Freedom

Maya Lvovsky

Goal of Freedom:

To have the highest amount of "live" stones once the board has been filled. "Live" stones are a series of exactly 4 stones horizontally, vertically or diagonally.

Core Mechanic:

Space:

The game is played on a "discrete 2D plane" (of 10x10 squares) because there are a set number of spaces to play, regardless of the actual space on the board.

Object/Attribute/state:

The objects are the stones which are white and black. The stones have two states, either a null state where they only take up space, or a "live" state, where they are a part of a line of 4.

Action:

The action is placing a stone. The operative action, then would be either "placing a stone adjacent to an existing stone" or "placing a stone in any place on the board" because once a player has placed a stone, unless it is impossible to place an adjacent stone, the next player must place the next stone adjacent to the last one.

The resultant actions would then be: "Completing a chain of four" "blocking an opponent's chain" "forcing the opponent to destroy their chain" "destroying a chain because there is nowhere else to go" "creating barriers against your opponent instead of worrying about your own chains"

Rules:

Only one stone can be placed in each square. White makes the first move, then black must place a stone adjacent to the first stone. In each preceding turn, a player places one stone per turn adjacent to the last stone unless this is not possible, in which case, that player can place anywhere on the board that they want, and from there they begin the same process again. The game ends when the board is full and there are no more places to put a stone. only a chain of exactly 4 stones of the same color counts as a "live" chain.

Skill:

The dominant skill in Freedom is mental skill. The ability to think ahead several steps and assume the likely plays that your opponent will make. The ability to adapt and problem solve when the opponent does not behave the way you expected them to. The ability to keep track of several different spaces on the board, so not to build in one place and cause yourself to destroy in other areas. And the observational ability to see what your opponent may be planning.