Vastuz

Introduction:Vastuz (from Proto-Germanic: Wahstuz, meaning "size, growth") is a diversification game for two players: Black and White. It is played on the intersections (points) of a initially empty hexagonal board with triangles. It can be played on a 7–sized board for long games or a 5–sized board for short games. Each player has access to a sufficient supply of stones of their own color.



Definitions:
A group is a set of connected stones of the same color. A single stone is also a group.
The size of a group is the number of stones it contains.



Turns:Black plays first and then turns alternate. On your turn, perform these actions in the following order:

Place a stone of your color on an empty point. You can start a new group or grow one of your preexisting groups by adding a stone, as long as you don't merge groups. If you cannot place a stone, pass your turn, otherwise passing is not allowed.
Steal a stone from each adjacent enemy group to your group, as long as the groups have the same shape (even if they are rotated or reflected). You can only perform this action if the newly placed stone is adjacent to a friendly stone. The stolen stones are placed adjacent to your group simultaneously, allowing for further growth.

After growing your group, you must continue stealing stones from adjacent enemy groups that have the same shape. Additionally, if you steal a stone from an enemy group that acquires the same shape as one of your adjacent groups, that group will also steal a stone in response and place it next to it to continue growing. These processes continue as long as your groups can keep growing. If your groups can no longer grow, you can no longer steal more stones.



End of the game:The game ends when no player can place stones. The player with the highest score wins. At the end of the game, each player receives one point for each group of their color of different sizes, plus an additional half point for the player with the largest group. In case of a tie in size, the next largest groups are considered.

To balance the game, before starting, the first player places a black stone on an empty cell and the second player chooses a side. This balancing method is called the pie rule.



Notes:Vastuz is based on Nick Bentley's game Bug, which involves capturing enemy groups with identical shapes. However, Vastuz implements it differently. Instead of capturing the entire enemy group, the player chooses a specific stone from the enemy group with the same shape and adds it to their own group. Additionally, unlike Bug, Vastuz does not impose limits on group growth.

—description from the designer