Board Game Arena - User contributions [en]

Tips meadow

2021-07-26T13:28:08Z

El Poopo:

Because your opponent can only place 2 stones each turn, she can't smother any group touching at least 3 empty spaces. So ensure your most important groups always touch least three empty spaces.

It's possible to create situations where a group has 3 or more empty spaces your opponent can't ever fill. This makes the group un-smotherable, a big advantage. The methods for achieving this are complicated and still poorly understood, but be on the lookout for opportunities to do this.

The board consists of concentric rings of hexagons. The the second-outermost ring is important, because groups with lots of stones on that ring are hard to capture without losing a lot of stones in the process. Therefore, in the game's opening phase, place most of your stones on that ring.

When you make a size-5 group, it can no longer evolve, which reduces your flexibility. Don't make a size-5 group unless what you gain from it is more valuable than the lost flexibility.

If your opponent has two size-5 groups of different colors that both touch the same empty space, she can't place a stone there without overgrowing and losing one of her groups. Therefore, if one of your groups is adjacent to that same space, your opponent can't smother it without overgrowing, giving you an advantage. Such empty spaces are called strong liberties. Try to force your opponent to make strong liberties for you, and avoid making strong liberties for them.

The size-4 pinwheel shape seems powerful. Try building it often.

Gamehelpmeadow

2021-07-26T13:27:09Z

El Poopo: /* Definitions */

==Definitions==

Group: a group is an entire group of connected stones on the board of the same color. A single stone (unconnected to others of the same color) is also a group.

Overgrown: a group is overgrown when it has more than 5 stones in it.

Smothered: a group is smothered when there are no empty spaces adjacent to any of its stones.

==Gameplay==

# Each player owns 2 stone colors. To start, Player 1 places one stone of either of her colors on any empty space.
# From then on, starting with Player 2, the players take turns. On your turn, you must place 1 or 2 stones on any empty spaces. If you place 2 stones, they must be different colors.
# After you place your stone(s), capture all smothered enemy groups, and then capture all overgrown enemy groups.
# The first player to have captured X enemy stones wins.

==Strategy Tips==

Because your opponent can only place 2 stones each turn, she can't smother any group touching at least 3 empty spaces. So ensure your most important groups always touch least three empty spaces.

It's possible to create situations where a group has 3 or more empty spaces your opponent can't ever fill. This makes the group un-smotherable, a big advantage. The methods for achieving this are complicated and still poorly understood, but be on the lookout for opportunities to do this.

The board consists of concentric rings of hexagons. The the second-outermost ring is important, because groups with lots of stones on that ring are hard to capture without losing a lot of stones in the process. Therefore, in the game's opening phase, place most of your stones on that ring.

When you make a size-5 group, it can no longer evolve, which reduces your flexibility. Don't make a size-5 group unless what you gain from it is more valuable than the lost flexibility.

If your opponent has two size-5 groups of different colors that both touch the same empty space, she can't place a stone there without overgrowing and losing one of her groups. Therefore, if one of your groups is adjacent to that same space, your opponent can't smother it without overgrowing, giving you an advantage. Such empty spaces are called strong liberties. Try to force your opponent to make strong liberties for you, and avoid making strong liberties for them.

Gamehelpmeadow

2021-07-26T13:26:53Z

El Poopo: /* Strategy Tips */

Gamehelpbug

2021-06-21T16:02:32Z

El Poopo: /* Gameplay */

==Gameplay==

On your turn, you:

* '''Grow''': Place a stone on any empty hex, to start a new bug or expand an existing one. However: You cannot use this action to merge two bugs, nor expand a bug to be larger than all other bugs on the board.

* '''Eat''': All of your bugs which are adjacent to identically shaped opponent bugs "eat" those bugs, removing them from the board. You don't eat if you can't grow in that position.

* '''Bonus grow''': If any of your bugs ate, you may grow them by 1 hex (so long as doing so does not merge any bugs).

First player who '''cannot''' place a stone on their turn '''wins'''. (You have "filled the ecosystem with your bugs so much you can no longer expand".)

