Tak

Fictional game brought to life — build a road of your pieces from one side of the board to the other.

🌤indoor

What is Tak?

Tak is a two-player abstract strategy game designed by James Ernest and Patrick Rothfuss, first appearing in Rothfuss's fantasy novel The Wise Man's Fear before being published as a real game in 2016. Players place stones, stack them, and try to build a connected road across the board. The stone types (flat, standing wall, capstone) and stacking mechanics create surprising tactical depth.

Quick facts

Category

Board Games

Type

Individual

Players

2–2

Where played

indoor

Country of origin

🇺🇸 United States

Estimated origin

2016, James Ernest & Patrick Rothfuss

Olympic

No

Popularity

niche

Sources & provenance

Last verified 2026-08-24.verified