock.
KeeganKing: I’ll get my coat.
PeteSteele: While we are all about breaking down gamer stereotypes at Corax & Coffee, there certainly is a stereotype, perhaps only internal to the gaming community, that gamers tend to not care quite as much for ancient classic games such as Chess, Go, Checkers, Backgammon . . . the list goes on and on. And though, anecdotal as my own evidence may be, my own observations have certainly found this to be true. Of course, there are still plenty of gamers who may love one or more of these games. However, of the four classic games I mentioned, I definitely prefer Backgammon, which is, if you put all things on an Ameritrash continuum, certainly the most Ameritrashy of the lot.
SHōBU looks like it’s been around for hundreds or thousands of years based on its aesthetic and abstract mechanics, but don’t let looks or mechanics fool you! It has not. In fact, SHōBU, designed by Manolis Vranas and Jamie Sajdak and published by Smirk & Laughter Games, was just released in 2019 . . . CE. It’s new, it’s robust, and . . . it’s fun? Maybe? Let’s take a look . . .
The contents of the SHōBU box are fairly simple: four 4x4 wooden game boards (two of a lighter color and two of a darker color); 16 white polished stones; 16 black polished stones; 1 segment of rope; and 1 rulebook.
SHōBU starts with players sitting across from one another with the four boards arranged in a square—one dark and one light board in front of each player (separated by a piece rope for nothing other than aesthetic purposes) with the dark and light boards lined up. One player controls the black stones and the other player controls the white stones. Players place their respective colored stones in the eight squares among the two boards closest to them and then on the eight squares closest to the rope among the two far boards. Players alternate turns, starting with the player who controls the black stones. Players make two moves during their turn: first, a passive move that must be on one of their boards (the boards closest to them—either the dark or the light board); and second, an aggressive move on the opposite color board (either directly in front of them or in front of their opponent) of the passive move. The aggressive move must be in the same direction and number of spaces as the passive move. Players only move their own colored stones in either one or two spaces in any direction (vertical, horizontal, or diagonal). On the passive move, stones may not move into a space that is blocked by another stone or push stones out of the way; However, on the aggressive move, it is possible to push your opponent’s stones into another space on the board or off the board. Pushing your opponents stones off the board, while preventing your own pieces from being pushed off the board, is the ultimate goal of the game. A player wins a game of SHōBU instantly when they push all four of their opponent’s stones off of any one of the four game boards.
At times, SHōBU may feel like a chaotic mess, but it is far from it. In fact, it can be very calculated once you play it a few times. Within the 64 divided spaces across the four boards, there is a lot going on and it can be hard to know where to give your attention in any one round. In my experience, pushing the wrong stone either too far or in the wrong direction can lead to a sinking pit feeling deep inside as you see how your opponent responds. It just may be that you thought one board, relative to the other boards, was more important on that particular round. Perhaps that was true, or perhaps you were looking HERE when you should have been looking THERE! What may be a critical board on one turn can quickly become far less important on the next turn, and if you miss the shift in importance between turns, well . . . that could spell the end of the game for you. What may have felt like a seemingly assured victory can easily be replaced with a bitter, chalky, hard, stone-cold defeat.
Because the boards are physically divided, it is easy to think that what happens on one board does not matter or impact what happens on another. However, these boards (and systems) fluctuate, as does the importance of what happens on one board relative to other boards. This fluctuation creates an interdependent relationship between the different boards.
Even if you have been doing quite well, missing a step or a relationship between pieces or boards can result in disaster, which can make losing a game of SHōBU profoundly frustrating. While losing a game that you truly believe you should have won can make some players want to walk away from the SHōBU table, the game has a salty peanut quality about it, forever making you yearn for just one . . . more . . . taste.
In terms of getting new players to engage with the game, SHōBU has the benefit of having a sense of familiarity with its wooden and stone aesthetic and looking quite similar to a number of Go and Chess sets. Yet upon second glance, it is clearly quite different. Players who enjoy this particular old school aesthetic, but are not interested in engaging with the seeming ubiquity of classic games, may enjoy SHōBU. Additionally, SHōBU is a game that both experienced and less experienced gamers can sit down and learn together without the experienced gamer having a clear advantage to winning the game.
I suppose one issue I did have with SHōBU is the lag I experienced when my opponent was contemplating their move for a prolonged period of time (they reported feeling the same way at times, too). If you find yourself feeling this way, there’s an easy fix! Just grab a Chess clock (or a timer on your phone) and you have speed SHōBU! That is a game I could get behind . . . but have yet to try. If you do try this proposed variant, please let us know how it goes in the comments below.
Will SHōBU become a classic game like Chess with hundreds of books and thousands of articles written about its surface and deep strategy, how to teach it, how to engage with it, and how to win? Well, probably not. But I suppose only time will tell. Will there be players who choose to spend their time simply honing their game of SHōBU and becoming SHōBU grandmasters? Well, maybe. Maybe they already exist. I don’t know. But I do know that I will not commit to being one of them. My tabletop game preferences are far more varied, and, to be honest, I like more artwork, content, and decks of cards in my games; but I know that just comes down to personal preference.
Have I enjoyed my time with SHōBU? Absolutely! Would I give it as a gift to somebody who likes abstract strategy games? I certainly would. Will I pull it out on occasion for a quick game with somebody who already knows it or with somebody who has never encountered it before? You betcha! To me, the quality components and replayability that SHōBU has to offer at a MSRP of $29.99 is worth it if this is your type of game.
Another benefit: It is so easy to play SHōBU in a coffee shop on a cafe table for two. As such, I am delighted to award SHōBU the Corax & Coffee Seal of Distinction, as well as our Cafe Approved banner.
*Hours later in the park*
KeeganKing: So, that makes . . . 5 games for me, and 5 games for you.
PeteSteele: Care for one more game?
KeeganKing: Not really, no. You?
PeteSteele: No.
KeeganKing: . . . You’re not packing up the game.
PeteSteele: Neither are you.
KeeganKing: . . . Reset the board.
PeteSteele: The wind is picking up.
KeeganKing: It’s stones and wood—we’ll be fine. Play.
SHōBU (2019) earns our Seal of Distinction and is Cafe Approved!