Ricochet Robots

Ricochet Robots is less of a game and more of a puzzle, which explains why there's such an odd number of solutions possible. There's a four-piece modular board that forms a large room with walls spread around the board. There are also color-coded targets on boards. Placed on top of the surface are four robots. The idea for each turn/puzzle is to get the like-colored robot to a randomly selected target. The trick is that once a robot starts moving, it will continue to move until a wall or another robot stops it. Therefore, players are seeking a sequence of moves for the robots that will enable them to move the required robot to the target in the fewest moves.

Four robots move in a warehouse. As they have no brakes, they must rely on obstacles such as walls and other robots to stop. Once stopped, they use nozzles to move in a direction away from that obstacle, allowing them to turn. From time to time, they receive a request to move to one of the 17 targets in the warehouse and they rely on the players to provide them with instructions to move to the targets. Each turn, a player draws a chip to determine the next target and the robot that must reach it. The players search for the shortest moves to the target, using one or more of the robots. The player who finds the shortest route receives the chip as a reward. The player who takes the most chips, is the winner! Any number may play this game, making it a great party game, “If you love puzzles, sci-fi B movies, or just plain off-the-wall humor, this game’ s for you!” – Robin H. King, Games Magazine