# Cram — the last domino wins

- From: Cram, a pencil-and-paper game
- Players: 2 players
- Time: 5 min
- Made by: Traditional; popularised by Martin Gardner in Scientific American
- This version: A 4 by 4 grid

Made with boardgameBuilder 0.14.4. To design from it, open boardgameBuilder and choose Open game: its blocks go on the canvas, and the feelings are left for you to pick.

Players take turns shading a domino, two squares side by side, on a small grid. If you cannot place a domino on your turn, you lose.

## What it shows a designer

On boards with even sides the second player always wins by copying. It shows how symmetry can break a game, and how changing the board fixes it.

## What you need

- paper
- a pen each, in two colours if you have them

## How to play

1. **Grid.** Draw a grid of 4 by 4 squares. The usual size is 4 by 6; 4 by 4 makes a quicker game.
2. **Place a domino.** Toss a coin to see who starts. On your turn, shade two empty squares next to each other, across or down.
3. **No overlaps.** A domino may not cover a square already shaded or go off the grid.
4. **Last move.** If you cannot place a domino on your turn, you lose.
5. **Again.** Play a few times and notice when the grid splits into separate parts.

## After playing, talk about

- When could you count the moves left?
- Did a move in the middle split the grid?
- Did going second help?

## Where the rules are written down

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cram_(game)
- https://www.byrdseed.com/math-game-cram/

## Its blocks

- Core mechanic: tile placement
- Player interaction: indirect via board
- Chance or skill: mostly skill
- Theme: abstract
- Information visibility: full information
- Timing: take turns

## Saved state

boardgameBuilder reads this part back when the file is opened.

```json
{"mechanics": {"core-mechanic": ["tile-placement"], "player-interaction": "indirect-via-board", "chance-skill": "mostly-skill", "information": "full-information", "theme": "abstract", "timing": ["take-turns"]}, "chosenFeelings": [], "previousMechanics": {}, "previousFeelings": [], "turnNumber": 0, "locked": false, "turnHistory": [], "answers": {}, "tests": {}}
```