Tips oxono

GOAL OF THE GAME Be the first player to align 4 pieces of the same colour or 4 pieces of the same symbol, vertically or horizontally.

SET UP The board is placed between the two players. Both Totems (X and O) are randomly placed on the two central squares of the board marked with a dot. Each player chooses a colour (pink or black), and splits their 16 pieces in 2 stacks of 8 pieces (one stack per symbol).

HOW TO PLAY The player with the pink pieces plays first. Each player in turn moves a Totem of their choice (X or O) and then places one of their pieces with the same symbol as the Totem played, on a free square adjacent (vertically or horizontally) to the new position of the Totem. The game goes on this way until 4 pieces of the same colour or 4 pieces of the same symbol are aligned vertically or horizontally.

MOVES OF THE TOTEMS At their turn, players always start by moving one of the two Totems of their choice (X or O), as many squares as they want in a row (minimum 1 square), horizontally or vertically from its initial position. Attention: A Totem can not pass over a square occupied by another piece or Totem, so you can only move a Totem over empty squares.

PLACEMENT OF PIECES Each time a player has moved a Totem, they must place one of their pieces with the same symbol as the moved Totem (X or O), on a free square adjacent to its new position, horizontally or vertically (max 4 possible squares).

Note: You can only move a Totem if you still have pieces of the same symbol in reserve.

SPECIAL CASES

A) If a Totem is surrounded: A Totem is considered to be surrounded when all horizontal and vertical adjacent squares around its position are occupied by other pieces (or the other Totem). In this case, players can still move the surrounded Totem (even if the other Totem is not surrounded), by skipping over a piece (or series of pieces) around its position, regardless of the colour or symbol (always vertically or horizontally). The Totem must be placed on the first free square available after the piece (or series of pieces) just skipped. Players must then place one of their pieces with the same symbol as the Totem played, on a free square adjacent to the Totem’s new position.

B) If a Totem moves from a surrounded square to another surrounded square: In this case, players can place one of their pieces with the same symbol as the Totem played, on any free square on the board. C) If you want to move a surrounded Totem, but all squares in both rows (vertically and horizontally) are occupied: In this case players can move the surrounded Totem to any free square on the board and place one of their pieces with the same symbol as the Totem played, on a free square adjacent (vertically or horizontally) to its new position. If at this moment, the Totem is moved to a surrounded square, players can place one of their pieces with the same symbol as the Totem played, on any free square on the board.

END OF GAME The game ends as soon as a player aligns 4 pieces of the same colour (any symbol) or 4 pieces of the same symbol (any colour), vertically or horizontally. Whoever achieves one of these alignments immediately wins the game. Note: The player who places the 4th piece of the same symbol wins, even it there are more pieces of the opponent’s colour in the alignement. Attention: The symbol of the Totems do not count in the alignment of the pieces.

GAME ENDS IN A DRAW

If both players have placed their 16 pieces without aligning 4 pieces of the same colour or the same symbol, the game ends in a draw.