Let's go down the psycho path! (that is the slogan I would come up with if I were a board game publisher. It is lame enough to work!)

November 5, 2011 2:07 PM

Board Game Filter: So my mom called today, and asking about an old board game she loved. She used to play it with her cousin -- she thinks it'd have been about '73-ish. She remembers it being called "Psychopath" (or perhaps "Psycho Path"), but my google-fu failed on that name, so perhaps that is not it. (Actual Gameplay Description Inside)

Anyway, the game wasn't a board game per se, but made up of tiles -- either hexagons or octagons. The tiles had different colored paths, and each side of the tile had to match exactly any nearby tiles to make a continuous path of the same color. As the game went on, it got harder and harder to find a tile that would fit.

The paths were Hot Pink, Peacock Blue and Green -- and maybe a yellow path. Very vivid colors.

That's from my mom's description. It sounds a LITTLE like Carcassone to me -- at least a similar dynamic, anyway. I know it's NOT Carcassone, as I think that game is way more recent -- but also, Mom didn't like the placing-a-guy dynamic that scores points in that game.

She doesn't remember the maker of the game -- if it's MB or Parker Brothers or some other company.

Mom doesn't have a MeFi account, but I'll send this link to her, and if she has anything to say or add, I'll post it on her behalf. For what it's worth, I don't ever recall seeing this game, so I won't know, heh.

posted by Rev. Syung Myung Me to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (8 answers total)

Best answer: Psyche-paths
(I searched BoardGameGeek.com for games including the word "path")
posted by LobsterMitten at 2:10 PM on November 5, 2011

Best answer: Psyche-paths (fixed link)

If she would like a set, it sounds like you can get one on eBay or BGG's internal auction site for $15-20. Also it sounds similar to Tantrix, a game that is widely available today.
posted by LobsterMitten at 2:15 PM on November 5, 2011

Response by poster: Thank you! You rock -- my mom's wicked excited now!
posted by Rev. Syung Myung Me at 2:19 PM on November 5, 2011

Another few games that are fun and similar (laying tiles to form twisting intersecting paths):
Metro
Tsuro
posted by LobsterMitten at 2:21 PM on November 5, 2011 [2 favorites]

I'm glad your mom is excited! I love these kinds of games, and there are a bunch of different types of game that use this "tile matching to form a path" mechanic in different ways.Your question also reminds me of another game I had as a kid, which I haven't thought about in years: Connect. (Waterworks is another; uses water pipes rather than colored paths. Rivers, Roads, and Rails uses transportation networks.)
posted by LobsterMitten at 2:30 PM on November 5, 2011

I loved that game! Thanks for the reminder!
posted by cda at 2:38 PM on November 5, 2011

Perhaps she'd like Entanglement? Or, there's also an iPhone app called Disentanglement. They're both addictive and fun.
posted by asras at 2:40 PM on November 5, 2011 [1 favorite]

If you can find a copy of the version of Ta Yu with the cover shown it is both beautiful and a terrific path connection tile laying game.
posted by meinvt at 6:06 PM on November 5, 2011 [1 favorite]