ERG (Shifting Sands)

An abstract strategy game for two players that can be played in 10-15 minutes.

Overview

To play, you will need a 6x6 checkerboard and a shared supply of 100 or so stackable tokens.

Place one token on each board square. Assign each player a different color of board square and decide who will go first.

During the game, you will take turns manipulating the stacks of tokens on the board. To win, you must create more than four complete stacks of height four on board squares of your color.

Movement

On your turn, select a board square of your color with at least one token on it. Add a token from the supply to that square. Pick a direction and then, starting with the square next to you starting square, add one token to the stack on each successive square in that direction until you run out of tokens. If you hit an edge, continue in the same direction from the opposite edge of the board.

Collapsing

If any stack has more than four tokens after your move, it collapses. Collect one token from the collapsing stack and place it in front of you. Then, add one token from the collapsing stack to the stack on each neighboring square.

Multiple stacks may collapse on a turn and a collapse may cause other to collapse as well. Resolve all collapses (in any order you choose) before ending your turn.

You may not collect more than four collapse tokens. If you do so, you lose the game immediately.

Tiebreakers

If both players complete more than four stacks on the same turn, whoever has more complete stacks wins. If you have the same number of complete stacks, the player who has collected fewer collapse tokens wins. If you have collected the same number of collapse tokens, the active player wins.