FM3: Focus Group

FM by Penzo

Setup:

Your objective is to earn points by completing mental challenges as fast as possible, then using these coins to purchase cells on a hexagonal board with side length 5. The player who forms the largest connected group of cells wins the game.

At the start of the game, a game board will be revealed with a number in each space, as well as a list of categories for minigames. There will be 7 different categories: Logic, Math, Observation, Pattern Recognition, Spatial Awareness, Trivia, and Word.

Gameplay:

The game alternates between a problem phase and a placement phase.

In the problem phase, a player chooses a minigame category. Then, the rules for that minigame will be revealed. Players have two minutes to read these rules. Afterwards, a series of problems will be posted, each giving some number of coins:

• 3 easy problems (labeled A, B, and C) worth 2 coins each
• 2 medium problems (labeled D and E) worth 3 coins each
• 2 hard problems (labeled F and G) worth 4 coins each

Each player will start each problem phase with 3 coins. When a player correctly solves a problem, they will receive the coin reward for that problem. The problem is considered solved, and the other player may no longer submit answers to this problem. When a player guesses incorrectly, they will lose 1 coin. They cannot go below 0 coins.

The problem solving phase lasts 10 minutes. Coins for unsolved problems will be evenly split amongst the two players.

In the example image, Rabbit and Pig both start with 3 coins. Rabbit scored 10 coins and Pig scored 6 coins. Then, the 4 leftover coins from the unsolved problem are split between them, so Rabbit would end with 15 coins and Pig would end with 11 coins.

Afterwards, in the placement phase, players will alternate purchasing one space on the gameboard at a time. They will choose an empty space based on its coordinates and pay the amount of coins written on that space in order to claim it with their color.

Turns alternate until one player can no longer purchase a space. Then, the other player may continue purchasing spaces until they also cannot purchase a space. Unused coins will carry over into the next placement phase.

At the end of the game, the player with the largest connected group of cells will win. If both players’ largest connected groups are the same size, the second largest groups will be compared, and so on. If there is still a tie, the player who completed their largest connected group earliest wins.

The game will continue until the board is filled, the winner is obvious, or all minigames are completed.

Items:

• Order: The player who has this item may decide which player picks the first category. The other player will be the first to place on the board. These players will alternate in future rounds. This item was given to kg by ursamajor.

• Embargo: This item may be used after the rules are revealed for a problem phase, but before the problem phase begins. The player using this item will name a difficulty (easy, medium, or hard) and the other player may not submit any guesses for this difficulty for the first 5 minutes of the round. If all puzzles outside this difficulty are solved, the embargo ends early. This item was given to Codokay by Andre.

• Sweep: This item may be used at the end of a problem phase. The player using this item will receive all coins from unsolved problems, instead of these coins being split evenly. This item was given to kg by Pieter.

• Mulligan: This item is used automatically. The first 3 times the user guesses incorrectly, they will not lose 1 coin. This item was given to kg by Ben.

Turns alternate until one player can no longer purchase a space. Then, the other player may continue purchasing spaces until they also cannot purchase a space.

Correction: They MUST continue purchasing spaces until they cannot purchase a space. The phase ends when no player can purchase a space anymore.