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Phalanx
General
In terms of making a 'multi player abstract perfect information game', territory is the most obvious theme
because it is not mutually exclusive. Checkmate and elimination for instance eventually allow only one winner,
providing little motivation for a player to stay around once he has vanished from the board.
Connections tend to be mutually exclusive too. But territory, yes, I could imagine an organism appearing on a
large but limited hexagonal tesselation, and seeing at some distance similar appearances, equal
but hostile. With concepts like growth and movement, both at a limited rate, I could see the organisms crawling
outward towards each other, eventually meeting and then... what? Engage in conflict obviously, but how...
It was this alley of thought that eventually unfolded the concept. For a long time a 271 cells hexagonal board
was used to play with three to six players (although Phalanx is an excellent two player game).
The concept of your enemy's enemy being your friend gave the game its unique flavour of etiquette and diplomacy.
Later I developed the idea of using the small 19 cells boards to provide equal play with any number of players.
It also brought variety to the playing area and eliminated to a degree the first player's advantage.
Eventually you will find that good diplomacy outweighs the importance of going first.
Material
Each player has a sufficient number of stones in his color, and two to four 'segments' - hexagonal boards
with 19 cells . The best stones are small cilinders and you'll need enough of them in as many colors as
there are players, which may be any number, plus an additional black set.
Rules
- The initial phase is establishing a playing area and an initial position. Play usually runs clockwise.
Fate may decide who goes first. We'll assume players have decided on placing three segments
- Segments are put on the table one by one, to make up a board. When a segment is placed, the player places
one of his stones in the center. After the first player has laid down first segment, players take turns.
Each new segment must at least have two cells adjacent to the evolving board
- When all segments are placed, the first player proceeds to remove one of his three stones and players
take turns to do the same till all players have one stone left. This is the initial position and an example
of what it may look like is given below
Object
The object of each player is to obtain as large a piece of territory as possible, counted as vacant
points under his control. In the end the player with the largest territory is the winner.
Groups
A group is a number of connected stones of the same color. A single stone is a group by definition.
Phalanx
Two or more stones of the same color in a straight unbroken line are called a phalanx. The line is called
the 'line of movement'. A group may contain several phalaxes in different directions.
Growth
On his turn a player may 'grow' by adding one stone to each of his groups. He may grow only part of his
groups or none at all. It is permitted to connect groups in the growing phase, provided none of the player's
groups afterwards has had more than one stone added to it.
Movement
- Unless a group has been connected to another one in the previous phase, it has the right to move in the same turn.
Of the groups that have the right to move, the player may move any or all. However if a group, by movement,
connects up with a group that itself has not yet moved, the latter loses the right of movement.
Thus the order of movement may make a difference
- Moving a group means moving one and only one of its phalanxes. The phalanx one intends to move is identifed
by indicating its 'head' and its 'tail'. The head must be one of the stones at either end, the tail may be
any other stone
- The maximum range of a moving phalanx is one less than its number. The head and
the chosen tail in the diagram below identify a four stone phalanx which consequently may move up to three
cells along its line of movement. In practice one moves by leapfrogging, placing the tail in front,
then picking up the next stone, and so on. Of course the phalanx may be moved less than its maximum range
- Moving a phalanx may split a group in two or more parts, each of which has the right
to grow next turn
Restrictions
A phalanx may neither move over a stone of the 'wall' (see capture) nor over a stone of like color.
Capture
- If a phalanx moves over opponents' stones, all stones covered are immediately removed as prisoners of
the capturing player. The stones on top, that actually performed the capture, are all replaced by black
ones and become part of the walls. This being done the player may of course proceed to perform moves
or captures with other groups, within the context of his turn
- The walls are absolute obstacles for all players
- A phalanx may not attack an opposing phalanx on the same line of movement if the latter of equal length
or longer
On the left two phalanxes of equal length face one another. Neither may attack. If it were one player's turn
however, say blue, he could grow first and capture as indicated. The red stones are kept as prisoners
that will reduce their original owner's territory by a corresponding number of points at the end of the game.
Territory
Two cells are said to be connectable if there exists at least one route of connected
vacant cells between them.
At any stage of the game, vacant cells can be divided into three classes:
- Cells that are connectable with stones of different color. These are as yet neutral.
In all diagrams all vacant cells have till now been neutral
- Cells hat are connectable with stones of one color only. At the end of the game, these cells make up
that player's territory
- Cells that are not connectable with stones of any color. These are neutral
End of Game
The game ends if all players pass completely on successive turns. Prisoners then are then placed inside
the original owner's territory to reduce it with a corresponding number of points. After this, players
rearrange the stones inside their territory to allow easy counting, and determine the winner.
Tactics
I'll try to illustrate a few basic tactics. If you face a larger phalanx, see if you can cut to reduce
its length, and capture, see below. If you can't cut yourself, maybe someone else can!
If you have friendly stones inside the contours of your territory, you'll want them out as much as possible.
Remember only vacant points make up territory. Now if you can get rid of them in the wall by capture,
that's perfect: you secure your own territory and reduce the opponent's by the number of captives.
Another option is a guerilla group, see below.
On the left blue grows as indicated and next moves the small phalanx to hook up with the other.
Red has no defence: he must have an opposing phalanx of six stones to prevent blue from invading next turn.
He can get at most four (if he grows his phalanx, he connects with a friendly stone that thereby loses its
right to grow). So next turn blue may invade as indicated. In this case I let red not react at all.
Of course he must, lest the invasion becomes successful. The best way to cope with an invading phalanx
is usually by clearing its line of movement and preparing to attack from the side, should it invade.
On the right, by the way, blue has definite territory.
In the endgame minor conflicts may be solved. Below neither can invade. but red may capture the blue stone
and therewith eventually reduce blue's territory by one.
If blue wouldn't have had the other stone, the territory would have become neutral by red's action!
Strategy
This is the delicate point. Conflict tends to reduce territory, so if two players engage, the others profit.
Avoiding conflict in consequence may bring profit. Players may even make a deal to that effect,
for instance not to invade each others future territory, but to divide the border along a particular line,
or not to invade over particular cells.
The rules do not mention deals, nor that they should be kept. Not keeping a deal may affect the other players'
willingness to engage in future ones.
Have fun!
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