The Vintage Board Game - "Sorry"

Sorry! is a board game that is founded on the ancient Cross and Circle game Pachisi. Players try to travel around the board with their pieces more rapidly than any other player. Distributed by Parker Brothers, Sorry! is marketed for two to four players, ages six through adult. The game title comes from the many ways in which a player can negate the advancement of another, while issuing an apologetic "Sorry!"

Objective

The goal is to be the first player to get all four of his or her color pawns from his or her Start location to his or her Home space. The pawns are as a rule moved in a clockwise direction, but can be moved backward if directed. Movement of pawns are directed by the drawing of a card.

The board game is laid out in a square with fifteen spaces per side, with each player assigned his or her own colored Start position and Home locations offset towards the center, one per side. Four five-square paths, one per color, lead from the common outer path towards a player's Home and are designated his or her "Safety Zone." On each side are two "Slides," grouping four or five spaces each.

Older variations of Sorry! contain a colored "diamond space" precisely one space back from each start square, with the rules stating that a pawn of the diamond's color may not move forwards over this square. Instead, a player of that color must deviate from the outer square towards his or her "Home." Even though the diamond and corresponding rule were removed from ensuing printings of the game, the rules of player progress remained the same.

Strategy

Players who have a pawn that has not moved too far away from its start area, and draw a card that enables them to move a pawn backward, can choose to move this pawn backward. Move a pawn in such a condition backward enough, and the pawn is all of a sudden nearly home.

The 7 can be split; it is often achievable to do so such that one of the pieces winds up on a slide, thus growing the value of this card. It also provides an additional opportunity for pawns to get Home, so long as there's another pawn on the board to use up the remaining spaces.

All other things being equal, moves that cause a pawn to wind up in front of an opponent's start square are unfortunate decisions, due to the high number of cards that let that opponent to enter. Some feel that leaving a pawn on one's own square just outside of "Start" is a poor arrangement to be in since new pawns are blocked from entering play.

There are numerous strategies and methods employed by skilled players. One such approach is to leave the last pawn in the "Start" square and move the other pawns all-around the board while waiting for a "Sorry" card.

Another wise move involves two pawns in play: At the same time as marching one pawn around the board, a player can leave a second pawn near "Start" and pause for the 4 card to be drawn and moving the second pawn into position to run swiftly "Home."

Due to the 11, 4 , and "Sorry" cards, the lead in the game can vary dramatically in a short amount of time; players are very rarely so far behind as to be entirely out of the game. This should be considered when playing a "Sorry" or an 11.

Slowing the game down is a dangerous yet effective move when given the opportunity. In essence, when a player has the chance to switch with or hit the apparent leader, even though the move will not be to the player's direct progression around the board, the move should be made to keep the leader out of "Safety" and more significantly, out of "Home."

SORRY "NEVER-OPENED" 1972 VINTAGE EDITION BOARD GAME