Thrift Treasure: Chase Game
I had what I considered a lucky week at our Goodwill. We happened across another mid-80’s game by TSR – the makers of Dungeons & Dragons! Just like a couple of our previous finds (Kage, I Think You Think I Think), Chase was an attempt by the publisher to offer more mainstream titles.
Chase is an abstract game using dice as pawns. However, there is no dice rolling! After the board is set on the table, each player takes all the dice of one color. These will be placed in order on the closest row in front of them. Numbers will increase from one to five, and then back down to one. Set aside the extra die for use later.
The playing area is considered to be a representation of a cylinder. The left and right sides of the map connect, so if you move off one side, you’ll reappear on the other. The top and bottom of the board is a hard edge, so no wrapping occurs.
The number on top of the die represents its power and thus, how far it will move on a turn. Movement is always in a straight line through connecting hexes. Dice may not move through other dice, nor the center space (the fission chamber). A die must be able to move the full length of its power.
On a turn you may either move one die according to the limitations above, or transfer power from one die to another which is adjacent. To transfer, subtract a number from the active die and add it to the one next to it. Dice may not exceed a value of six, nor fall below one.
Capture an opponent’s die when you end your movement on it. Remove that die from the board and add its power value to one or more of the lowest-valued dice owned by that person. The total of all dice on the board should always add up to twenty-five.
If a die ends in the center space, a split occurs. Take an unused die, even a captured one, and divide the value on the moved die. Place one die to the left of the entry point and one to the right, placing the higher number on the left.
A game of Chase ends when one player has only four dice left because they can no longer sum up to twenty-five. The winner is the person with more than four dice! Chase is nearly forty years old, but you can still find nice examples for sale on eBay. Watch prices closely as they can range from $15 to over $100!
Do you own any of TSR’s board games?
