T.A.P.E.S. Board Game Review

T.A.P.E.S. is actually an acronym standing for Turn-based Approximate Proportion Estimation Showdown. T.A.P.E.S. is meant for 2-4 players, and everything you need to play is included. Inside, you’ll get a clipboard/ carrying case with a built-in spinning wheel, a scoring notepad, blank notepad, pencils, instructions, and the piece de resistance, 4 measuring tapes with absolutely SILLY units of measurement. We’re out here measuring in honey bees and chicken eggs. It’s wild.

Once everyone has scrap paper and their name written down, one player spins the wheel to determine the challenge. This may make your task easier, with Close Up, or harder with Blind Guess. The former allows you a careful examination of the object you are to measure, while the latter is just the opposite, turn around and measure based on memory! You also may get point multipliers if you’re lucky! Next, the spinner must choose an object, then spin one more time to determine the units. For example, measure a couch in squirrels! Now, observing the challenge requirements, the other players must do their best to guess how many squirrels long the couch is. Once everyone has written down their guess secretly, the spinner measures the object, in this case the couch, with the requisite tape, for example, squirrels. The player closest to the correct length wins 5 points, 2nd place wins 3, and 3rd place wins 2. A round is completed once all players have taken a turn as the spinner. The one with the most points after a round wins! You may elect to keep going, and if so, changing up the room, and thus, the objects, can help keep the game fresh and challenging.

Honestly, it’s a very challenging game, but since reward is based on who is closest, there will always be steady point progression. This way, the game never stagnates. As a side note, the visual design of T.A.P.E.S. is super charming! The iconic yellow and black of tape measures and construction zones adorns the game, and the industrial designer of the clipboard/ case/ spinning wheel deserves a promotion.