New Game: Thicket - In the family of Dots and Boxes.

Material

A 10x10 grid made of dots and four color pencils or markers in two colors, red and blue.

Play
One player plays red the other blue.

Decide who will go first, turns then alternate.

• On a turn draw two-line segments one in each color either vertically or horizontally between two dots.
• No dot on the board may have more than three-line segments drawn out from it.

The game ends when the board is full.

Scoring

An area is considered closed when no line segments can be drawn within that area, as soon as an area is closed, count the line segments of each color that makes up that closed area.

The player with the most line segments in his color enclosing an area places his initial within that area to show ownership and then gets to draw another line.

A line segment that closes two areas is counted for each area (making it counted twice, once per area). An area is not scored when an equal number of line segments in both colors surround it.

The player with the most initials on the board at the end of the game, is the winner.

BGG Entry Thicket

Rules and PnP game sheet Thicket Rules

Po-Go was a winner in NestorGames Ring Design Contest!!

I'm proud to say that Po-Go was one of three winners selected in NestorGames Ring Design Contest!!!

New Game: Come About

In Come About players are maritime merchant traders in command of a fleet of trading ships navigating along many perilous trade routes. The player with the most ships along the most number of trade routes is declared “Nauclerokubernetes”, the Greek word for merchant-master.

Materials

64 double sided tiles, two sets of 32 tiles in two colors Red and Green.

A way of keeping score.

Play

Come About is played on a board-less playing surface.

Two players Red and Green have each two sets of 16 double sided tiles in their chosen color.

Red starts by placing a tile either side up onto the table.

Players then take turns placing a tile alongside another existing tile, connecting trade routes ( the dotted lines) across tile edges.

The game ends when all the tiles have been played.

A trade route is a continuous dotted line or loop containing 3 or more ships in either players color.

The player having the majority of ships in his color on a trade route scores 1 point for each of his ships. If a trade route has an equal number of ships in both colors, then neither player scores along that trade route.

The player with the highest score wins.

Rules and PnP tiles

Skitters - Dice game

Skitters

Skitters is a luck driven dice fest.

2 – 4 players | 10 min | 5+

Object
Have the most points in your color dice at the end of the game.

Materials
48 6d6 dice - 12 dice each in four colors

Setup
Each player takes 12 dice in his color.

Play
Youngest player calls out start.

At the start players simultaneously roll one die from their hand trying to place as many dice as possible into sequential order, from 1-9.

The first player to roll a one calls out one, and places this die on the table starting a train of dice.

Then players continue to roll one die trying to be the first to get the second number in the sequence, this would be a two in this case placing this die next to the first one.

This calling out of numbers and placing dice continue until die number 6 is placed.

Then you pick up and roll all your remaining dice, when two dice come up with 7 call it and place them near the end of the train.

Continue like this until 8 and 9 come up, the game then ends.

Scoring
Add up all the pips in each players color to determine a winner, highest score wins.

New Card Game: Kathmandu

Kathmandu
2-player card game
Designed by Rey Alicea

Object

To score the most points after three rounds by arranging the entire hand into melds.

Materials

52 card regular deck
22 tokens in two colors, 5 red and 17 blue
A way of keeping score

The Deck

A 52 card regular deck, ranked A-K-Q-J-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-A.

The Deal

The dealer shuffles the deck and one at a time deals out face down 10 cards to each player. The rest of the cards are placed face down in the center of the table forming the draw deck. Also each player places 1 red token and places it in front of them.

Next place the remaining 3 red tokens adjacent to the draw deck and spaced about a card width apart from each other on the tableau. Then draw 2 cards from the draw deck placing them face up and adjacent to the red tokens.

The blue tokens are placed nearby so that both players can easily reach them.

Melds

Melds come in two flavors.

Group – Three or four cards with different suits and the same rank.
Sequence – Three or more cards of the same suit with ranks in sequential order.

The Play

The game is played in three rounds.

The non-dealer starts, turns alternate.

A player on her turn must take one of the following actions.

