| Recommended Age: | 8+ |
| Players: | 2-6 |
| Cost: | $19.99 |
| Play Time: | 10-15 minutes |
| Company Site: | marandagames.com |
| Official Site: | products/quanzy |
| Skills: | Develops pattern recognition and strategic skills |
| Objective: | Complete a straight row of 4 tiles with at least ONE common attribute. |
| Contents: | 28 Large hexagonal game pieces Cinch-style storage bag Instructions |
Quanzy always makes me think of the word Bonsai! and I have to (not loudly) yell it just like I would Bonsai! (you just did that in your head didn’t you?) except it is pronounced “Kwan-Zee”. Quanzy is an interesting game that seems really really confusing but actually isn’t. Be the first to complete 4 in a (straight) row to win but like with most games it isn’t as easy as it sounds.
This game can be confusing at first but once you start playing you will get the idea pretty quickly. It is best to check out all the tiles first and practice a bit. If you are playing with younger kids it would be best to make sure they can identify each item on the tiles first, then the differences. I will try to explain how I played with the Gentleman because we adjusted it a bit. The following video explains how you play with adults though!
I will do my best to explain how to play and then how we adjusted for my son who is 5. This game is too much for my daughter to actually play but we used the tiles to match colors, shapes, and sizes. It was sort of a game for her but the important part was she liked matching up the different things and “winning” when she ran out of tiles. Now on to how to play!
Objective:
Complete a straight row of 4 tiles with at least ONE common attribute.
I’m not going to lie, this confused me at first. I thought it was 4 tiles in a row with at least one attribute in common meaning the tiles would be Orange/Medium/Hexagon – Green/Medium/Circle – Green/Large/Flower – Purple/Small/Flower. Nope! What they really mean is something like all 4 tiles have Medium shapes, or all 4 are Green. Oops! Oh well the other way was easy to play with my son.
Hexagon Tiles:
No two tiles are exactly alike! There are tiles with one of three color backgrounds Green, Orange or Purple, and one of three shapes Hexagon, Flower or Circle AND one of three sizes Small, Medium or Large. (They call the Flower shape an asterisk in the instructions but it looks like a flower to me)
Setup:
- Set the Wild Tile (the only tile with everything on it! All three of everything.) in the middle of your play area.
- Put the rest of the tiles face down and “shuffle” them.
- Each player picks 3 and stands them up so the other players cannot see them.
- Choose someone to go first.
Play:
The first player places a tile next to the Wild Tile. That is the easy part as the Wild Tile can go with ANY tile. Play moves to the left. Each player places 1 tile and then chooses a tile from the pile on every turn. You must place a tile next to one on the board that has at least one attribute in common with yours. Keep an eye on other players!
It gets tricky when you have more tiles on the “board” too. The Wild Tile goes with everything so you can set any tile next to it. So if you set an Orange background Large Hexagon tile text to it you can only set a tile with Orange, Large shape, or Hexagon next to that one. It would have to have at least ONE of those attributes but more than one is ok.
There are rules in place in case you run out of tiles too so you don’t have to just stop playing the game. I like that about this game. I would recommend not placing a 3rd tile on a row in case the other player(s) has the 4th and winning piece!
Now…this might be a bit much for most kids under 8 but they can still play. This is how I played with my 5 year old son but you can adapt it however you need to.
Objective:
Complete a straight row of 4 tiles.
That’s it they just have to go along with the standard one attribute in common rule but try to get 4 in a row to win. Games don’t last as long this way and it is easier for kids to get (or learn) straight row and focus on making sure the tiles CAN go next to each other. You can change this to standard rules once they have the tile matching part down.
Hexagon Tiles:
Set out the Wild Tile and then set out one of each size, color, and shape tiles. I set out 1 Green Large Hexagon, 1 Purple Medium Hexagon and 1 Orange Small Hexagon. Then I had him tell me the shape of each, the size of each and the color background of each. We did the same with Circles and Flowers. Then we went over what could line up.
We went over this a lot. Can the Green Large Hexagon go next to the Purple Large Flower? Yes! Why? And I made him explain that the two shapes were both Large. I tried to cover each scenario until I felt like he had the idea. This in itself is the first “game” you play with your child with this game. It might also be the ONLY game you play for awhile. My 3 year old daughter is not even on this stage yet so this game will be with us a long time. (I LOVE games that last years!)
Setup:
- Set the Wild Tile in the middle of your play area.
- Put the rest of the tiles face down and “shuffle” them.
- Each player picks 3 and puts them face up in front of them.
- Youngest goes first.
Play:
The first player places a tile next to the Wild Tile and says what they are matching. Play moves to the left. Each player places 1 tile on the board and says out loud why that tile can go in that spot. You must place a tile next to one on the board that has at least one attribute in common with yours AND you HAVE to say why that tile can go in the spot you chose.
This helps reinforce the patterns and help them master the game…or at least get better at it. Play continues as normal with each player placing a tile and then choosing a tile from the pile on every turn.
Playing with younger kids isn’t that much different. I adjusted it so they didn’t have to focus on getting 4 of the same attribute in a row to win so they would only focus on placing tiles correctly. For even younger kids take out the winning altogether and focus on matching one attribute at least.
Remove the Wild Tile and simply place one tile face up in front of your child. Give them no more than 3 options to choose from with only one being correct. Have them select the correct tile that would set next to the tile in the center and tell you why. Once they get that correct do the same thing but have them use the new tile. This “game” will help them identify similar shapes, sizes, and colors but by keeping them in a row you remove the confusing part of “does it match both tiles or all three?”
The game comes in a box but it also comes with a handy and sturdy bag to carry the tiles in. I actually put our box away as the bag holds all the tiles and instructions and travels really well in my bag. The tiles themselves are very sturdy! The Diva tossed a few in a tantrum (Shocking I know!) and they didn’t get a scratch or anything on them. They are on the heavy side though so there is more of a risk of them hurting something (or someone).
My whole family enjoys this game and my daughter will soon be able to play a tile selection version. My husband and I usually end up with no tiles and have to use the “extra rules” but we tend to be a bit competitive with each other…especially if loser does the dishes.
