Join the Fun!

Subscribe to get the latest dish & FREE recipes delivered straight to your mailbox!

Comfortably Domestic

Real Food. Real Life.

Games We Love: Othello

by 11 Comments

One of my favorite games from childhood was Othello. No, I wasn’t a Shakespearean prodigy set on roll-playing one of his great literary tragedies of a Moor and manipulative malcontents.  I just was a kid who liked puzzles and games of strategy.

Although sometimes when Bacon Slayer and I play, we toss lines from Othello-the-Play back and forth in attempt to unnerve each other’s strategy.  Anything to get in the head of the opposition, man! 😉

Play can be learned in minutes–it’s simple enough for kids, yet challenging for adults.  In fact, the game tagline is, “A minute to learn. A lifetime to master.”

Each player chooses a color. Play starts with two discs of each color. And the banter begins…

Me: We cannot all be masters, nor all masters cannot truly be followed.  (Othello. Act 1 Scene 1.)

Players alternate placing one of their discs next to their opponents, but in line with one of their own–in effect surrounding the opponents disc(s). Discs can be placed horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. Here I am placing my black disc next to Bacon Slayers. See how I now have his white disc surrounded on both sides by my black ones?
That means that I can flip over the white disc that is now in between my black discs, making it black also.
To which Bacon Slayer retorts: I will wear my heart upon my sleeve, for daws to peck at it. (Othello Act 1, Scene 1.)
Play continues back and forth.  Given the current configuration, Bacon Slayer may choose to place a white disc diagonally next to my black ones.  See how he has a white disc waaay at the other end of that diagonal line?
That just means that I am in big trouble because after that move, he can turn over all the black discs that are now between his white ones.  Of course I would betray none of my anxiety over the situation to the Bacon Slayer. He can smell fear like a shark smells chum.  This game is far from over, so I would just smile at him, and remind him that,
The robb’d that smiles, steals something from the thief.  (Othello Act 1 Scene 3.)
The ultimate goal is to have the most discs of your own color on the board.  Your strategy can change with each turn, based on your opponents move.  Strategy also changes based on the skill level of your opponent. One of the things that I love about Othello is that kids and adults can play together, and both are challenged and engaged in the game.  My boys love to play each other, but they sure get a kick out of beating Mom or Dad!
Othello is recommended for ages 8 and up, but in our experience, children can really begin playing around age 5, with a little help. My game was made by a company named Pressman–old copies are floating around eBay if you are interested in a vintage copy. Otherwise, Mattel is now making a new version of Othello which I’ve seen at major retailers and on Amazon.
Not-So-Fineprint: Neither the folks from Pressman nor Mattel have any idea who I am–this isn’t a paid endorsement. We just like the board game. Bacon Slayer and I absolutely do not quote lines from Othello-the-Play, nor any other works of Shakespeare while playing Othello-the-Game. We just aren’t that classy.  Our banter is much more juvenile.

Reader Interactions

~ Affiliate Disclaimer ~

This post may contain affiliate links for items that I genuinely use on a regular basis. Your continuing support of brands that I love helps to offset the cost of providing FREE Comfortably Domestic recipes and other helpful content. As always, all opinions expressed on this website are 100% my own. Thank you!

Comments

  1. Hi, I'm the British number one in Othello and it's always pleasing to see people enjoying the game. If you ever fancy coming to a tournament we have friendly events all year round for people of all abilities. Have a look at http://www.britishothello.org.uk/ for details
    Reply

  3. Here I was picturing the banter including the quotes from Shakespeare right alongside the less "classy" ones. I think you could totally pull it off. :) I've seen Othello before, but have never tried it. We've been trying to do more games on Sunday afternoons lately, but ours have been the more "mainstream" ones: Life, Monopoly, Risk, Go Fish, oh and Lego Ninjago (Can you believe they have a board game for that?).
    Reply

    • We do our share of "everyone" games, but I really like Othello when one of the boys is playing chess with Bacon Slayer. Chess makes my brain hurt. Lego has a game for everything. We like Lego Creationary & Lego Harry Potter. I'll play anything to avoid getting roped into a never-ending game of Monopoly. ;)
      Reply

  4. Oh that looks like fun. I've been saying lately that we need to get into family games more! I'll have to look for that one. Of course keeping our 1 1/2 yr. old out of it is the biggest challenge, but I can hope. It's dumping rain at the moment so I am really in the mood for a good game! And popcorn. And hot cocoa! :) Aloha
    Reply

    • Ha! We give The Baby a few pieces, and hope he loses interest or gets distracted before the end of the game. Or before he takes all the pieces off the board, which ends the game. ;) Rainy days are perfect game days!
      Reply

  5. Looks fun! Our family favorite is Qubic, which hasn't been available new-at-retail for at least 20 years. I purchased our most recent set on Ebay. Three-dimensional Connect Four, kind of thing. These kinds of games are so great for learning strategy. Party on!
    Reply

Trackbacks

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.