==Tips==

* Don’t eat opponent critters when unnecessary. It’s almost always better to delay eating to the last moment. When you eat your opponent’s critter, you also give your opponent more flexibility.

* While it can be fun to capture multiple opponent bugs at once, it’s dangerous, because it gives your opponent a lot of flexibility to counterattack.

* Try to minimize the number of moves you have left to play and maximize your opponent’s. In the late stage if there is no tactical advantage to be gained, fill the cells that only you can fill before the ones that both you and your opponent can fill.

* Ultimately, you want to make captures that don’t lead to opponent counter-captures. At first this is impossible. So early, you need to build your position, so when it becomes possible to prevent counter-captures, you can do so better than your opponent. It’s all positioning, and it takes a while to learn this skill.

* The difficulty of building shapes, and therefore the difficulty of defending and attacking shapes, is governed by a hierarchy. Over time and experience, it's possible to understand this hierarchy. Doing so will better help you decide which shapes to build, and which shapes to keep your opponent from building.

* On smaller boards, controlling a large amount of the second-most outer ring may be key to victory - it ensures you won't have to fill the outer ring, while your opponent will.

Gamehelpbug

2021-06-21T16:02:18Z

El Poopo: /* Tips */

==Gameplay==

On your turn, you:

* '''Grow''': Place a stone on any empty hex, to start a new bug or expand an existing one. However: You cannot use this action to merge two bugs, nor expand a bug to be larger than all other bugs on the board.
* '''Eat''': All of your bugs which are adjacent to identically shaped opponent bugs "eat" those bugs, removing them from the board. You don't eat if you can't grow in that position.
* '''Bonus grow''': If any of your bugs ate, you may grow them by 1 hex (so long as doing so does not merge any bugs).

First player who '''cannot''' place a stone on their turn '''wins'''. (You have "filled the ecosystem with your bugs so much you can no longer expand".)

==Tips==

* Don’t eat opponent critters when unnecessary. It’s almost always better to delay eating to the last moment. When you eat your opponent’s critter, you also give your opponent more flexibility.

* While it can be fun to capture multiple opponent bugs at once, it’s dangerous, because it gives your opponent a lot of flexibility to counterattack.

* Try to minimize the number of moves you have left to play and maximize your opponent’s. In the late stage if there is no tactical advantage to be gained, fill the cells that only you can fill before the ones that both you and your opponent can fill.

* Ultimately, you want to make captures that don’t lead to opponent counter-captures. At first this is impossible. So early, you need to build your position, so when it becomes possible to prevent counter-captures, you can do so better than your opponent. It’s all positioning, and it takes a while to learn this skill.

* The difficulty of building shapes, and therefore the difficulty of defending and attacking shapes, is governed by a hierarchy. Over time and experience, it's possible to understand this hierarchy. Doing so will better help you decide which shapes to build, and which shapes to keep your opponent from building.

* On smaller boards, controlling a large amount of the second-most outer ring may be key to victory - it ensures you won't have to fill the outer ring, while your opponent will.

Tips bug

2021-06-21T16:01:29Z

El Poopo: Created page with "* Don’t eat opponent critters when unnecessary. It’s almost always better to delay eating to the last moment. When you eat your opponent’s critter, you also give your op..."

* Don’t eat opponent critters when unnecessary. It’s almost always better to delay eating to the last moment. When you eat your opponent’s critter, you also give your opponent more flexibility.

* While it can be fun to capture multiple opponent bugs at once, it’s dangerous, because it gives your opponent a lot of flexibility to counterattack.

* Try to minimize the number of moves you have left to play and maximize your opponent’s. In the late stage if there is no tactical advantage to be gained, fill the cells that only you can fill before the ones that both you and your opponent can fill.

* Ultimately, you want to make captures that don’t lead to opponent counter-captures. At first this is impossible. So early, you need to build your position, so when it becomes possible to prevent counter-captures, you can do so better than your opponent. It’s all positioning, and it takes a while to learn this skill.

