Sgolte (2024)

Introduction:Sgolte (from Scottish Gaelic: sgoilt, meaning "to split") is a strategy game for two players: Black and White. It is played on the hexagons (cells) of an initially empty hexagonal board. The recommended size is 6 cells per side, though boards of 5 or 7 are also valid. Each player has a sufficient supply of stones of their color. Definitions: A group is the maximal set of connected stones of the same color. A single stone is also a group. To merge is to join two or more friendly groups into one group. To split is to separate an enemy group into two or more independent groups through captures. Turns:Black plays first, then turns alternate. On your turn, place a stone of your color on an empty cell. If your placement merges two or more friendly groups, you must split exactly one enemy group: to do so, remove a consecutive chain of enemy stones in a straight line, provided the last stone removed is the one that causes the split. Each removed stone becomes a stone of your color and must be immediately placed, one by one, adjacent to at most one friendly group. During your turn, you cannot merge friendly groups unless you split an enemy group. End of the game:The game ends when a player cannot to place a stone or fails to place all removed stones in their turn; in both cases, their opponent wins. Before starting, the first player places a black stone in an empty cell, and then the second player chooses their color. This method of balance is called the pie rule. —description from the designer