Mandala Stones

Move artists, grab matching stones, stack them into towers and cash them in before your opponent does.

Designer: Filip Głowacz
Published by: Board&Dice
Editions by: Lucky Duck Games, White Goblin Games, Reflexshop, Cranio Creations, Lucrum Games, Rawstone, TCG Factory, Kobold Spieleverlag, Gameology (Gameology Romania), Funbox Editora, Black Sea Games

Four artist pillars stand among stacks of colorful stones, and you are collecting stones to build little towers on your player board. On your turn you do one of two things. Either you pick: move an artist, then take every stone next to it that matches its pattern and is not touching another artist, and stack them into a tower. Or you score: cash in a color that shows on top of at least two of your towers, or other top stones, and clear space. The twist is that every pick also changes what your opponent can reach, so it is half collecting, half quiet interference. Mandala Stones is a compact abstract-leaning game for two to four, nicest at two, over in about half an hour. Satisfying clicks, no fuss, good-looking pieces.

Artist pillars decide which stones you can takeStack stones into towers in a set orderScore by color and pattern from the tower tops

Who it's for

You want a short, neat two-player puzzle with lovely pieces and a bit of interaction, something to play across a table in thirty minutes.

Not for you if…

You want heavy strategy or a strong theme. This is a clean abstract, and it does not pretend to be more.

Vibe's take

Tidy, tactile and quietly competitive. Each move is a small spatial puzzle with a little interference baked in, and the towers on your board turn into a satisfying scoring plan.