Burl 2025

Overview: Burl is an elimination game for two players – Black and White – played on an initially empty hexhex board with side length 4 or 5. It is a game of placements and captures. You only place stones of your own color, and only onto empty spaces, and you only remove stones of your opponent's color. Black goes first.

Definitions: A permanent stone is a stone that is part of any set of 3 mutually adjacent stones of the same color. All other stones are removable. To trim a group is to remove all removable stones from it. Permanent stones are never removed.

Play: 1. If a stone was removed in the previous turn, place a permanent stone. If not, place a removable stone. 2a. After placing, trim every enemy group that has no space to add a removable stone. 2b. If you removed any stones in step 2a, go on to also trim every enemy group that has no space to add a permanent stone.

Goal: If, at any point during your turn, your opponent has no removable stones left, you win. An exception is made for the very first turn, when White has yet to place their first stone.

—description from the designer