Welcome to Base-X!

Base-X is a strategy board game that challenges players understanding of different “base” numbering systems (for instance 8, 10, 12, 16). You probably could easily figure out what would be above 45 on a ten by ten grid (hint – it’s 55), but how about what would be above 45 on a twelve by twelve grid (it’s 57). Now most folks start playing Base X with the ten by ten grid and enjoy playing that way, but those other numbering system boards are there when you are ready for something more challenging… that’s why we call it Base X.

The basic rules are simple: a set of common tiles are placed face up on the board grid and then each player draws a set of tiles and then takes turns playing them adjacent to a tile already on the board. The first player to play all their tiles wins. It really isn’t much harder than that, and all the standard rules can be read in detail here.

Most non-mathletes are going to play on the ten by ten boards for a while and this is fine because there is still a lot of ways to have fun on this board. Once you grasp the basic concept of adjacency play, you can start to work out the probability of which tiles to play when. In addition there is also game play where you can either switch tiles with the pile or your opponents, or even give a tile away. The real original aspect are the reversible numbers (technically called strobogramatic) where an 18 can be played as 18 or 81 because Base-X used a patented font that lets you reverse all ones, sixes, eights, and nines. Check out the rules sections for all the details.

Maybe strategy games aren’t your thing. There are also the gambler boards where you can use the same numbering system variations in combination with probability to play tile based versions of both poker and hold ‘em. We make the game play optional for these variations and let you provide your own chips, but the game has all the same cunning and strategy of the original card deck counterparts. Read the rules here and here for more information.

So how can you play this game. If you live in the Chicago area then you can check back here for game nights. We are going to try and partner with local board game meet-up groups to give people an opportunity to play Base-X. But, if you are ready to buy your own board there are two options. One, you can simply order a board from the order page; two, you can print out and build your own following the instructions provided here. We aren’t out to get rich, just give as many people as we can a chance to play Base X.

Finally, yes we have a patent on all of this with claims on the adjacency elements, the different base grids, as well as the strobogramatic fonts (among other things). You can see a copy of it here. We did this because we are looking to the future. We are working on a digital version of the game as well as looking at ways to generate some capital to do a larger production “run” of the game material to lower the costs. That is the future; for for now it is just about getting out there and playing a lot of Base-X.

Thanks for reading and feel free to look around.