Town 77^*

Town 77 is a compact tile-laying game in the tiny signature box from Oink Games. On a 7x7 grid you build a town of colourful little houses, with one strict rule: never repeat the same colour or shape twice in a row or column. It plays with 1 to 5 people, ages 9 and up, in about 15 minutes.

What's it about?

Everyone holds a handful of house tiles and wants to get rid of them. Whoever fits the most houses into the town wins. It sounds easy, but it is a sly little brain-teaser: every tile you place quietly closes off options for the next one.

How a turn works

1. Pick a house tile from your stand.
2. Place it on an empty square of the 7x7 grid, as long as its colour and shape don't already appear in that row or column.
3. Once you can no longer make a legal placement, you are out for scoring.

The twist: your hand size

You may shrink your hand during the game, but you can never grow it back. Cut it too soon and you strangle your own options. Wait too long and you run out of open squares. That timing is what decides the game.

What's in the box?

• 49 house tiles in assorted colours and shapes
• 5 wooden hand stands
• 1 cloth bag
• 4 rulebooks

Who is it for?

Fans of tight puzzle and placement games who like small rules, small table space and a lot to think about. Solo it works as a high-score puzzle; with others it becomes a tense race. Town 77 is the expanded edition of Town 66, now playable by up to five.

Conclusion

A quiet, clever filler: explained in a minute, played on the spot, yet surprisingly deep in its timing. If you love delicate optimisation puzzles, it will keep coming out of your bag. If you want action, theme or table presence, look elsewhere.