1. Exchange a meld from your hand with a blue token, these cards are placed face down forming a discard pile or

2. Exchange cards from your hand with red tokens from the tableau, these cards are placed face up to the tableau or

3. Take all of the red tokens from the tableau, replacing them with the same number of cards from the draw deck, these cards are placed face up to the tableau or

4. Exchange any number of red tokens with an equal number of cards in your hand to the tableau or

5. Exchange any two cards from the tableau with two cards from your hand.

Players may have no more than 10 cards in their hands during play.

The game ends when either the draw deck is empty or all the blue tokens have been taken.

Scoring

Each blue token is worth 5 points each. Each red token is worth -2 points each and each card left in a player’s hand is worth -1 point each. Tally each player’s scores per round. Then tally each player’s final scores per round, the player with the highest score wins.

New Card Game: Train Robber

Designed by Rey Alicea
3 or 4-player | 25 min | 7+

52 card standard deck.

Each player picks a suit.
Cards are ranked from A-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-J-Q-K-A

The Object
Score the most points by taking the most cards in your suit, while trying to have the least number of cards in your hand at the end of the game.

The Deal
Shuffle the deck and deal out 5 cards to each player one at a time face up.

Next deal out six cards face up in a straight line along the long edges of the cards to the tableau. These cards are considered the train cars.

The remaining cards are placed facedown and adjacent to the 6 face-up cards on the tableau, this will be the draw deck. The draw deck is considered the engine of the train.

The Play
The player to the dealers left starts and the turn moves clockwise.

So on your turn you will take the following actions.

You may play any number of cards in front of you at the start of your turn to the end of the line of train cars, also...

• If the rank on the card last played is greater than the number of train cars in the line, no cards are taken.

• If the rank of the last card played is less than the number of train cars in the line you will do the following…moving towards the engine, skip that many train cars in the line equal in value to the last card played, leaving them behind and taking the cards that are left placing them in front of you.

• Any cards you’ve taken in your suit you keep in a face-down pile next to you, the rest of the cards stay in front of you face-up.

• If the number of cards in front of you is less than 5 then you will draw cards from the draw deck and raise your cards in front of you to 5.

When the draw deck is empty players take one last turn or pass, then the game ends.

The Score
The number cards in your suit are worth face value and the court cards are worth 10 points each. The cards left in front of you are worth -1 point each this includes any cards in your suit.

Highest score wins.

New Game: Turn-coats - Form a straight line of four adjacent pieces in your opponents color to win!

Turn-Coats

2 player | 25 min

Designed by Rey Alicea

Materials
A hexhex5 board
A supply of bi-colored stones

Definitions
Adjacent – meaning,  orthogonally or diagonally.

Object
Form a straight line of four adjacent pieces in your opponents color to win.

Setup
Set the empty board between the two players and place the bi-colored stones nearby so both players can reach them.

Play
The bi-colored stones are communal.

One player plays black the other player plays white.

Black starts, turns then alternate.

On a player first turn they will place one stone friendly side up onto an empty cell on the board.

Henceforth players on their turn must take one of the following actions, which consist of two steps.

1. Place a stone onto any empty cell friendly side up. Then move another friendly stone already on the board a queens move (without capturing or jumping over friendly or enemy stones) onto an empty cell and ending the move by flipping the stone to your opponents color or

2. Place a stone onto any empty cell friendly side up. Then using another friendly stone that is already on the board jump over two friendly adjacent stones and ending the jump on an empty cell directly after. Complete the turn by flipping the two friendly stones that where jumped over to your opponents color.

A player wins if he manages to form a straight line of four adjacent pieces in his opponents color or his opponent is unable to take his turn.

The Gobi Board - The first hexagonal board that mimics the way you play Go on a square board!

 The square grid board in use for over 2500 years by Go players around the world. Below is an image of a traditional Goban.

The Gobi hexagonal board.

 Like playing on the square board you must play on the points of the hexagonal board. If you do decide to use this board design please let me know how it went by commenting below.

New Game : PO-GO!

Figures 1,2 and 3 show the red player placing a stone with it's negative side up which causes all adjacent stones to be flipped to their negative polarities regardless of color.

Figure 4 shows that placing a stone with equal polarity does nothing.


PO-GO

2 player | 25 min

PO-GO stands for Polarity Go.

Hexhex5 board
Black and white Go stones each marked on one side.

The marked sides of the Go stones are the positive sides and the unmarked sides are negative.

