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FroGames — Moments You'll Remember
Grab a cube, set a rule. The next player curses, you smile. In the end, the cleverest tableau builder wins, but everyone remembers that impossible move.
WHAT IT'S ABOUT
An elegant puzzle where each move changes the rules for the next player
Northwest is the new game by Rick Hou, an emerging designer, published in 2025 by Brickhouse Games. Set in the forests of the Pacific Northwest, it puts you in the shoes of an explorer collecting memories: bees, mushrooms, ferns, maples, and the mythical Bigfoot. The illustrations by Isaac Lefever evoke the naturalistic charm of the region.
On your turn, you take a cube from the central grid by moving the shared marker. The cube you take determines how the next player can move: bees force an L-shaped move (like a chess knight), mushrooms diagonally, ferns orthogonally, and so on. Build your 4x4 tableau trying to maximize points: each cube type has a unique scoring system. The game ends when no one can make a legal move or someone fills their tableau.
What they say abroad
A spatial puzzle that you teach in three minutes and immediately replay.
— FroGames
Every cube you take becomes someone else's problem.
— FroGames
Northwest
FrogScore · FroGames editorial rating · based on rules, international reviews, and play sessionsWhat you collect
Five memories, five ways to score
Bees and Honey
Force an L-shaped knight's move. Score points based on sets collected: the more you have, the more exponentially they're worth.
Mushrooms
Require movement to the eight adjacent squares. Score points for each connected group you create in your tableau.
Ferns
Only allow orthogonal movements. Give points for complete rows and columns in your 4x4 tableau.
Maples
Only allow diagonal movements. Score for proximity: the more maples you place together, the more points you score for each.
In twenty minutes, someone will have filled their grid. Someone else will curse your last move. And you'll already want to play again.
A game in five moments
What happens at the table
Not the rules. The experience.
Setup and easy first moves
Fill the 5×5 grid with random cubes, place the exploration token. The first moves are plentiful: choose what you want to build, but someone is already thinking about what to leave for others. Personal player boards are empty, potential is infinite.
The first tactical blocks
Someone takes a Fern cube and now you can only move orthogonally. The space you wanted is unreachable. You curse, recalculate, take something else. You start to understand that every choice you make is a problem for the next player. The laughter begins.
Mid-game: player boards take shape
The player boards fill up. Someone is building a Maple strategy, another has focused entirely on connected Mushrooms. The central grid empties, legal moves become scarce. You start calculating two turns ahead: if I take that, he can only take this, and then I...
The impossible move
Someone takes a Bee cube and forces you to move in an L-shape. There are no reachable spaces. You are stuck. Or: you find the perfect move that completes the row and simultaneously denies the best options to the opponent. Applause or insults, never a middle ground.
End of game and scoring
Someone can no longer move or fills their player board. Points are counted: each cube type scores differently, numbers accumulate. The one who optimized best wins, but everyone looks at the central grid and says 'If I had taken that instead of...' The rematch starts immediately.
How to play
The flow of each turn
Northwest is a game of one action per turn, but that single action has ripple effects.
Move the exploration token on the central grid according to the constraint imposed by the cube taken by the previous player (L-shape, diagonal, orthogonal, adjacent, or free).
Take the cube from the space where you moved the token. That cube will determine the type of movement for the next player.
Place the cube on your personal 4×4 player board, trying to build patterns that maximize your score according to the rules of that cube type.
The next player must now deal with the movement constraint you just imposed on them. Smile.
Why it's different from others
Six mechanics that make a difference
Shared movement that changes every turn
No two turns are alike: the cube you take dictates the movement rules for the next player. This single mechanic generates incredible emergent complexity. You have to think not only about what you want, but about what you are giving to others.
Asymmetric point salad
Each cube type scores completely differently: set collection, connections, rows/columns, proximity. There is no dominant strategy. You must adapt to what you happen to collect and optimize on the fly.
Teach the game in 3 minutes or less
Rules so simple that even a 7-year-old understands everything. Yet, tactical depth emerges immediately. It's the perfect gateway game: no barrier to entry, but a real challenge for experts.
Ruthless indirect interaction
No direct attacks, but every move limits others' options. Do you take an L-shaped movement cube? The next player will have very few reachable spaces. Blocking opponents is an integral part of the strategy, not a bonus.
Variable and controlled duration
A game can last 20 minutes or 45, depending on how many people are playing and how quickly they fill their player boards. The game ends when someone cannot move or fills their space. No downtime, always in the game.
Infinite replayability
Random grid setup, different strategies for each cube type, changing player order. Every game is a new spatial puzzle. Replaying Northwest is almost mandatory: you finish one game and immediately want to test another strategy.
How it ends
How to win and how to lose
Northwest ends when the central grid is empty or someone can no longer make a legal move. Points are counted.
Victory
- Maximize the points on your 4×4 player board according to the scoring rules of each cube type
- Build efficient patterns: sets of bees, connected groups of mushrooms, complete rows of ferns, clusters of maples
- Collect Bigfoot (wildcard) and place it strategically to complete difficult patterns
Elimination or blockade
- You cannot make a legal move on the central grid (the movement constraint blocks you)
- You build a messy player board without clear patterns and score few points
- Opponents systematically block you, leaving you only with cubes that are not useful for your strategy
Northwest is a game that pretends to be simple and then bites you. Perfect for families and experienced players looking for an elegant abstract game with a believable naturalistic theme. In twenty minutes you'll already want to replay it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Northwest FAQ
Is it really as easy to teach as they say?
Yes. The rules can be explained in three minutes: take a cube, put it on your player board, the cube you take dictates the next player's movement. That's it. Complexity emerges from the system, not from the rules. It is the perfect example of elegant design: few rules, many consequences.
Is it a game for children or experts?
Both. The recommended age is 7+ and it holds up very well: a child understands everything and has fun. But experts find real tactical depth: thinking two turns ahead, blocking opponents, optimizing their player board. It's not a game that 'gets solved' after three plays.
Does it work well with 2 players, or is it better with more?
With 2 players, it's more tactical and calculable, almost like a light chess game. With 3-4 players, chaos and variability increase, because more things happen between your turn and the next. Both experiences work, it depends on what you're looking for.
How much does the initial setup's luck matter?
Little. The setup is random, but everyone draws from the same grid and everyone faces the same constraints. There is some luck (which cube ends up where), but strategy matters much more: knowing how to adapt, building efficient patterns, blocking opponents at the right time. The best player wins.
Is it available in Italian?
No, this edition is in English. But language dependency is practically zero: cubes are identified by icons (bees, mushrooms, ferns, maples, Bigfoot), movement rules are symbolic. Just read the rulebook once and you can play without problems. Perfect even for those with only school-level English.
Northwest is an abstract board game for 2-4 players, ages 7+, lasting 20-45 minutes. Designed by Rick Hou and published by Brickhouse Games, it combines shared grid movement, set collection, and pattern building in an elegant and accessible system. Each cube collected determines the next player's movement, creating indirect tactical interaction and emergent strategic depth. Ideal as a gateway game for families or a tactical puzzle for experienced players. Naturalistic illustrations by Isaac Lefever. Available on FroGames.it
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