Tink
A game for 2-4 players
Object
Get four pieces of the same size in a row. The large counts as a piece of either small or medium size.
Materials required
- A chessboard
- For each player, five smalls, four medium, and one large piece.
If you have three Treehouse sets, you can use the following color pairings for a two player game: red and yellow, blue and green.
Setup
Set the board down on the table. Each player takes all of the pieces of eir color(s).
Play
The first player places a small in one of the sixteen interior spaces (any space two or more spaces from the edge of the board). There are no restrictions on subsequent piece placement.
On a player's turn, ey may do one of the following:
- Place a small
- Swap two smalls (or a large and a small) for a medium
- Swap two mediums (or a large and a medium) for a large or a small
Swaps
When swapping pieces, the two pieces must share at least one adjacent (empty) space, but themselves need not be adjacent. Remove the two pieces from the board and place the next piece in an empty space that is adjacent to the removed pieces (but is not itself one of the formerly occupied spaces). You can only do this if you have a piece of the appropriate size remaining, or if the removal of the pieces from the board gives you a piece of the appropriate size. The permitted swaps are as follows:
Two smalls, or one large and one small -> One medium
Two mediums, or one large and one medium -> One large or one small
The large may "move" in this fashion; if it is removed from the board as part of a medium swap it may be replaced in an adjacent space. The large is considered "wild", and counts as a medium or a small for all purposes (both swaps and four-in-a-row).
If a player does not have any smalls left, ey must swap two smalls (or a large and small) for a medium, or two mediums (or a large and medium) for a large. If ey is unable to do either of these things, ey loses.
Winning the game
A player wins if ey gets four pieces of the same size (small or medium) in a row (horizontally, vertically, or diagonally), or if the other player is unable to make a move. The large may substitute for a piece of either small or medium in this four-in-a-row.