Blooms

In this Death Match, strategically grow your own blooms to fence in your opponent's. (Original design by Nick Bentley)

Designer(s): Non-original Game	Match Type: DM (for 2 players)
Featured in: Community Hosted Genius Game 2

BLOOMS

In this abstract game invented by Nick Bentley, you will compete to fill the ecosystem with your blooms that grow larger and fence each other. The first player to capture enough opposing blooms by depriving them of growth is the winner. You can read more information here: https://www.nickbentley.games/blooms-rules/

RULES

The game takes place on the following hex grid. Each hex has coordinates; in each row, each hex is numbered 1, 2, 3, ... from the left. So the central hex is D4 and the bottom-right hex is G4. In the actual game, only the letters on the left are present; the coordinates of the hexes are not written.

In addition, there will be a score track for both players, which goes up to 15 points.

Each player has two colors. The default colors are light red and dark red for one player, and light blue and dark blue for the other; but you may choose your own colors, subject to approval.

Throughout the game, players will occupy some hexes. A connected group of hexes of the same player color forms a bloom. (Here, a group is "maximal", in the sense that it is as large as possible.) Note that a group of one hex is also a bloom. A bloom is fenced if it is not touching any empty hex.

In the following example, there are 5 different blooms:

A dark blue bloom at E3,

A dark blue bloom at B3-B4,

A light blue bloom at C5-D5-E4,

A dark red bloom at C3-D3-E2-F2,

A light red bloom at C4-D4.

The light red bloom is fenced.

The Death Match Opponent (Littlebithungray) chooses the starting player, and then players alternate turns. On the very first turn of the game, the starting player chooses a hex to occupy with one of their two colors. After that, each turn consists of the following steps:

1. Grow. Choose one or two empty hexes to occupy with your colors. If you occupy two hexes, they must be of different colors.

2. Crowd. Capture all blooms of the opponent's colors that are fenced. (Note that if your bloom is fenced, it is not captured until the next turn by your opponent's.)

All captured hexes fill into your meter in the bottom right. The game ends when a player has filled the meter fully, i.e. captured a total of 15 or more hexes; that player wins.

EXAMPLE

Consider the following example, with red to move.

Red can fill the hex at D4 light red and the hex at D6 dark red.

Note that placing the bloom at D6 is fenced. It is not captured as only the opponent's hexes are captured.

After any move that blue does, like filling the hex at A3, the red bloom is captured, giving blue 1 point.

Now red can fill F4 and D6, fencing the E5-D5-C5-B5-E6-D7 bloom, capturing it and giving red 6 points, bringing them up to 15, which wins the game.

ADMINISTRATION

Make your moves in the game room. A move consists of the grow step: up to two coordinates, each with a color you want to occupy with. (Capturing is automatic.)

If your move is not legal, I will reject it and tell you the reason; your time will still be counting down. Your move can be illegal for various reasons:

Occupied hexes (you try to occupy a non-empty hex)
Same colors (you try to occupy two hexes in a turn with the same color)

Otherwise, I will take the first legal move you make. Double-check your coordinates!

This game is fully public information; all updates are public and you do not need to make any private submissions.

Time controls: You have 1.5 minutes (90 seconds) per turn, plus 10 minutes (600 seconds) of reserve time. If you run out of your turn time, you will start using your reserve time in 10-second increments. If you try to use more time than you have left in your reserve time, you immediately lose.

Blooms

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