Ferabun 2024

Ferabun (from Scottish Gaelic: fearann na buidhne, meaning "territory of group") is a strategy game for two players: Black and White. It is played on the hexes (cells) of an initially empty hexagonal board. The recommended size is 7 cells per side, but boards with 5 or 9 are also valid. Each player has access to a sufficient supply of stones of their own color.

Definitions: A group is a maximal 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. A territory is a maximal set of connected empty cells. You own a territory if the largest adjacent group belongs to you, and in case of a tie, the next largest groups are compared; if all are the same size, the territory does not score for either player. The value of a territory is the number of empty cells it contains.

Turns:Black plays first and then turns alternate. On your turn, place a stone of your color on an empty cell not adjacent to groups of any color, unless any adjacent enemy group is exactly the same size or exactly one stone smaller than the group of the placed stone.

End of the game:The game ends when no player can place stones, and the player with the territories of the highest value wins. To prevent ties, half a point is awarded to 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.

—description from the designer