Zendo cover
2001BGG rank #1,346

Zendo

by Kory Heath, Andrew Looney · Looney Labs

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Players2–6
Time15–60m
ComplexityMedium-Light
Age12+

About the game

What is Zendo?

Zendo is a game of inductive logic in which one player, the Moderator, creates a secret rule that the rest of the players try to figure out by building and studying configurations of the game pieces. The first player to correctly guess the rule wins. Inspired by Eleusis, Zendo uses Looney Pyramids but was released as a standalone game in July 2003. In 2017, a version of Zendo was released that had only one size of pyramid but added blocks and wedges. It also includes an optional system of cards for generating the Moderator's rule, useful for novice players who are not yet comfortable making their own rules. A similar set of cards for playing "Pyramid Zendo" (i.e. the version without the other shapes) is also available as an expansion for Pyramid Arcade.

How it plays

Mechanics

InductionPattern RecognitionSimultaneous Action Selection

On the shelf

Categories

Abstract StrategyDeductionPuzzle

Questions players ask

Questions to bring to BoardGameBrain

  • How do setup and the first turn work in Zendo?
  • When does scoring happen and what ends the game?
  • How should the table resolve an unusual timing or rules interaction?