Blast Off

When most of us were kids, our parents did not just take us out to the lake, threw us in and called it a swimming lesson. We're sure the majority of us were given life jackets, water wings, and anything else that would help to keep our heads above water. We are sure most of us also did not learn to ride a bike on a two wheeled Mongoose dirt bike. Those who were raised by parents who had a shred of common sense were given bikes that had training wheels on them. Starting kids off slowly is not just a way to keep them from serious injury, but also a way to foster interest in an activity by not frustrating them.

This was the idea when Oswald Jacoby and John Crawford came up with the backgammon variant of "Blast Off". The intention of this game is to take the rules down to very basics of game play and make it intellectually accessible to those in an age group who are still trying to wrap their brains around "CandyLand".

The way Blast Off is played is really quite simple. The board is set-up as normal with one exception. The two checkers that were on a player's 24 point get put on their 13 point instead. So now the 13 point has seven checkers on it.

With the exception that no hitting is allowed (we mean no hitting each other's checkers, it is a given that players may not slap each other around), the game is played exactly like proper backgammon.

These changes reduce the game to one of almost pure luck. The roll of the dice dictates the outcome almost completely. Blast Off is a great way to introduce the next generation to the game we all love so much. Give it a try and enjoy playing backgammon with your kids!