DISTRIX: The Strategy Game
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Players: 2 Ages: 14+ Time: 30-60 min Box size: 8"x8"x2" |
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Two basic themes—power and area control—combine in this new abstract game!
Two players, Red and Blue, engage in a strategic tug of war to build and control 9 districts in a 6x6 region called The Matrix. Each square in the matrix favors Red or Blue by 1 to 9 units of power (with two neutral squares), and each player has the same total amount of power within the matrix. During the game, players alternate using colored tokens to assign squares to districts one square at a time. A different token color is used for each district. The tokens are not player specific; all tokens are available to both players. When 9 districts are formed and no moves remain, whoever controls more districts wins the game.
The idea is simple, but you’ll be surprised by the complexity of this award-winning game of skill. In the Distrix world, strength in one region always means weakness in another, so all games are closely contested. To win, players must cleverly combine basic arithmetic, spatial awareness, and expert move timing in an attempt to control many districts by small amounts, not few districts by large amounts. The zero-sum landscape makes for a tense experience from start to finish, and endgame surprises are remarkably common.
A devilishly challenging affair, Distrix has the visual simplicity, aesthetic elegance, and sophistication of play typical of classic two-player games such as chess and go. With subtle tactics, a different starting matrix every time, and multiple expansion possibilities, Distrix is a formidable game of strategy. Can you master the districts and win?
Two players, Red and Blue, engage in a strategic tug of war to build and control 9 districts in a 6x6 region called The Matrix. Each square in the matrix favors Red or Blue by 1 to 9 units of power (with two neutral squares), and each player has the same total amount of power within the matrix. During the game, players alternate using colored tokens to assign squares to districts one square at a time. A different token color is used for each district. The tokens are not player specific; all tokens are available to both players. When 9 districts are formed and no moves remain, whoever controls more districts wins the game.
The idea is simple, but you’ll be surprised by the complexity of this award-winning game of skill. In the Distrix world, strength in one region always means weakness in another, so all games are closely contested. To win, players must cleverly combine basic arithmetic, spatial awareness, and expert move timing in an attempt to control many districts by small amounts, not few districts by large amounts. The zero-sum landscape makes for a tense experience from start to finish, and endgame surprises are remarkably common.
A devilishly challenging affair, Distrix has the visual simplicity, aesthetic elegance, and sophistication of play typical of classic two-player games such as chess and go. With subtle tactics, a different starting matrix every time, and multiple expansion possibilities, Distrix is a formidable game of strategy. Can you master the districts and win?
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Summary of play:
- Decide who plays Red and who plays Blue
- Place 36 tiles in a random 6x6 matrix
- Players take turns beginning with the starting player
- In each turn, a player uses one colored token to (1) establish a district, (2) expand a district, or (3) reassign a tile from a large district to an adjacent smaller district
- The tokens are not player specific; all tokens are available to both players
- There are about 40 turns per game (20 by each player)
- The game ends when no legal moves remain
- The player who controls more districts wins
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Contents:
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Reviews:
Board's Eye View (Sept 15, 2021):
"...a well-designed abstract strategy game..."
"...quite challenging..."
"...a game where you'll need good spatial awareness..."
Board's Eye View (Sept 15, 2021):
"...a well-designed abstract strategy game..."
"...quite challenging..."
"...a game where you'll need good spatial awareness..."
Follow a Distrix game from start to finish:
Use the buttons in the upper-left and upper-right corners to control the slideshow
Use the buttons in the upper-left and upper-right corners to control the slideshow
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