* The difficulty of building shapes, and therefore the difficulty of defending and attacking shapes, is governed by a hierarchy. Over time and experience, it's possible to understand this hierarchy. Doing so will better help you decide which shapes to build, and which shapes to keep your opponent from building.

* On smaller boards, controlling a large amount of the second-most outer ring may be key to victory - it ensures you won't have to fill the outer ring, while your opponent will.

Gamehelpbug

2021-06-21T16:01:07Z

El Poopo: /* Tips */

==Gameplay==

On your turn, you:

* '''Grow''': Place a stone on any empty hex, to start a new bug or expand an existing one. However: You cannot use this action to merge two bugs, nor expand a bug to be larger than all other bugs on the board.
* '''Eat''': All of your bugs which are adjacent to identically shaped opponent bugs "eat" those bugs, removing them from the board. You don't eat if you can't grow in that position.
* '''Bonus grow''': If any of your bugs ate, you may grow them by 1 hex (so long as doing so does not merge any bugs).

First player who '''cannot''' place a stone on their turn '''wins'''. (You have "filled the ecosystem with your bugs so much you can no longer expand".)

==Tips==

* Don’t eat opponent critters when unnecessary. It’s almost always better to delay eating to the last moment. When you eat your opponent’s critter, you also give your opponent more flexibility.

* While it can be fun to capture multiple opponent bugs at once, it’s dangerous, because it gives your opponent a lot of flexibility to counterattack.

* Try to minimize the number of moves you have left to play and maximize your opponent’s. In the late stage if there is no tactical advantage to be gained, fill the cells that only you can fill before the ones that both you and your opponent can fill.

* Ultimately, you want to make captures that don’t lead to opponent counter-captures. At first this is impossible. So early, you need to build your position, so when it becomes possible to prevent counter-captures, you can do so better than your opponent. It’s all positioning, and it takes a while to learn this skill.

* The difficulty of building shapes, and therefore the difficulty of defending and attacking shapes, is governed by a hierarchy. Over time and experience, it's possible to understand this hierarchy. Doing so will better help you decide which shapes to build, and which shapes to keep your opponent from building.

* On smaller boards, controlling a large amount of the second-most outer ring may be key to victory - it ensures you won't have to fill the outer ring, while your opponent will.

Gamehelpbug

2021-06-14T16:44:46Z

El Poopo:

Gamehelpbug

2021-06-14T16:15:03Z

El Poopo:

Gamehelpbug

2021-06-14T16:14:45Z

El Poopo:

* Don’t eat opponent critters when unnecessary. It’s almost always better to delay eating to the last moment. When you eat your opponent’s critter, you also give your opponent more flexibility.

* While it can be fun to capture multiple opponent bugs at once, it’s dangerous, because it gives your opponent a lot of flexibility to counterattack.
Try to minimize the number of moves you have left to play and maximize your opponent’s. In the late stage if there is no tactical advantage to be gained, fill the cells that only you can fill before the ones that both you and your opponent can fill.

* Ultimately, you want to make captures that don’t lead to opponent counter-captures. At first this is impossible. So early, you need to build your position, so when it becomes possible to prevent counter-captures, you can do so better than your opponent. It’s all positioning, and it takes a while to learn this skill.

* The difficulty of building shapes, and therefore the difficulty of defending and attacking shapes, is governed by a hierarchy. Over time and experience, it's possible to understand this hierarchy. Doing so will better help you decide which shapes to build, and which shapes to keep your opponent from building.

* On smaller boards, controlling a large amount of the second-most outer ring may be key to victory - it ensures you won't have to fill the outer ring, while your opponent will.

Gamehelpbug

2021-06-14T16:13:43Z

El Poopo:

Don’t eat opponent critters when unnecessary. It’s almost always better to delay eating to the last moment. When you eat your opponent’s critter, you also give your opponent more flexibility.

