Octego Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Goal of the Game
• Game Set-Up
• Game Play
• Capturing Opponent's Pieces
• Changing Grids
• Winning the Game

Goal of the Game

Be the first player to move one of your Octego pieces to the opposite side of the board, OR capture both of your opponent's Octego pieces.

Game Set-Up

At the start of every game, each player's pieces should be arranged as shown in the diagram (not reproduced here).

Pieces with one octagon are referred to as a "1" piece, those with two octagons are called "2" pieces, those with three octagons are "3" pieces, and the pieces with a solid white octagon are the Octego pieces.

Game Play

Players take turns moving one of their pieces per turn. Pieces must move the number of spaces that each is labeled. (A "1" piece moves 1 space per turn, a "2" piece moves 2 spaces per turn, and a "3" piece moves 3 spaces per turn.) An Octego piece moves 1 space per turn.

The board is made up of two overlaying grids, a set of black spaces and a set of purple spaces. Each piece must stay on the same colored spaces when moving (unless it is on an edge space, see "Changing Grids"), and may move in any diagonal direction during a turn (diagonally forward to the right or left, or diagonally backward to the right or left).

Pieces may not backtrack over spaces already traveled during the same turn, and a space may not be shared by two pieces at any time during movement or at the end of a turn.

You may not jump over any other pieces, whether they are yours or your opponent's. If a piece blocks the movement of another piece, it is trapped any may not move. (A "1" piece cannot be trapped by an opponent's piece because it can capture that piece.)

Capturing Opponent's Pieces

To capture a piece from your opponent, simply land on a space occupied by an opponent's piece with any of your pieces. The opponent's piece is now "captured" and removed from the board.

An Octego piece may not capture another piece.

No game piece has a higher rank than any other piece (except that all numbered pieces outrank the Octego pieces). Captured pieces may not be reclaimed at any time during the game.

Changing Grids

Any piece (except an Octego piece) that is on a space along a side edge of the board at the start of a turn may be moved one space directly forward or backward, switching it from a black to purple space, or vice versa. (Or a piece can be moved one space directly to the left or right if it is on your edge or opponent's edge of the board at the start of a turn.)

Octego pieces may not change grids at any time.

This can only be done if the space onto which the piece is moving is vacant. An opponent's piece may not be captured when changing grids. After this is done, the turn ends with no additional movement, even if a "2" piece or "3" piece changed colored spaces by moving only one space.

Winning the Game

There are two ways to win:

1. Move either of your Octego pieces to the other side of the board.

2. Capture both of your opponent's Octego pieces.