Reviewed by Joe Huber
NUMBR9 (Abacusspiele, 1 to 4 players, ages 8 and up, 15-20 minutes; about €20)
A lot of ga
mes are called multiplayer solitaire, particularly by those who prefer to see direct interaction, but few games really deserve the label. For example, while Race for the Galaxy is often named as an example, there is a lot of interaction in the game – it’s simply more indirect, through the choices of actions, than direct. However, a few games really do qualify; perhaps the most famous of these is Take It Easy, Peter Burley’s classic game which I’ve seen played by more than 100 players simultaneously. In fact, that’s a good test – if, given enough components, a game _can_ be played by 100 players simultaneously, it’s either multiplayer solitaire or some type of contest (such as a game show or Ricochet Robots) where the goal is to have the most right answers or be fastest with the best solution. One excellent recent example in the genre is Nmbr9, a 2017 release designed by Peter Wichmann currently only available in Germany to the best of my knowledge.
