Ominoes

About this board game

Ominoes is a 15-minute abstract strategy and tactical game for 2–4 players, inspired by a mysterious ancient game discovered in Egypt. Players compete to collect their favored gods in groups and score enough points to win.

Each turn follows three clear steps: roll a die, move a matching die on the board exactly three spaces, then place the die just rolled. The dice determine your available action while also becoming pieces in your color once they enter the board, creating a constantly changing tactical puzzle.

• Colored faces: Match the rolled color to move a die already on the board.
• Special faces: Yay-Ra lets you move any die, while Ominotep lets you reroll any die.
• Wild dice: Yay-Ra and Ominotep count as wild once placed on the board.
• Group scoring: Groups of four or more dice of a color score immediately for points equal to their number.

In games with two or three players, unused player colors remain scorable by anyone, adding another consideration when deciding where to place a die. Timing matters: every placement can create a valuable group, while each movement can alter the board before your opponents get their turns.

The first player to reach 13 points wins, or 21 points in a two-player game. Quick to learn but offering layers of light tactics, Ominoes delivers a compact contest of positioning, timing, and clever use of special effects. It won the UK Games Expo Award for Best Abstract Game in 2017.