Laser Lawn

In this Death Match, take turns placing lasers on a board while trying to avoid making white.

Designer(s): MarcerMercer, RedsToad	Match Type: DM (for 2 players)
Featured in: The Genius: PnP
Awards: Best Mental DM 2023

Summary

Illuminate the board, but avoid adding all three colors together, or at least don't get caught doing so.

Color Adding Rules

The game is played on a hexagonal board with 4 hexes on each side.

Players will alternate placing laser emitters of the three primary colors on the grid.

Previously placed emitters will act as mirrors for the new lasers, redirecting their paths.

An emitter placement is allowed if the emitter is pointed at a hex's edge and if the laser beam covers at least 1 empty space in it's path.

Colorful lasers will add their beam's color to every space they pass through.

For example, if a space has a red and a blue beam pointing to it, the space is colored purple.

The space coloring is completely additive, so pointing 5 more red beams to that space will not change the color of the space.

Adding red, blue and green component together will create white. Avoiding making white while adding more colors is the core of the game.

Lasers will change colors when hitting a mirror. If the beam hits a laser emitter from its side and it does not have that color component, it will add the emitter's color to the laser's color.

For example, a blue beam hitting a green emitter will redirect and become a cyan laser.

This can result in white beams being fired, which will color every space white.

However, hitting a reflector that has a color component already present in the beam will subtract the color from the beam.

For example, a purple beam hitting a red emitter will redirect the laser and become a blue laser.

This can result in non coloring beams. A beam with no color component will not color any space it passes through, but can gain a color when it reflects off an emitter again.

Two emitters pointing in the opposite directions will stop their lasers.

Two emitters pointing in the same direction will add their beams, but never subtract.

Emitters will also color the space they are on, lasers reflecting off mirrors and passing through other emitters add the color of the beam to the mirror's space. This means hexes with emitters can become white too.

Lasers being stopped by another emitter don't transfer the color. In the below example, A2 is red, not yellow.

⚠️ Only the laser emitters will be shown. Player's will have to track the beam and space colors themselves.

G1 and G3 aren't highlighted for example purposes.

Row C cells 4 and 6 aren't highlighted either. If you work it out, you should see that C4 is blue and C6 is cyan.

Let hosts know if you need elaboration on why that is.

Gameplay

The grid starts out empty, with the named color being red. The DMO will decide the first player, after which the game will begin.

Players alternate placing an emitter in the named color on the grid such that the beam passes through at least 1 empty space and then saying the named color for the opponent. You don't have to switch the color, you can repeat the same named color you had.

The named colors can only be the three primary colors, which are Red, Blue and Green.

Instead of placing, you can challenge the opponent's last move if you think that they made one of the hexes completely white.

To challenge, you first say "challenge" in the game room, which will add time to your time bank.

After that, you need to name the white space and all the necessary lasers that Illuminate the space, creating white.

Opponent's most recent move has to be included in the challenge as well, as either an emitter or a mirror with the color component contributing to white.

Players begin the game with 3 lives. A correct challenge will remove 1 life from the opponent. An incorrect challenge will remove 1 life from yourself.

A successful challenge will also undo the opponent's move and pass the turn to them, forcing them to find an unchallengeable space or risk losing more lives.

The player to run out of lives first will lose the Death Match.

In a very rare case of no legal moves remaining, the player with more lives wins. In case of a further tie, the player to place the last emitter wins.

Time Controls

To submit, say the coordinates of the space you want to place the emitter with the direction specified and a new named color for the opponent.

After each move, the host will update the board with the new emitter in place.

Players will have 2 minutes per turn, plus a 5 minute reserve bank for the whole game.

Saying Challenge will add 2 minutes to the player's timer.

When a player runs out of turn time, they start using the reserve time.

When a player runs out of reserve time, they forfeit the DM.

Laser Lawn

Summary

Color Adding Rules

Gameplay

Time Controls

Tags