heXentafl
heXentafl Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- Game Board ×1 (double-sided: 4-4-4 and 5-5-5 sizes)
- King ×1
- Defender ×6
- Attacker ×12
Setup
Determine the size of the board to be used and place the pieces as shown below. Decide in any appropriate way which player will play black (Defender) and which will play white (Attacker). The king belongs to the defender side.
4-4-4 size — use inside of the thick frame:
- King (center)
- Defender ×3
- Attacker ×6
- Exit for the King = the grey cells
5-5-5 size — use the entire board:
- King (center)
- Defender ×6
- Attacker ×12
- Exit for the King = the dark slate cells
Gameplay & Object
White is conventionaly the first player to move, alternating turns thereafter. The active player moves a piece of his/her color according to the rules on the following pages. Passing is not allowed.
The white player wins if they capture the king, and the black player wins if the king arrives at one of the six corners of the board.
Since this is an asymmetric game with different victory conditions for the first and second players, it is recommended that you play multiple times, switching who attacks and defends.
Moves
Defenders (small black) and Attackers (white) can move any distance in a straight line. The destination must be an empty cell. They cannot stop at the red cell (throne) in the center, but they can pass through it (fig.1).
No piece may jump over another piece.
The king moves differently in 4-4-4 size and 5-5-5 size: in the 4-4-4 size, it moves only one step to an adjacent empty cell (fig.2-1); in the 5x5 size, it moves in a straight line any distance, just like any other piece (fig.2-2).
In both cases, the king can stop at the red cell (throne).
Capture
As a result of the move, if two pieces of your color directly flank one of the opponent's pieces in a straight line, the enemy piece is captured and removed from the game (fig.3). Two or more captures may occur simultaneously with a single move (fig.4).
You cannot capture your own piece, even if you move it between enemy pieces on your turn.
An enemy piece in the corner of the board can be captured by flanking it between two of your pieces angled at the edge of the board (fig.5).
The king on the throne can only be captured by surrounding it with three pieces, placed one apart from the other (fig.6). Outside of the throne, the king is captured in the usual way.