Basalt 2024

Basalt is a dynamic connection game set on the side of an exploding volcano. It is played on the hexagonal tiles of a triangular shaped grid of side length 9, using Black and Red checkers. Before the game, the three corners of the board are filled with a checker (two Black, one Red). Red moves first.

Players control a stack if the top checker in the stack is of their designated color. On each turn, players take N checkers (where N is any number from 1 to stack size) from the top of a stack you control and move them N spaces in straight lines to a destination containing N or less checkers. Then, a new checker of that color is added to the destination. Stacks may not jump over enemies, but may land on enemy or friendly stacks, thereby burying them. If you have no legal moves, you must pass. You win if you have connected all three edges by a connected group of stacks you control (corners count for both edges).

NOTE: This game may optionally be played using a pie rule, in which the Host places 1 or 2 checkers of each color anywhere on the board (in any configuration), and the Guest chooses whether to play first as Red, or second as Black.

—description from the designer