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Phalanx
In terms of making a 'multiplayer abstract perfect information game', territory is one of the more obvious themes because it is not mutually exclusive. Phalanx is such a game.

History
A concise history of the game can be found in the essay How I invented games and why not.

Material
Each player has a sufficient number of men in his color, and up to three 'board segments' of 19 cells each.
Alternatively the applet will allow up to eight segments of 7 cells, like Mu, all else being the same.

Rules
board
  • The initial phase is establishing a playing area and an initial position. Play usually runs clockwise.
    Fate may decide who goes first. We'll assume six players have decided on placing three segments each.
  • Segments are put on the table one by one, to make up a board. When a segment is placed, the player places one of his men in the center. After the first player has laid down first segment, players take turns.
    Each new segment must at least have two cells adjacent to the evolving board.
  • When all segments are placed, the first player proceeds to remove one of his three men and players take turns to do the same till all players have one man left.
    This is the initial position and an example of what it may look like is given above.

Object
The object of each player is to obtain as large a piece of territory as possible, counted as vacant points under his control. In the end the player with the largest territory is the winner.

Groups
A group is a number of connected men of the same color. A single man is a group by definition.

Phalanx
Two or more men of the same color in a straight unbroken line are called a phalanx. The line is called the 'line of movement'. A group may contain several phalaxes in different directions.

Growth
On his turn a player may 'grow' by adding one man to each of his groups. He may grow only part of his groups or none at all. It is permitted to connect groups in the growing phase, provided none of the player's groups afterwards has had more than one man added to it.

Movement

board
  • Unless a group has been connected to another one in the previous phase, it has the right to move in the same turn. Of the groups that have the right to move, the player may move any or all. However if a group, by movement, connects up with a group that itself has not yet moved, the latter loses the right of movement. Thus the order of movement may make a difference.

  • Moving a group means moving one and only one of its phalanxes. The phalanx one intends to move is identifed by indicating its 'head' and its 'tail'. The head must be one of the men at either end, the tail may be any other man.
  • The maximum range of a moving phalanx is one less than its number. The head and the (chosen) tail in the diagram identify a four man phalanx which consequently may move up to three cells along its line of movement.
    In actual play one moves by leapfrogging, placing the tail in front, then picking up the next man, and so on. A phalanx may be moved less than its maximum range.
  • Moving a phalanx may split a group in two or more parts, each of which has the right to grow next turn.

Restrictions
A phalanx may neither move onto or over the 'Wall' (see capture) nor onto or over a man of like color.

Capture
  • If a phalanx moves over opponents' men, all men covered are immediately removed as prisoners of the capturing player.
    The men on top, that actually performed the capture, vanish and are all replaced by the "Wall", that is: a permanent obstacle for all players.
    This being done the player may of course proceed to perform moves or captures with other groups, within the context of his turn.
  • A phalanx may only attack an opposing phalanx on the same line of movement if it is longer than the latter.

board

Two phalanxes of equal length face one another. Neither may attack. If it were one player's turn however, say blue, he could grow first and capture as indicated. The red men are kept as prisoners that will reduce their original owner's territory by a corresponding number of points at the end of the game.

Territory
Two cells are said to be connectable if there exists at least one route of connected vacant cells between them.
At any stage of the game, vacant cells can be divided into three classes:
  • Cells that are connectable with men of different color. These are as yet neutral. In all diagrams all vacant cells have till now been neutral.
  • Cells hat are connectable with men of one color only. At the end of the game, these cells make up that player's territory.
  • Cells that are not connectable with men of any color. These are neutral.


End of Game
The game ends if all players pass on successive turns. Prisoners then are then placed inside the original owner's territory to reduce it with a corresponding number of points. After this, players rearrange the men inside their territory to allow easy counting, and determine the winner.

Tactics

tactics

I'll try to illustrate a few basic tactics. If you face a larger phalanx, see if you can cut to reduce its length, and capture, see diagram. If you can't cut yourself, maybe someone else can!

tactics

If you still have friendly men inside your territory, you'll want them out as much as possible. Remember only vacant points make up territory.
Now if you can get rid of them in the Wall by capture, that's perfect: you secure your own territory and reduce the opponent's by the number of captives. Another option is a guerilla group, see diagram.

On the left green grows as indicated and next moves the small phalanx to hook up with the other. Yellow has no defence: he must have an opposing phalanx of six men to prevent blue from invading next turn. He can get at most four (if he grows his phalanx, he connects with a friendly man that thereby loses its right to grow). So next turn green may invade as indicated. In this case I let yellow not react at all. Of course he must, to prevent the invasion from becoming successful.
The best way to cope with an invading phalanx is usually by clearing its line of movement and preparing to attack from the side, should it invade. Note that on the right green has definite territory.
tacticsIn the endgame minor conflicts may be solved. Here neither can invade, but orange may capture the green man and therewith eventually reduce green's territory by one.
If green wouldn't have had the other man, the territory would have become neutral by orange's action.


Strategy
This is the delicate point. Conflict tends to reduce territory, so if two players engage, the others profit. Avoiding conflict may therefore not be such a bad idea. Players may even make deals to that effect, for instance not to invade each others future territory, but to divide the border along a particular line, or not to invade over particular cells.
The rules do not mention deals, nor that they should be kept. Not keeping a deal may affect the other players' willingness to engage in future ones though.
Have fun!

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