Tag: Square Grid

Go

| OTSG Staff

In Go, players alternately place stones on the empty intersections of a 19×19 grid. The goal: to enclose territory behind stone perimeters and, secondarily, to tightly surround and capture enemy stones. After both players pass, they add up their territory and deduct the number of captives lost, higher score wins.

As you see, the concept is simple, yet the challenge can enrich a lifetime. In truth many lifetimes, for Go has been played for thousands of years. With that long of a lineage and a worldwide following, it has come to be known by different names (Weiqi, Igo, Baduk) and to be played by slightly differing rules, but those differences seldom affect play.

So welcome to this masterpiece that is the game of Go, the race for geographical control of an unclaimed land. Experience running battles and swift reversals, bold invasions and painful sacrifices, each sally, each setback playing out to the dulcet tap of stone on wood.

Game Mechanics:

Game Specifications:

  • 2 Players
  • 30 – 180 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 3.91

Cathedral

| OTSG Staff

In Cathedral, each player has a set of pieces of a different color. The pieces are in the shapes of buildings, covering from one to five square units. The first player takes the single neutral Cathedral piece and places it onto the board. Players then alternate placing one of their buildings onto the board until neither player can place another building. Players capture territory by surrounding areas that are occupied by at most one opponent or neutral building. A captured piece is removed and captured territory becomes off-limits to the opponent. The player with the fewest ‘square units’ of buildings that can’t be placed wins.

Game Mechanics:

Game Specifications:

  • 2 Players
  • ~20 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 1.79

Acquire 🟢

| OTSG Staff

In Acquire, each player strategically invests in businesses, trying to retain a majority of stock. As the businesses grow with tile placements, they also start merging, giving the majority stockholders of the acquired business sizable bonuses, which can then be used to reinvest into other chains. All of the investors in the acquired company can then cash in their stocks for current value or trade them 2-for-1 for shares of the newer, larger business. The game is a race to acquire the greatest wealth.

Game Mechanics:

Game Specifications:

  • 2 – 6 Players
  • ~90 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 2.50