- BGG rank
- BGG #16,988
- BGG rating
- 7.3
Tower Chess
- 2 players
- 30 min
- Complexity 2.0/5
- 2016
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- BGG #25,061
- BGG rating
- 5.7
TOPPEN
2013
Rules assistance for TOPPEN
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2 players
- 5–10 min
- 6+
- Complexity 1.5/5
Rules assistant for TOPPEN
For 2 players
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
TOPPEN is a board game released in 2013 for 2 players, 5–10 minutes per game, and ages 6 and up. It was designed by 新澤 大樹 (Taiki Shinzawa) and its main mechanics are Grid Movement.
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About the game
バベルの塔 ("Tower of Babel"), also known as TOPPEN, is played with ten tiles — five black and five red — with each player taking one color. During set-up, the second player places the ten tiles face down randomly in a square grid so as to form a continuous shape of their choice. The tiles are flipped color-side up, then the game begins. Taking turns, players take one of their tiles and place it on top of a neighboring tile/stack. The following restrictions apply: You can take only one tile, the topmost of a stack. You cannot split the tiles into two separate groups. You cannot move a tile to an empty space. If you cannot make a legal move, you must pass until a legal move is available to you again. You cannot pass if a move is available. The goal is to have your own tile at the top of the last pile remaining when the game ends.
Categories
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Korokorodou
- 倦怠期 (Kentaiki)
Questions and answers
TOPPEN supports 2 players according to the catalogue. This is the publisher’s listed player count, so the game is designed for exactly that number of participants. Variants for other group sizes, if any, are described in the rulebook of your edition, so check it before setting up a different configuration.
The listed playing time for TOPPEN is 5–10 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists TOPPEN for ages 6 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
TOPPEN has a complexity rating of 1.5 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
TOPPEN belongs to these categories: Abstract Strategy. Its main mechanics are Grid Movement. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of TOPPEN are: 新澤 大樹 (Taiki Shinzawa). These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists TOPPEN as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.