While it can be fun to capture multiple opponent bugs at once, it’s dangerous, because it gives your opponent a lot of flexibility to counterattack.
Try to minimize the number of moves you have left to play and maximize your opponent’s. In the late stage if there is no tactical advantage to be gained, fill the cells that only you can fill before the ones that both you and your opponent can fill.

Ultimately, you want to make captures that don’t lead to opponent counter-captures. At first this is impossible. So early, you need to build your position, so when it becomes possible to prevent counter-captures, you can do so better than your opponent. It’s all positioning, and it takes a while to learn this skill.

The difficulty of building shapes, and therefore the difficulty of defending and attacking shapes, is governed by a hierarchy. Over time and experience, it's possible to understand this hierarchy. Doing so will better help you decide which shapes to build, and which shapes to keep your opponent from building.

On smaller boards, controlling a large amount of the second-most outer ring may be key to victory - it ensures you won't have to fill the outer ring, while your opponent will.

Gamehelpbug

2021-06-14T16:13:26Z

El Poopo:

'''Don’t eat opponent critters when unnecessary. It’s almost always better to delay eating to the last moment. When you eat your opponent’s critter, you also give your opponent more flexibility.

'''While it can be fun to capture multiple opponent bugs at once, it’s dangerous, because it gives your opponent a lot of flexibility to counterattack.
Try to minimize the number of moves you have left to play and maximize your opponent’s. In the late stage if there is no tactical advantage to be gained, fill the cells that only you can fill before the ones that both you and your opponent can fill.

'''Ultimately, you want to make captures that don’t lead to opponent counter-captures. At first this is impossible. So early, you need to build your position, so when it becomes possible to prevent counter-captures, you can do so better than your opponent. It’s all positioning, and it takes a while to learn this skill.

'''The difficulty of building shapes, and therefore the difficulty of defending and attacking shapes, is governed by a hierarchy. Over time and experience, it's possible to understand this hierarchy. Doing so will better help you decide which shapes to build, and which shapes to keep your opponent from building.

'''On smaller boards, controlling a large amount of the second-most outer ring may be key to victory - it ensures you won't have to fill the outer ring, while your opponent will.

Gamehelpbug

2021-06-14T16:13:08Z

El Poopo:

'''Don’t eat opponent critters when unnecessary. It’s almost always better to delay eating to the last moment. When you eat your opponent’s critter, you also give your opponent more flexibility.
'''While it can be fun to capture multiple opponent bugs at once, it’s dangerous, because it gives your opponent a lot of flexibility to counterattack.
Try to minimize the number of moves you have left to play and maximize your opponent’s. In the late stage if there is no tactical advantage to be gained, fill the cells that only you can fill before the ones that both you and your opponent can fill.
'''Ultimately, you want to make captures that don’t lead to opponent counter-captures. At first this is impossible. So early, you need to build your position, so when it becomes possible to prevent counter-captures, you can do so better than your opponent. It’s all positioning, and it takes a while to learn this skill.
'''The difficulty of building shapes, and therefore the difficulty of defending and attacking shapes, is governed by a hierarchy. Over time and experience, it's possible to understand this hierarchy. Doing so will better help you decide which shapes to build, and which shapes to keep your opponent from building.
'''On smaller boards, controlling a large amount of the second-most outer ring may be key to victory - it ensures you won't have to fill the outer ring, while your opponent will.

Gamehelpmeadow

2021-06-09T16:48:10Z

El Poopo:

'''Definitions:'''

Group: a group is an entire group of connected stones on the board of the same color. A single stone (unconnected to others of the same color) is also a group.

Overgrown: a group is overgrown when it has more than 5 stones in it.

Smothered: a group is smothered when there are no empty spaces adjacent to any of its stones.

'''Gameplay'''

# Each player owns 2 stone colors. To start, Player 1 places one stone of either of her colors on any empty space.
# From then on, starting with Player 2, the players take turns. On your turn, you must place 1 or 2 stones on any empty spaces. If you place 2 stones, they must be different colors.
# After you place your stone(s), capture all smothered enemy groups, and then capture all overgrown enemy groups.
# The first player to have captured X enemy stones wins.

