UNITY
UNITY Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Material
- A board with 91 hexagonal spaces.
- A supply of rectangular walls.
- 15 ring-shaped pieces of each colour (purple, orange, and green).
- 15 asterisk-shaped pieces of each colour.
- One counter of each colour to show which player is which colour.
- A carrying case.
Game Preparation
Choose the size of the board on which you would like to play (5 hexes per side, or 6 hexes per side). If you are playing 5 hexes per side, use the inner 5x5x5 board. In the examples, I've 'fenced' the inner 5x5x5 for retro-compatibility.
Piece setup
One of the players (player A) places the pieces of each colour (purple, orange, and green) on the board. For a 5-hexes-per-side game, use 20 pieces of each colour; for a 6-hexes-per-side game, use 30 of each. The pieces can be all rings, all asterisks, or a mix of both. Although it is recommended to have the same pieces in each of the 3 colours, the game also works with unequal teams. Notice that there will be one free space left at the end of the setup phase. This free space can be anywhere (no need to be the centre space).
Note: The Unified Edition comes with only 15 rings and 15 asterisks of each colour. You can purchase additional sets of pieces if you wish to try other combinations.
The same player (A) places a few walls (or none) in any edges between spaces. The more walls that are placed, the longer the games are. We recommend no more than 5 for beginners.
In a 2-player game, the other player (B) chooses a colour, and then player A chooses a colour from the remaining two. The unchosen colour is considered neutral. It is recommended to play with Purple and Orange, leaving Green as neutral.
In a 3-player game, a randomly selected player (B), other than player A, chooses a colour; then the other player (C) does the same. Finally, player A takes the remaining colour.
Player A is always the last one to choose a colour.
Setup example
How to Play
Purple starts. If purple is the neutral colour then Orange starts. The turn order for a 3-player game is Purple→Orange→Green.
Notice that player A might not be the starting player.
Players are allowed to talk during the game.
On your turn, do only one of these actions:
a) Move any of your pieces to any empty space in any of the 6 directions radiating out from it. Pieces can jump over other pieces, but not over walls.
Example of Purple's first move
b) Place wall(s): In 2-player games, place one wall on any empty edge between 2 hexagonal spaces. In 3-player games, place two walls in that fashion (they needn't be adjacent). Walls block movement and captures. Also, a wall can split a group that is connected by the two hexes between which it sits. You cannot place walls if there are no walls left in the supply. Once placed, walls cannot be moved or removed during the game.
c) Capture pieces using a ring or an asterisk of your colour:
a. Rings capture all surrounding pieces (even friendly and neutral). They are all removed from the board together with the ring that made the capture. Walls block captures.
Example: The orange ring marked with a dot captures all surrounding pieces, except the purple asterisk behind the wall. The orange ring that made the capture is also removed.
b. Asterisks capture all pieces in one of the 6 directions radiating from them. They are all removed from the board together with the asterisk that made the capture. Walls block captures. Imagine the asterisk arms as 'cannons' that can shoot in one of the 6 directions.
Example: The purple asterisk marked with a dot captures all pieces on its left (even the friendly asterisk at the end), except those behind the wall. The purple asterisk that made the capture is also removed.
Notice that a piece can make a capture so that only itself is removed (for example: a ring with no adjacent pieces or an asterisk with no pieces in sight in one of the 6 directions).
It is forbidden to make a capture that removes all of a player's remaining pieces from the board, even your own.
Capture enemy pieces in order to split their groups. In the following example, Orange captures a full line radiating from an asterisk (including itself), thus splitting the Purple group into 3 smaller groups.
Game End
The game ends when, after finishing a player's turn, at least one of the players has all their remaining pieces merged into a single connected group (no need to be the player who just took a turn). The group can be as small as a single piece.
Remember that two adjacent hexes separated by a wall are not connected.
The owner of that group wins the game. In the case of several players having reached this victory condition at the same time, the largest unified group wins. If the tie persists, the last of the tied players who had a turn wins.
Example: Orange wins with a single group of 9 pieces (Purple has 7).
Quick Strategy Guide
Don't read this guide if you wish to discover the game by yourself!
When to move?
Move a piece in order to connect your groups. In the following example, Purple has 4 groups (one of them is a singleton). By moving the singleton, Purple manages to join all of them into a single group.
You can also move a piece to place it adjacent to an enemy group, in order to split it into several groups on your next turn.
When to place walls?
Place walls to split enemy groups. If you place them wisely, you can grab an extra move when an opponent is on the verge of victory. In the following example, Orange has a winning move that could arrange all 3 groups into a single group. However, Purple places a wall between the two adjacent rings. Now Orange needs 3 turns to win! …and can't even make that move any more, because the wall is in the way.
You can also place walls to block possible threats. In the following example, Orange has placed a wall to protect their group from the menacing Purple asterisk.
Walls are seldom useful, but when they are, they are very powerful.
When to capture?
Capture your own pieces in order to reduce your number of groups. In the following example, Purple captures one of his groups with the ring marked with a black dot.