Zyrcan

Zyrcan rules

Zyrcan is an abstract space game for 3, 4 or 5 players, by Javier García. Each player has a fleet of 12 ships on a hexagonal board. The board grows with the number of players:

• 3 players: 42 hexes
• 4 players: 53 hexes
• 5 players: 67 hexes

Your ships

Each player starts with 12 ships:

• 4 ships with 1 engine
• 6 ships with 2 engines
• 2 ships with 3 engines

The number of engines is how many hexes a ship travels when it moves.

First phase: deploy

The game starts with every board empty. On your turn, place one of your ships on any empty hex. Players take turns until everybody has placed all 12 ships. You cannot place a ship on top of another ship.

Second phase: attack

When everyone has deployed, the attacking begins. On your turn, choose one of your ships and attack:

• The ship moves in a straight line, in one of the six hex directions.
• It travels exactly as many hexes as the number of engines it has.
• It may pass over other ships on the way; they are ignored.
• It must end on an enemy ship, which is destroyed. You cannot land on an empty hex, and you cannot attack your own ship.

If your last ship of a given type is destroyed, you have no more ships of that type.

When you have no move

A player who cannot attack with any ship passes. The very first pass ends the game immediately.

Who wins

The player with the most engines left on the board wins. If two players tie on engines, the one with more ships wins. If they also tie on ships, the game is a draw.

Notes

• One attack is a whole turn. There are no half-moves.
• After you attack, the turn passes to the next player.
• If only one fleet is left standing, that fleet wins.

Publication

Zyrcan © was invented by Javier García, 2013.