Pungo 2014

Pungo is a simple abstract game of perfect information involving pyramid movement determined by a 6-sided die, but not in the way you might think.

There are two ways to win:

First, you get a symmetric arrangement of pyramids, according to size, in your home row, where each cell has at least one pyramid occupying it. Or, your opponent’s row contains all of the pyramids, in any legal arrangement and in any or all cells. In either case, the arrangement of pieces must arise as the result of using all of your allocated movement points.

On each turn a player takes two actions:

1. Make a *controlled roll* of the die

2. Move some number of pieces some number of squares orthogonally connected squares in the game arena On each turn the player to move is allocated a certain number of movement points as shown on the top of the die.

A *controlled roll* is a method of choosing the value of the movement die by twisting, or manually tumbling it along the cells in a 3x4 grid. This action allows players to plan for certain numbers occurring in the future or to prevent certain numbers from occurring that might benefit their opponent. By using a *controlled roll* mechanism, Pungo eliminates chance entirely, but still maintains the feel of a dice-driven game.