Esgros (2024)

Introduction:Esgros (from Scottish Gaelic: sgrios, meaning "annihilation") is a game of annihilation for two players: Black and White. It is played on the hexes (cells) of an initially empty hexagonal board. The recommended size is 4 cells per side, but boards of 3 or 5 are also valid. Each player has access to a sufficient supply of stones in their own color. Definitions: A group is the maximal set of connected stones of the same color. A single stone is also a group. The size of a group is the number of stones it contains. Turns:Black plays first, then turns alternate. On your turn, perform the following actions in order: Place a stone of your color on an empty cell, so that no group exceeds the largest group of its own color, unless there is no other legal move, in which case it may do so with the minimal size required. Groups may exceed the largest group of the opposite color, always with the minimal possible size. Remove all smaller enemy groups adjacent to the group of the placed stone from the board. End of the game:You win if the last enemy group is eliminated from the board. To balance the game, before starting, the first player places a black stone on an empty cell, and the second player chooses a side. This balancing method is called the pie rule. Notes:This game is inspired by Mark Steere's Oust, as an attempt to make a similar game but with only one stone per turn. —description from the designer