‘Clout Fantasy’ explained

Published 9:00 pm Sunday, March 20, 2005

Each “Clout Fantasy” player starts with 15 chips. Much like different chess pieces have different abilities to move, attack and defend in different directions, so also do “Clout Fantasy” pieces have different movement and fighting attributes. Each is assigned a value, which is measured in “Clout points.”

The difference is that instead of starting on a static 64-square chessboard, “Clout Fantasy” is played free-form. Players take turns pitching chips onto any reasonably flat surface – tables, floors, even bare dirt. The idea is to either group your pieces for a strong defense, or to attack your opponents pieces as they’re thrown into play – or a mix of both.

And – unlike chess sets, which have only one queen per player – “Clout Fantasy” players are free to go out and buy extra game pieces, allowing them to mix and match the kind of pieces they have for each game. As a result, “the game is constantly evolving, and your stacks are constantly evolving,” said Snohomish resident Jesper Myrfors, the game’s inventor.

The game is played by two to four players. It’s fairly easy to pick up the basics, but experienced players will develop more elaborate strategies and tactics. At the same time, Myrfors said, “kids like it because you get to throw stuff.”

After each player has thrown all 15 chips, they count up the Clout points of their pieces that remain in play, and the one with the most points wins.

Unlike fantasy role-playing games, which can run on indefinitely, “Clout Fantasy” is quick. Two-player games typically take less than 10 minutes. “It’s a quick, recess kind of game – or coffee break,” Myrfors said.

Each stack of 15 chips represents a different race of fantasy creatures – goblins, centaurs, elves and the undead. Each has different strengths and weaknesses. For example, goblins – they’re Myrfors’ favorite – are weak individually, but if a player can group enough of them together, they’re hard to beat.

In the future, there will be new stacks released with new races. “Mer-people” is the next on the drawing board, Myrfors said – mermaids, mermen and dolphins. Future game sets could be based on historical people, he said. “You could get goblins fighting Napoleon’s army.”