By Adam Roffel
Chinese Checkers is one of the easiest games to play and has stuck around for more than a century for a reason. Many have riffed on the game and created unique experiences, and one of those just came out recently. Jump Masters! from Chip Theory Games and Neon Knight Games is a fantastic, easy-to-play experience. It borrows heavily from Chinese Checkers but spins it in a unique way.
Jumping, Energy, and Combat
Jump Masters! is a competitive strategy board game for 2–4 players, with games lasting around 30–45 minutes. Inspired by Chinese Checkers, it combines strategic movement and jumping with tactical combat. Players choose teams of unique heroes, each with special abilities. They move around the board by chaining jumps together to build energy and attack opponents.
Positioning, timing, and using the terrain effectively are key to success, as players battle to defeat enemy heroes and earn victory points.
The gameplay is simple, but the strategy is deep. On a turn, you have a few options:
- Step: Move one of your heroes a single space.
- Run: Move one of your heroes two spaces.
- Energize and/or Attack: Jump over your own heroes to increase your energy, or jump over enemy heroes to attack them.
Each hero has a set maximum energy level, from 2 to 6. This is tracked by the numbers on the die. As you energize, you become stronger. When you jump over an opposing hero, both heroes lose energy in the attack until one is defeated. If you defeat an enemy hero, you earn victory points equal to their maximum energy value.
All the heroes have unique abilities, each with its own requirements or restrictions. One hero, for example, can damage an enemy hero after stepping, while another can steal energy from a neighbouring opponent. Others can reduce energy loss from special abilities or jump over two heroes in a single move.
There is great variety here, and the opportunity to add even more content in the future.
Easy Rules With Plenty of Strategy
Jump Masters! is a fantastic game because of how accessible it is. Learning how to play the game is incredibly easy, and everything can be learned in five or ten minutes. While easy to play, there is a ton of strategy here that only becomes apparent with more play time. Your first few games will feel a bit chaotic, and it’s likely you’ll make errors that become pretty costly. But as you play more, you realize how heroes can work together. You learn to use the board to your advantage. You also start learning the ins and outs of offensive and defensive manoeuvres.
I found a similar mix of easy rules and deeper decisions in my Citadels Duel review, even though the two games play quite differently.
The quality of the game is phenomenal as well. I played using the deluxe version of the game, which included acrylic terrain pieces, a neoprene game board, and a plastic insert. The base game was also sent to me by Chip Theory Games, and the quality here is great as well. The cardboard tokens and board are great quality, and everything fits nicely into a compact box that is easy to store and easy to transport.
I was similarly impressed by the components in Pond, another accessible strategy game I recently reviewed.
Accessibility, Once Again, Is King
Making board games playable by a wide variety of people is what I’m generally going to praise the most. Big Euro-style games are fun to play, but they only appeal to a specific group of people. They also require a really big time commitment to finish. Easy-to-play games like Jump Masters! are what get tabled the most at my house, and I end up appreciating them more.
I praised King of Tokyo: Godzilla for much the same reason. It's accessible to newcomers without leaving experienced players behind.
There is a time and place for everything, but the majority of the games in my collection are quicker-to-play, easier-to-understand experiences. Being accessible doesn’t mean boring, though, and Jump Masters! will have you scratching your head and thinking hard about what your next move might be. It’s simple to play but requires a lot of strategy. And right now, that’s the kind of game I want to introduce to my game group.
Jump Masters! Review Summary
Liked
- Easy to learn in just five to ten minutes
- Deep strategy through hero abilities, positioning, and teamwork
- Excellent component quality in both standard and deluxe editions
- Accessible gameplay that rewards experience and careful planning
Didn't Like
- No specific criticisms noted
Adam Roffel
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