Group – Two or more adjacent friendly stones of the same polarity.

Setup
Place the empty board between the players.
One player plays with the black stones the other the white stones.

Play
Turns alternate.

Black starts by placing (1) friendly stone with either side up onto any cell on the board. White then places (2) friendly stones with either side up onto any empty spaces on the board.

Players from this point on place (2) stones per turn.

Polarities
When a stone is dropped onto the board adjacent to other stones of equal polarity nothing happens. But when a stone is dropped adjacent to other stones of opposite polarity they are flipped over.

• So adjacent stones of equal polarity of either color you do nothing.
• Adjacent stones of opposite polarity of either color are flipped over.

The game ends when the board is full.

Object
The player with the largest group of friendly stones in either polarity at the end of the game wins.

If the groups of both players are the same size, look at the next largest set of groups etc. to determine a winner.

Dice Game: Low Blow - rule update

A friend from BGG and I have been tweaking the rules of the dice game Low Blow for about two weeks now. The new rules follow.



Object
Have the lowest score at the end of the game to win.

Components
A 5x4 board whose four rows, are in four colors
20 - d6 dice, 5 dice each that match their color row
30 communal counters of any color, 25 if playing a 3 player game
A pot to hold the counters and some way of keeping score

Setup
Place the empty board between the players.
Place the pot with the 25 to 30 counters nearby so all the players can reach them.
Players decide what color home row belongs to them.
Players get 5 dice each in their color home row.

Play
Play, as many rounds as there are players.
A turn moves clockwise and the youngest player rolls first. In subsequent rounds rotate the start player.

On your turn, you will do one of these things;

(A) Pass if you have no dice.
(B) Roll one of your dice of any color you choose, the number and color of dice in your possession may change during the course of the game.

Then you must choose ONE of the following actions.

(1) Place the die on any open square on the board. If there are any counters in the Pot, take up to the value of the die you just placed. If the Pot's contents are insufficient, you take all the counters available and your turn ends. If the Pot is empty, you choose either the player to your left OR right, and take counters from her/him UP TO the value of the die just placed but ONLY IF THAT PLAYER HAS 1 OR MORE DICE. If the chosen player has fewer counters than the die's value, take all their counters and your turn ends. Do not take counters from a 'dice-less' player or

(2) If the Pot is empty (if not, you must do action 1 above), you may force a trade with either with the player to the left or right of you. Give this player the die you just rolled even if he had no dice before receiving yours, you then take counters from this player UP TO the value of the die just rolled MINUS 1. A die showing 4 pips gets you 3 counters, a die showing 5 would get you 4 counters. If you give him a 1, you receive no counters. If the player has insufficient counters to meet the value required, you take all their counters. You may also give/force the die to the player if he has no counters. Your turn now ends.

Remember you are not out of the game if you are out of dice or counters. Dice may be traded or given to you and counters may be taken from you.

The game ends when all rounds have been played and scored.

Scoring
At the end of each round add up the dice in each home row individually ignoring dice color. Then you subtract 1 point for each die within your home row in your color.

Keep score for each player per round. Then total each of the player’s scores for all rounds.

Only after the end of the last round do you subtract the counters in your possession from the totals of all your rounds; the difference are the final scores for the game.

If a draw occurs, play another round.

The player with the lowest score is the winner.

Help Spread the word! Catchup on iOS, a plea and a “stretch goal”!!

My friend Nick Bentley and his IOS developer Martin Grider will release an IOS version of Nick's awesome game Catchup!! 

Comming out on August 7 !!!

Read all about it on Nick's blog IOS Catchup App  

New Game: MeerKats

2, 3 or 4 players

Materials

A hexagonal board with 5 hexagons per side, 60 stones in four colors, 15 red, 15 yellow, 15 green and 15 blue.

Four chips in 4 colors red, yellow, green and blue.

You will also need a small drawstring bag.

Definitions

Group – A set of like color connected stones, a single stone is also considered a group.

Rules

The board is placed between the players and starts out empty.

Place the 4 chips in a bag and then the youngest player draws a chip and passes the bag to the next player.

After all the chips are drawn players look at their chips without revealing them to the other players.

Chips will remain hidden until the end of the game.

The color of a chip corresponds to the color of the stones that belong to that player.

