Spike
| Spike | ||
|---|---|---|
| Jonathan Leistiko | ||
| A strategy game of moves and counter-moves with maze-like aspects | ||
| Players: | 2 | |
| Length: | unknown | |
| Complexity: | 3/10 | |
| Trios per color: | 5 | |
| Number of colors: | 1 | |
| - - - - - - Other equipment - - - - - - | ||
| A checkerboard and some tokens | ||
| Setup time: | 3 minutes | |
| Strategy depth: | 7/10 | |
| Random chance: | None | |
| Theme: | Abstract, Strategy | |
| Status: Playtesting (v1.0), Year released: 2005 | ||
Spike
A strategy game for two players by Jonathan Leistiko
Object:
To get your pieces across the board while blocking your opponent from doing likewise.
You Need:
- One Icehouse stash
- A checkerboard
- A bunch of loose change
Setting Up:
Set one Icehouse stash in easy reach of the players. Set an empty checkerboard between the players in its usual orientation. The side closest to you is your home edge. Give one player a pile of pennies and the other player a pile of nickels. Choose a player to go first.
Play:
On your turn you may move a piece on the board that you control, then launch a piece.
Moving Pieces: Pieces can only move in the direction they're pointing in. Pieces move a number of spaces equal to the number of pips they have. Pieces must move their full movement. Pieces my not move through spaces occupied by a coin or another piece. Pieces may only move off the board if you're moving a piece off your opponent's home edge. When a piece stops moving (if it's still on the board), it must lie on its side, laying in alignment with the grid of the board - diagonal facings are prohibited; you may choose an orientation different from the one it had previously. Put one of your coins in the space that your piece lands in. If you move a piece off the board, remove it from play and add it to your Treasure Chest.
Launch: (You may not do this if only one piece is left in the stash.) Take a piece from the stash. Place it off the board next to a space in your home row, pointing at the board. Move it normally.
Winning:
The game ends when no more valid moves are available. If you have more pieces in your Treasure Chest than the other player at the end of the game, you win. If you both have the same number of pieces, the player with less pips wins.
Comments from Jonathan:
I'm concerned that it's too easy to block movement. Perhaps you can hop over spaces with coins in them, but you can't hop over opposed pieces. Perhaps the ending / winning condition should be when a player has 5 pieces or one piece of each size in his or her Treasure Chest.