Feral Worlds: Tabletop Games · Board Games · Classic rules
Reversi
Flank it. Flip it. Own the board.
Setup
- Players: two. Our practice table is you against one bot.
- Board: an 8 by 8 board, and discs of two colors.
- Start: four discs in the center, two each, set diagonally. The first player has e4 and d5.
- First move: decide who goes first, then take turns.
How to play
- 1Place a disc. Put one disc of your color on an empty square.
- 2Trap a line. Your new disc must trap a straight line of the other color between it and one of yours.
- 3Flip everything trapped. Every trapped disc flips, in every direction, across, down and diagonally.
- 4No move? Pass. If you have no move that flips something, you pass. You can’t pass when you have a move.
- 5Count up. When neither player can move, the most discs wins.
Winning
When neither player can move, usually with the board full, count the discs. The most discs win, and an equal count is a tie.
Scoring
| How the game ends | Result |
|---|---|
| Neither player can move, and you have more discs | You win |
| Neither player can move, and the counts are equal | Tie |
| One player has no move, the other does | Pass, and play on |
Our Classic rules: 8 by 8 from the four-disc center, passes only when you have no move, and the game ends after two passes in a row or a full board.
Key terms
- Disc:
- A piece, gold on one side for you and blue for the bot at our table.
- Flank:
- Trap a line of the other color between your new disc and one already yours.
- Flip:
- Turn a trapped disc over to your color.
- Pass:
- Skip your turn because you have no move. Only allowed then.
- Corner:
- One of the four corner squares. A disc there can never be flipped.
- X-square:
- The square diagonally next to a corner. Dangerous while that corner is empty.
- Mobility:
- How many moves a player has. Leaving the other side few is a big edge.
- Quiet move:
- A move that flips few discs and opens few new moves for the other side.