'''Strategy Tips'''

Because your opponent can only place 2 stones on each turn, she can’t smother any group touching at least 3 empty spaces. So try to make sure your most important groups always touch least three empty spaces.

The board consists of concentric rings of hexagons. The the second-outermost ring seems important, because groups on that ring are hard to capture without losing a lot of stones.

When you make a size-5 group, it can no longer evolve, which reduces your flexibility. Don’t make a size-5 group unless what you gain from it is more valuable than the lost flexibility.

If your opponent has two size-5 groups of different colors that both touch the same empty space, she can’t place a stone there without overgrowing and losing one of her groups. So, if one of your groups touches that same empty space, your opponent can’t smother it without overgrowing and losing a group.

Likewise, if you have more than one size-5 group, and they’re different colors, try to prevent those groups from touching the same empty spaces.

If your opponent is making big groups aggressively, try playing "slow" by placing only one stone per turn. Your opponent may eventually overgrow to much, making it easy for you to storm back.

Gamehelpmeadow

2021-06-08T19:38:39Z

El Poopo:

'''Definitions:'''

Group: a group is an entire group of connected stones on the board of the same color. A single stone (unconnected to others of the same color) is also a group.

Overgrown: a group is overgrown when it has more than 5 stones in it.

Smothered: a group is smothered when there are no empty spaces adjacent to any of its stones.

'''Gameplay'''

# Each player owns 2 stone colors. To start, Player 1 places one stone of either of her colors on any empty space.
# From then on, starting with Player 2, the players take turns. On your turn, you must place 1 or 2 stones, in any combination of your colors, on any empty spaces.
# After you place your stone(s), capture all smothered enemy groups, and then capture all overgrown enemy groups.
# The first player to have captured X enemy stones wins.

'''Strategy Tips'''

Because your opponent can only place 2 stones on each turn, she can’t smother any group touching at least 3 empty spaces. So try to make sure your most important groups always touch least three empty spaces.

The board consists of concentric rings of hexagons. The the second-outermost ring seems important, because groups on that ring are hard to capture without losing a lot of stones.

When you make a size-5 group, it can no longer evolve, which reduces your flexibility. Don’t make a size-5 group unless what you gain from it is more valuable than the lost flexibility.

If your opponent has two size-5 groups of different colors that both touch the same empty space, she can’t place a stone there without overgrowing and losing one of her groups. So, if one of your groups touches that same empty space, your opponent can’t smother it without overgrowing and losing a group.

Likewise, if you have more than one size-5 group, and they’re different colors, try to prevent those groups from touching the same empty spaces.

If your opponent is making big groups aggressively, try playing "slow" by placing only one stone per turn. Your opponent may eventually overgrow to much, making it easy for you to storm back.

Tips meadow

2020-09-14T13:47:30Z

El Poopo: Created page with "* Because your opponent can only place 2 stones on each turn, she can’t smother any group touching at least 3 empty spaces. So try to make sure your most important groups to..."

* Because your opponent can only place 2 stones on each turn, she can’t smother any group touching at least 3 empty spaces. So try to make sure your most important groups touch least three empty spaces.

* When you make a size-5 group, it can no longer evolve, which reduces your flexibility. Don’t make a size-5 group unless what you gain from it is more valuable than the lost flexibility.

* If your opponent has two size-5 groups of different colors that both touch the same empty space, she can’t place a stone there without overgrowing and losing one of her groups. So, if one of your groups touches that same empty space, your opponent can’t smother it without overgrowing and losing a group.

* Likewise, if you have more than one size-5 group, and they’re different colors, try to prevent those groups from touching the same empty spaces.

* The board consists of concentric rings of hexagons. The the second-outermost ring seems important, because groups on that ring are hard to capture without losing a lot of stones

* Early in the game, try playing only one of your colors. Then later in the game, use your second color to “fill in the gaps” as you try to capture your opponent stones.

* The size-4 pinwheel shape seems powerful. Try building it often.

Gamehelpmeadow

2020-09-08T21:38:43Z

El Poopo: