Just4Fun

About this board game

Just4Fun is a 2–4-player abstract strategy game from 2005, with games lasting about 25 minutes. Players use numbered cards to place stones on a 36-square board and try to create a line of four.

Each player has a hand of four cards numbered from 1 through 19. On a turn, a player plays one, two, three, or four cards to place a stone on the corresponding numbered square or squares. The board’s numbers are arranged in a non-obvious order, making card play and spatial planning closely connected.

Completing four squares in a row is not the whole story. Lines may run horizontally, vertically, or diagonally, but several players can place stones on the same square. A square is safe for a player only when that player has two more stones there than any other player, adding a layer of competition to every placement.

• For 2–4 players
• Approximately 25 minutes per game
• 36 numbered squares in a non-obvious arrangement
• Play one to four cards to place stones
• Win by making four in a line, or lead on points after 20 turns

If nobody achieves four in a row within 20 turns, the game ends in favor of the player with the most points. This turn limit keeps the contest focused while giving players opportunities to challenge occupied squares and pursue a decisive line.

The yucata implementation allows alternate board arrangements. A modular-board version, Fourmation, was published by SimplyFun, while Just4Fun Colours, published by Kosmos in 2010, is described as a simpler successor that uses colors instead of numbers.