Close-up of a game in play |
|
Designer(s) | Kris Burm |
---|---|
Publisher(s) | Rio Grande Games Don & Co. |
Players | 2 |
Age range | 8 and up |
Setup time | 0 minutes |
Playing time | 30 minutes |
Random chance | None |
Skill(s) required | Strategic thought |
YINSH is an abstract strategy board game by game designer Kris Burm. It is the fifth game to be released in the GIPF Project. At the time of its release in 2003, Burm stated that he intended it to be considered as the sixth and last game of the project, and that the game which he had not yet released, PÜNCT, would be logically the fifth game [1]. However, an entry in his blog [2] on 19 June 2005 suggests that he is reconsidering this.
Gameplay consists of moving rings to flip Reversi-like discs.
Contents |
YINSH is played on a board shaped like a partial six-pointed star with 85 points. The main pieces are black and white rings, of which each player has five. Also used are a number of markers which are black on one side and white on the other (similar to Reversi pieces).
The object of the game is to remove three of one's own rings from the game. Since this is the goal of the game, getting closer to winning necessitates weakening oneself, which considerably complicates strategy as a move which brings one closer to winning the game may end up being a very poor move.
The game starts with an empty board, and proceeds in two phases. During the first phase both players, beginning with white, place one of their rings on the board on any point. Once each player plays all five of their pieces, this phase is over.
The second phase involves forming lines of five markers, with one's own color face-up. Once this happens (on either player's turn), that player removes the five markers, and also one of their rings. Once a player has removed any three of their rings, they win the game.
A move consists of the following:
When moving a ring, the following rules apply:
It is possible, and not unheard of, to make a move which causes your opponent to have a line of five markers in a row. When more than one line is made in the same move, the player who just moved resolves her own lines (if any) first, and then the other player resolves his lines (if any) before making his next move. Lines are resolved one at a time, so if a single marker is shared by two lines, only one of those lines may be resolved (but the player chooses which).
If all of the markers are placed on the board before either player has won, the game ends in draw.
|