Geominos - Game

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	Tod says: The concept for the game began as an experiment that grew out of a simple question. Stuart says: Before we get started, here's a little background. Tod's been designing games for a while now, and his game designs often start with some variation on "I wonder what happens if..." In this case, the simple question that led to Geominos was:

	Tod says: How many different shapes would be created if I took a square, divided it into 25 equal sections (making a 5x5 grid), and then removed one or more of the sections? I made a rule that at least one section would remain on each side of the square.

	Then I did the same thing with a square divided into 16 equal sections (making a 4x4 grid), removing one or more sections. These two methods, it turned out, created a lot of very complex and fascinating shapes.

	Next I did the same thing with a square divided into 9 equal sections (making a 3x3 grid), removing one or more sections.

	This created 23 different shapes. Again, very interesting shapes, though generally simpler in form than those created from 4x4 and 5x5 squares. I liked their more fundamental look. I started thinking about how they could be used in a game or puzzle. I experimented with them, combining and recombining them, and building them out into different puzzle patterns.

	Two of the shapes were repetitive and not useful for game-playing or puzzle-making. One had only the center section removed, and one had a corner section and the center section removed. The empty center section made no difference in how those two shapes would be used, so I eliminated them, leaving a total of 21 different shapes.

	Okay. Cool. Now what? How about numbering them? I could assign a letter or number to each section. Stuart says: That was a good idea.

	Tod says: Thank you. I tried a series of numbering and lettering and symbol systems. Okay. Even more interesting. Still, now what? It seemed to me that some kind of game or puzzle could be made with the numbered or lettered or symboled shapes.

	Stuart says: I checked, and "symboled" IS in the dictionary.

	Tod says: After a lot of experimentation, I settled on numbering the sections with pips (spots) like those found on dice and dominos. It occurred to me that my interesting shapes were like multi-sectioned dominos with different geometrical shapes. What to call them came next, pretty naturally–Geominos.

	I began to envision the shapes as game pieces, building onto each other by matching number to number like dominos. Next, I came up with a series of game board designs on which I imagined the shapes interacting. I can't remember how many boards I tried over time–at least a dozen.

	One winter morning I got up early, and, while drinking coffee and reading the morning paper, the design for the game board occurred to me. I grabbed a piece of paper and quickly sketched it out. I didn't have time that morning, or during the day, to look at it or even think about it again. Stuart says: Busy day.

	Tod says: Very. Late that evening I took some construction paper and made the board. Almost right away I knew I was on the right track. Here was the dynamic I had been looking for, between the pieces (which play vertically and horizontally), and the darker squares (which are patterned diagonally on the game board). The tension between these creates the game's challenge–matching tile sections while trying to play as few pips as possible on the lighter squares.

	I first test-played this board design myself for quite a while, and then began asking other people to play it. Many refinements were yet to come, but at this point the basic game concept and design were complete.

	Geominos is made in the U.S.A., using recycled paper and biodegradable inks. The game's plastic tiles are recyclable.