Getting from Point A to Point B is an inescapable human quality. Maybe it’s a characteristic of ALL life. Be that as it may, getting from Point A to Point B by car is profoundly American, especially if getting between said points involves building a super-highway.
Bypass by SimplyFun takes the American pastime of building byzantine highway systems and makes it into something you would actually like to do.
The game takes place on a grid. Players take turns placing road tiles in order to connect one start point to an end point. Each tile is designed to connect to all other tiles; however, some will create dead ends or will force players to turn in directions they would rather not go (like any interstate highway, players may not make 90 degree turns unless there is an appropriate off-ramp).
The game ends when one player connects their start location with their end location. This seems easy enough at first when there are lots of open spaces on the board; however, as the game progresses, players realize that their paths will overlap and a tile that might help your path might help your opponent even more. You can play tiles to interfere with your opponents but it is often hard to predict just how helpful or harmful a tile will turn out to be. To make things even more complicated, tiles can be played on top of existing tiles IF the existing tile is surrounded on 4 sides.
Each player also has three cones which they can play in order to protect a tile. Once a cone is played, it cannot be moved and the tile cannot be changed. In this way you can prevent someone from changing a key link in your highway or you can permanently scar your opponent’s path.
[evil chuckle…]Play tiles, draw tiles, win when your road is complete. Major Fun likes things simple. Not easy. Two player games are just as cut-throat and chaotic as four player games. Strategies might change a bit as you add players, but you never want to take your eyes from the board.
SimplyFun does a great job of presenting the rules with clear and colorful illustrations. You can set up your first game in a few minutes and then never need the rules again. Play is intuitive, strategic, sometimes mean, and definitely Major Fun.
For 2-4 players, ages 8+
Bypass designed by Till Meyer. © 2012 by SimplyFun LLC.