The youngest player starts by dropping a stone of any color onto an empty hexagon, then turn moves clockwise.

From now on, each player on his turn must drop 1 stone of any color onto an empty hexagon and then move a different stone already on the board to another empty hexagon.

Restrictions

• A stone is moved in a straight line in any direction until another stone in its path or the edge of the board blocks it.

• Stones cannot jump over other stones.

• Conversing with the other players during the game is not allowed.

Goal

The game ends when 1 of 2 conditions occurs.

1. A player manages to group all of his 15 stones revealing then his chip to the other players as confirmation of his win or
2. When the board is full, players then reveal their chips, the player with the largest group in her color wins.

If two or more players are tied when comparing their largest groups then look at their second largest groups as a tie-breaker.

When playing a 2 or 3 player game the rules are the same as above with but one exception, leave the undrawn chips in the bag.

New Game: Huaca

2 players

Materials

Huaca is played on the spaces of a 9x9 Sudoku like board that is divided into nine 3x3 sub-boards.

You will also need a supply of black and white stones.

Definitions

Adjacent – means orthogonally adjacent.
Pair - two friendly stones.
Group- Two or more adjacent friendly stones.

Play

Board starts out empty.

Black starts, swap rules apply, then turns alternate.

On a turn take one of the following actions.

1. Drop a pair of stones onto two adjacent empty spaces or
2. Drop one friendly stone onto an empty space that is either adjacent to an enemy or friendly stone already on the board

Restrictions

A pair of stones may not be dropped adjacent to a group.

Goal

The game is won by having the largest groups within the greatest number of 3x3 sub-boards.

New Game: 7-4-1776

7-4-1776

2-players.

Materials

Supply of red and blue stones.
10x10 board.

Definitions

Adjacent – Means orthogonally and diagonally adjacent.

Group – Two or more connected set of friendly stones.

Rules

The board starts out empty.

One player plays blue the other red.

Player’s alternate turns, starting with blue.

On a turn take one of the following actions.

1) Drop a friendly stone on any empty square on the board or

2) Move a friendly stone already on the board any distance orthogonally or diagonally ending the move on an empty square adjacent to another friendly stone not belonging to a group, then drop a stone on every empty square that is adjacent to the stone last moved.

Goal

A player unable to take an action on her turn loses.

Restrictions

1) Stones are not allowed to jump or pass through other stones.

2) Friendly stones that are adjacent cannot move.

New Game: Parking Lot

2-players.

Materials

•8 red and 8 blue rectangular blocks.

•An 8x8 board.

Rules

The board starts out empty.

One player will place friendly pieces vertically the other horizontally.

Player’s alternate turns, starting with blue.

On a turn you may take one or both of the following actions.

(1) Cover with a friendly piece any two empty squares on the board (this action is obligatory).

(2) Move a friendly piece already on the board any distance orthogonally ending the move on two empty squares or move the piece orthogonally then turn the piece once either left or right and then continuing in a straight line, ending the move on two empty squares (this action is optional).

The game ends when the last piece is placed.

Goal

The player with the largest orthogonally connected group wins. If a tie occurs, look at the next largest group.

Restrictions

No piece is allowed to jump or pass through another piece. Friendly pieces that are orthogonally adjacent cannot move.

New Game: Land Grab

A game for 2-players.

Materials

4 stones, 2 black and 2 white.

64 Othello like tiles, black on one side and white on the other.

Definitions

Claim - An orthogonally adjacent group of friendly tiles.
Adjacent – adjacent from this point on will be considered orthogonally adjacent.

Goal

Win by capturing all of your opponent’s stones or by having the largest claim.

Setup

Lay out the 64 tiles into an 8x8 black and white checkerboard pattern.

Then alternately starting with black, drop a stone onto an empty friendly color tile.

Rules

On a turn you must take one of the following actions.

1) Select an empty enemy colored tile that is in a straight line (horizontally or diagonally) with one of your friendly stones, then flip this tile over and move the friendly stone placing it on top of the tile just flipped or

2) Capture an enemy stone by approach, this is done by moving a friendly capturing stone to an empty enemy tile (this tile must also be flipped over before completing the capture) that is adjacent to an enemy stone, provided that the enemy stone is on the continuation of the capturing stone's movement line (which could be horizontally or diagonally) or

3) Move a friendly stone that is adjacent freely within the claim that is occupied by that stone.

