Odd's End

In this Death Match, place stones strategically to keep your number of groups even.

Designer(s): RedsToad	Match Type: DM (for 2 players)
Featured in: Simply Genius

DM5 - Odd's End

(DM by RedsToad)

-- Setup --

This DM is played on a hexagonal grid with 5 hexes on each side, as shown below. The board uses the same coordinate system as Main Match 5, where letters indicate rows from top to bottom, and numbers indicate the space on the row.

The board starts out empty and will get filled as the game progresses.

When the board is filled (or the winner is obvious), the game ends.

-- Gameplay --

Each player has their own color of stones, either White or Orange.

✏️ Andre, as the DMO, will decide which player gets what color at the start of the Death Match.

White begins the game by placing one Orange stone in any hex of the board.

Once a hex is occupied by a stone it can not be removed and will stay there for the rest of the game. No more stones can be placed into that hex.

This stone forms the first group on the board.

Groups are connected stones of one color. The owner of the group is the player that owns the color of the stones in a group.

So, after one move, there will be 1 orange group on the board.

From then on, turns alternate, starting with Orange.

✏️ On your turn, place 2 stones of any color into any 2 empty hexes. A player may place 2 stones of their color, 2 stones of the opponent's color, or even 1 of each.

⚠️ However, there is a restriction. After your move, the total number of different groups must be odd.

-- Examples --

Here are some examples of legal moves!

It is Orange’s first turn. Orange places 2 stones not adjacent to any other stones and creates 2 new groups, bringing the total up to 3.

It is White’s turn. White connects 2 groups and makes a new group, leaving the total at 3.

It is Orange’s turn again. Orange places 2 stones adjacent to an existing group, not changing the total number of groups.

-- Game End --

The game ends when no legal moves can be made or when the winner is obvious.

💀 The player that ends with an odd number of groups of their color loses the DM and is eliminated.

The other player, who has an even number of groups of their color, wins the DM, gains 1 garnet and joins the rest of the players.

– Time Controls & Administration –

⌛ Each player has 1 minute for each move. Additionally, both players have 5 minutes of reserve time. The timer will keep going until a player makes a valid move. If a player makes a move that’s not valid, the timer will still keep going while the dealer validates the move. If a player runs out of reserve time, they will automatically lose the death match.

The first valid move will be taken as a submission. All moves will be made in #dm5-game-room. Submit moves in a single message (ex: Orange B4, White F6).