More games, added since the original page...

Attaxx is played on a 7 x 7 board with two-sided colored discs such as are found in an Othello set. I found some at a teacher supply store that are 0.98 inches in diameter. I used the tables function of Word Perfect to make a 7 x 7 grid with 1.125" squares. The board and initial set up are as follows:

After the intial placement, players alternate moves. A move consists of either a "growth" or a "jump". A growth is the placement of a new piece in an empty square adjacent to any of the player's existing pieces. A "jump" is the movement of an existing piece two spaces in any direction, including the "knight's move" into an empty square. The table below shows valid growth (g) and jump (j) moves.

Whenever a growth or jump move results in a player's piece landing adjacent to any of the opponent's piece(s), all of the opponent's pieces that are adjacent to the newly placed piece are flipped over to the moving player's color. The winner is the player with the most pieces of his/her color showing at the end of the game. The board has 49 squares, 25 or more is a win.

Hexxagon is the same game as Ataxx, but is played on a hexagons, instead of squares. The board is the same as the SUSAN board on the main page. The players start with three pieces, instead of two, placed in alternating corners of the board. The rules are the same. This board has 61 spaces; to win, a player must capture 31 or more.

The Game of Y is a commercial game, and is pricey, but the board and pieces are well-made and the game is challenging and worth the investment. It is a variant of HEX, with a triangular board. Players alternate placing Go stones on the intersections of the board. The goal is to connect all three sides of the board. A major strategy element is the bamboo connection, named after the appearance of a bamboo joint in the plant. Two stones placed in this fashion are connected, even though they do not touch, because it is impossible for the opponent to prevent them from connecting.

The board, taken from Kadon Enterprise's website is as follows:

Each player starts with six octagonal pieces (one in each of the octagonal spaces in his/her home row), and five square pieces (one in each of the square spaces in the second row - note the square spaces appear as diamonds from the player's perspective). Players alternate moving one piece at a time. Pieces may move only forward, either straight ahead, or diagonally forward. Octagonal pieces may move onto square spaces and square pieces may move onto octagonal spaces. Octagons may move from octagon to octagon, but, by the design of the board, square pieces may not move from square to square without stopping on an octagon first.

Only square pieces may capture an enemy piece on a square space.

Only octagons may capture an enemy piece on an octagonal space.

The object, as in Alapo, is to move any one of your pieces onto the opponent's home row.

Hique is another variant along the same theme.

Here again, the object is to get any one of a player's pieces onto the home row of the opponent. In this game the board's spaces are diamond-shaped, with light and dark colored squares.

Each player begins with five "Runners" (one on each of the five center squares on the home row) and four "Guards" (one on each of the center squares on the second row). Note that the runners start on the light squares and the guards start on the dark squares. Throughout the game, they always remain on their own color.

The runners move one step at a time, forward or sideways, but not backwards.

The guards move as many spaces as a player wishes along horizontal or vertical lines. They may not jump another piece.

Only guards capture. Capture is done by positioning two guards onto any two of the four dark squares that touch the light square upon which the runner to be captured sits. The rules manual that comes with the game shows an example in which four runners may be captured in one move.

I could not find a web site about this game. It is made by D&L Co., and I bought it at a Gamekeeper store.

Battuere is another game that can be played with an existing chess or checker set. It uses seven pawns or checkers arranged as shown:

Players alternating moving one pawn at a time, one space at a time. Pawns can be moved forward or sideways, but not diagonally, and not backward. The winner is the first one to move all seven pawns to the far end of the board, and off. If a player is unable to make a legal move, he/she loses.

Follow this link for a site with multiple download options.

Omnigon is a chess-like game played on this board:

Each player starts with one Helios, One Trigon, Two Bi-gons, and three Stargons, arranged as shown below on the top of the board, and in mirror image on the bottom of the board.

The object is to capture the Helios (center piece). The Helios moves one space in any direction. The other pieces all have two or three arrows on pointing out to the outer edge. They may be moved as many open spaces as the player desires along any of the lines corresponding to an arrow. As a part of the move, the piece may be rotated after coming to rest. Pieces may not jump over one another. Rotation is not required. Pieces may not be rotated prior to movement, or in lieu of movement.

The arrows on the pieces serve as both direction indicators and shields. A piece may be taken by another piece moving into its space along a line where the piece to be taken does not have an arrow. If the arrows of two pieces face each other, neither piece can capture the other. The Helios may capture an adjacent enemy piece, if taken on an undefended side.

I bought this set from the manufacturer, and am impressed by the board, which has recesses for each piece to prevent accidental rotation. I made a smaller set using some left over pieces from Ataxx/Hexxagon. I bought some Geotape at an office supply store and marked out lines as shown in the image above. I then used Mac Draw Pro to make the board shown above, making the spaces to fit the pieces. As usual, I had the board laminated for protection.

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