GIPF project

The GIPF Project is a series of seven abstract strategy games by designer Kris Burm.

The series is named after the first game, GIPF. All the games take place on some form of hexagonal board. Each of the games, including GIPF, may be played individually. When playing a standard game of GIPF the game is played with normal pieces and gipf pieces.

However, the series also allows players to link the GIPF game to the other games in the series or even to any game at all. It does this by introducing into the game of GIPF certain new pieces with special powers, called "potentials". Before you start a game of GIPF with potentials, the players decide to which game they link each potential piece. For example, the Zertz potential piece to a game of ZERTZ and the Dvonn potential to a game of DVONN. But they could decide just as well to link the Zertz potential to a coin flip and the Dvonn potential to a dice roll. Now, when playing the GIPF game with potentials, they can introduce potential pieces whenever they like (according to the playing rules). As soon as they want to use the special power of one of their potential pieces during the GIPF game, they put the GIPF board aside and play the game linked to that specific potential piece (in the example above ZERTZ and DVONN, respectively a coin flip and a dice roll). Upon victory the active player can use the power of the potential piece in the game of GIPF. If the active player loses, the special power of the potential piece cannot be used in the GIPF game.

The idea of introducing additional games that can be used to affect the outcome of the main game came from Burm's childhood, when he and his brother would "race" cars around a rug. For each turn, they would play another game, and the winner of that game would get to roll six dice to determine his car's movement, while the loser would roll just five.

As of 2022, YINSH, TZAAR, DVONN, LYNGK, ZÈRTZ, GIPF, and PÜNCT are, respectively, the 3rd, 8th, 11th, 19th, 20th, 35th, and 80th highest ranked Abstract Games on Boardgamegeek. TAMSK, which was officially removed from the series, is nevertheless ranked 87th. YINSH, DVONN, and ZÈRTZ have each won the Mensa Select award.