Group in alpha
Posted: 31 January 2026, 11:28
Group is a very simple game. Players take turns placing stones of their own color onto a hexagonal board. The goal is to form a monocolored group of a certain size. On a size 5 board (61 cells), you must form a group of at least size 9. On a size 6 board (91 cells), you must form a group of at least size 11.
Group game page
https://boardgamearena.com/gamepanel?game=group
Group rule sheet
https://www.marksteeregames.com/Group_rules.pdf
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REVIEWERS: Please try Group. If you like the game, please approve it so it can go into beta.
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Why those particular group sizes? Because groups of at least those sizes are guaranteed to form, according to a certain geometric/topographic principle *.
Group has an anti-blob, placement rule. With each placement, you must form the smallest friendly group possible. Without that rule, Player 1 could just continually grow one group, and Player 2 couldn't do anything to stop it. There would be runaway first move advantage.
* Group size = 2L - 1, where L is the side length of the board.
Almost all abstract games that are governed by geometric/topographic principles are connection games, like Hex, Atoll, and Conect. Group is not a connection game (though its founding principle is derived from connection game principles). It's the rare exception.
Group game page
https://boardgamearena.com/gamepanel?game=group
Group rule sheet
https://www.marksteeregames.com/Group_rules.pdf
-----------
REVIEWERS: Please try Group. If you like the game, please approve it so it can go into beta.
-----------
Why those particular group sizes? Because groups of at least those sizes are guaranteed to form, according to a certain geometric/topographic principle *.
Group has an anti-blob, placement rule. With each placement, you must form the smallest friendly group possible. Without that rule, Player 1 could just continually grow one group, and Player 2 couldn't do anything to stop it. There would be runaway first move advantage.
* Group size = 2L - 1, where L is the side length of the board.
Almost all abstract games that are governed by geometric/topographic principles are connection games, like Hex, Atoll, and Conect. Group is not a connection game (though its founding principle is derived from connection game principles). It's the rare exception.