Offboard

About this board game

Offboard is a two-player strategy game with a 20-minute play time, built around Abalone’s distinctive marble-pushing movement and a new race for control of external scoring zones.

On each turn, move one to three marbles in a straight line by one space. When you push fewer marbles than you are moving yourself, you can push an opponent’s marbles backwards. This creates a direct, tactical contest in which every formation, direction, and space on the board can affect the next move.

Rather than focusing only on driving opposing marbles from the board, Offboard changes the goal by adding scoring zones outside the main play area. You must control these zones in order to score points, turning positioning into the heart of the competition.

• Designed for exactly two players
• Typical play time of 20 minutes
• Move groups of one to three marbles in a straight line
• Control external scoring zones to earn points
• Be the first player to reach six points

The result is a compact variation on the familiar sumo-like feel of Abalone. Its core movement remains easy to understand, while the added scoring areas give players a fresh reason to think about where their marbles are going and how they occupy the board.

Released in 2011, Offboard offers a focused head-to-head experience for players who enjoy spatial tactics, pushing mechanics, and clear objectives. Each game centers on the tension between moving your own marble group effectively, responding to your opponent’s formations, and securing the zones needed to reach six points first.