Dalen (2024)

IntroductionDalen (from Welsh: dalen, meaning "leaf") is an annihilation game for two players: Dark green and Light green. It is played on the hexagons (cells) of an initially empty hexagonal board. The recommended size is 7 cells per side, but boards from 5 to 9 cells are also valid. Each player has access to a sufficient supply of stones of their own color. This game is based on Duile. Definitions: A tree is a maximal set of stones of the same color connected to each other. A single stone is also a tree. A leaf is a stone adjacent to a single friendly stone. The size of a tree is the number of stones it contains. A stagnant tree is a tree that cannot increase its size. To flip is to replace a stone with a stone of the opposite color. Turns:Dark plays first, and then turns alternate. On your turn, perform the following actions in order: 1. Place a stone of your color on an empty cell adjacent to at most one leaf of a friendly group. 2. Flip all enemy trees adjacent to a stagnant tree of any color, if those enemy trees have an equal or smaller number of leaves than the stagnant tree. End of the game:The last player with stones remaining on the board wins. To balance the game, before starting, the first player places a dark stone on an empty cell, and the second player chooses a side. This balancing method is called the pie rule. Variant:Captures are only made by the tree that cannot increase its number of leaves. —description from the designer