The game ends when one of the following occurs.

1. When all enemy stones are captured or

2. When players are unable of following either rules #1 or #2 after 2 consecutive turns.

Finally add up the tiles in your claims, the player with the largest claim or the player that managed to capture all the enemy stones is the winner. If by chance there is a tie, look at each player’s second largest claim and so forth.

Restrictions

Unless performing a capture, you can't flip a tile of an opponent's claim if that claim is occupied by an opponent's piece.

New Game: Moai

It is said that the mythical King Tuu Ku Ihu and the god Make Make possessed the “mana” or divine power to command the Moai to walk.

Question is, have you got the mana to move them!

Moai is a territorial game for 2 players.

The game is played on a standard 8x8 board with the four corners removed or blanked out.You will need a Black and a White pawn and a supply of counters.

Moai can also be played on a hexagonal board with 91 hexagonal cells and the same rules apply.

Goal

Push or Pull your opponent's pawn (Moai) until the last player able to place a counter and move his own Moai wins.

Play

Players begin by placing their Moai on an empty space anywhere on the board.

White moves first.

Players take turns.

A player on his turn makes 2 moves.


1) Place a counter on a space inline (orthogonally or diagonally) with you or your opponent’s Moai on the board.

Once placed counters are fixed.

2) You push or pull you or your opponent’s Moai (orthogonally or diagonally) towards or away from the counter you just placed along an empty path or a player can also move a Moai orthogonally (orthogonally or diagonally on a hex board) towards or away from the counter just placed along an empty path ending with a single space diagonal turn left or right.

A Moai must move a minimum of 1 space toward or away from the counter just placed.

Play continues until the player that is still able to place a counter and move his own Moai wins.

Old Game: Ballista - with updated rules.

The ballista was an ancient Greek and Roman missile weapon, which launched a large projectile at a distant target.

Introduction

Ballista is an area enclosure, area control abstract game for 2 players: Black and White. It is played on the spaces of a 10x10 board. The board is divided by two red intersecting lines creating four 5 x 5 quadrants. You will also need a set of reversi pieces. The game starts out with 2 black and 2 white reversi pieces placed on the four marked squares on the board.

Play

Players decide who goes first then play alternates.

On each turn players must take two actions:

1)Move one of your color reversi pieces “ballista” exactly like a queen in Chess, orthogonally or diagonally onto any empty space as long as the piece stays within the quadrant where the move initiated from.

2)Fire a “projectile” reversi piece in your color away in a straight line orthogonally or diagonally from the piece just moved, then placing the new reversi piece in your color onto any empty space within one of the other three remaining quadrants.

Players also have the option on their turn to capture an enemy piece. Captures in Ballista are custodian, i.e., an enemy piece is captured when sandwiched between two friendly pieces (orthogonal or diagonal). Captured enemy pieces are not removed from the board but flipped over to your color.

Note: A ballista or fired projectile reversi piece may not jump over a friend or enemy piece, also any friendly pieces that were projectiles may now become a ballista.

The game ends when a player has no valid move.

New Game: Molecula - A connection game

Molecula is a 2 player connection game.

The board consists of two staggered 9x9 diamond plate like grids with cells running along the outer perimeter numbered 1-2-3-1-2-3-1-2-3 etc.

Objective - One player tries to create a connected chain of his like color stones from North to South, while his opponent tries the same from East to West, whoever accomplishes this first-wins.

Play - Two players, Black and White, take turns placing two stones of their color onto empty cells and then moving a marker in sequence along the numbered track starting on any cell marked #1 following a clockwise direction.

Player 1 only on his first turn places 1 stone onto any empty cell, after this, players take turns placing 2 stones onto empty cells a distance apart equal to the number currently marked on the numbered track.

The player that first claims at least half of the cells adjacent to one of his previously placed stones gets to claim the remainder of the adjacent cells to that previously placed stone, his opponent may not play onto those cells.

Empty spaces, friendly or enemy stones may lie between the two stones placed on your turn.

Note: Only adjacent cells are considered connected, so two cells separated by a 4-pointed star are not considered connected.