Kayles — knock down one pin or two
A row of pins. On each turn you knock down one pin, or two that stood side by side. Whoever knocks down the last pin wins, and every move can split the row into separate games.
From Kayles, an old skittles game set out by Henry Dudeney.
What it shows a designer
Each move can break one game into several smaller games. It shows how a position can be a sum of separate parts, a way of thinking that helps in designing any game with independent areas.
Credits
- Made by
- Henry Dudeney, 1908, from an older game of skittles
- Sources
- gamescrafters.berkeley.edu/games.php?game=kayles
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kayles
What you need
- 12 coins or pebbles in a row
How to play
- Set up. Lay 12 coins in a straight row, touching.
- A move. Take away one coin, or two coins that were next to each other in the original row.
- Win. Whoever takes the last coin wins.
- Again. Play a few times. Notice what happens when the row splits into two shorter rows.
After playing, talk about
- When did splitting the row help you?
- Could you see an answer for short rows that helped with long ones?
- What does taking from the middle do?
Its blocks
Download it as a design (.md)In boardgameBuilder, Open game puts its blocks on the canvas. Changed, the same file can come back here from Propose a game.