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SKIRRID - The Shapes Game © 1977 Brian Taylor & Mark Eliot
SKIRRID is a game of shapes for 2 players (but up to 6 can play). You have a board with a grid pattern showing the scores as you place your pieces down. The pieces are transparent, one set clear, the other grey. There are eighteen pieces for each player, in six different shapes, covering 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 squares each: I'll have to improve this diagram...
1 2 3 4 5 6
# ## #
##		 ##
##		 ###
# #		 #
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You take turns to lay your pieces on the board, joining your piece to those already laid, to score for yourself and block out your opponent by playing a piece upside down. Highest score at the finish wins. It's all pretty simple stuff.
Skirrid shapes Skirrid rulesClick on this for the very the large image
Skirrid board Skirrid board

Brian Taylor is, I suspect, the same chap who helped invent Kensington. On the back of the Skirrid box are lots of letters from celebs wishing the inventors luck. Clearly they sent loads of people copies to get their letterheads in return, smart marketing trick. There is a photo of Brain Taylor and mark Eliot, and Brian looks like the same chap in the photo on the back of Kensington. But the clincher is that Skirrid is marketed from an address in Abergavenny in Wales, and the blurb on Kensington says that Taylor lives in a mansion in Wales. Furthermore, Skirrid is a river in Wales and the valley is of the same name.

I like discovering these little patterns. Taylor may be an unrecognised strategy games genius. I picked up a copy of September by Danny Kishon, published by Paradigm Games. In the rules it mentions other games, King, Triad and ULTIMATE "The latest game by Brian Taylor the inventor of Kensington. It is a game that makes you think one step further ahead than you thought you could.".

Do you know of any other games by Brian Taylor?? Do you know Brian Taylor?? Please let me know!

People keep writing to me asking me where they can get a copy of Skirrid. Send me an email and I'll send you a file of useful sites.

German games

 Whilst I have your attention, may I encourage you to find out about German games. These are much more interesting, entertaining and longer lasting than robotic round-the-board rubbish like Monopoly or Trivial Pursuits. Many games are now published with English editions or rules sets, and those that are still in German are sold here with translations.
Have a look at the following please and discover a whole world of very original board and card games that you and your children will soon get hooked on.
Starting with my brief overview;
GERMAN GAMES - Why so good?
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