Distrix: The Strategy Game
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A Pure Battle for Power
Two players, Red and Blue, battle to control a 6x6 region called The Matrix. The number in each square of the matrix equals power, and Red and Blue are equally powerful. During the game, players use colored tokens to group the squares into 9 districts, one square at a time. As districts are formed, power becomes unevenly allocated. Red controls some districts, Blue controls others. The game ends when all squares belong to districts and there are no legal moves remaining. Whoever controls more districts is the winner.
The idea is simple, but play is incredibly challenging. To win, you must cleverly spread your power across many districts while concentrating your opponent's power into few districts. This is how election districts are rigged, or gerrymandered, in the real world. But, in Distrix, an opponent responds to your every move. Each district is a tug-of-war that you want to win narrowly or lose by a lot. But be careful...you may accidentally win it by too much or barely lose it! Nine districts are in play, so there's a lot to keep your eye on. Spatial awareness is critical because the shape of one district affects another. And there's a special rule in the endgame--that allows squares to be reassigned from large districts to adjacent smaller ones--that can thwart even the best game plan, turning an expected victory into a stunning defeat. Overall, it's a pure battle for power where basic arithmetic, spatial awareness, move timing, and move counting make all the difference.
A devilishly challenging affair, Distrix has the conceptual simplicity, aesthetic elegance, and strategic sophistication typical of classic games like chess and go. But with real-world relevance, endgame surprises, razor-thin victory margins, and a different matrix every time, Distrix is a game of skill like no other. Can you master the districts and win? Click here to place an order.
Two players, Red and Blue, battle to control a 6x6 region called The Matrix. The number in each square of the matrix equals power, and Red and Blue are equally powerful. During the game, players use colored tokens to group the squares into 9 districts, one square at a time. As districts are formed, power becomes unevenly allocated. Red controls some districts, Blue controls others. The game ends when all squares belong to districts and there are no legal moves remaining. Whoever controls more districts is the winner.
The idea is simple, but play is incredibly challenging. To win, you must cleverly spread your power across many districts while concentrating your opponent's power into few districts. This is how election districts are rigged, or gerrymandered, in the real world. But, in Distrix, an opponent responds to your every move. Each district is a tug-of-war that you want to win narrowly or lose by a lot. But be careful...you may accidentally win it by too much or barely lose it! Nine districts are in play, so there's a lot to keep your eye on. Spatial awareness is critical because the shape of one district affects another. And there's a special rule in the endgame--that allows squares to be reassigned from large districts to adjacent smaller ones--that can thwart even the best game plan, turning an expected victory into a stunning defeat. Overall, it's a pure battle for power where basic arithmetic, spatial awareness, move timing, and move counting make all the difference.
A devilishly challenging affair, Distrix has the conceptual simplicity, aesthetic elegance, and strategic sophistication typical of classic games like chess and go. But with real-world relevance, endgame surprises, razor-thin victory margins, and a different matrix every time, Distrix is a game of skill like no other. Can you master the districts and win? Click here to place an order.
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Contents
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Summary of Play
- Decide if you will play the basic or advanced version of the game.
- Decide who plays Red, who plays Blue, and who plays first.
- Place 36 tiles in a random 6x6 matrix, and set up the scoreboard and tokens as shown above.
- Players take turns. In each turn, a player places one token on one square in the matrix to:
- Start a district,
- Expand a district, or
- Balance the sizes of two adjacent districts.
- The tokens are not player specific. Both players are allowed to place any color token on any square.
- The game ends when one token occupies each square and there are no legal moves remaining.
- Whoever controls more districts is the winner.
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Learn the Rules by Video
Follow a Game of Advanced Distrix from Start to Finish
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..."
Comments from Players
"One of the best abstract strategy games I've played in a while.... Board state matters, and the math and back-and-forth make for interesting strategic choices."
"I love abstract strategy games, and this one hit the mark in every possible way. Also, all the colored pieces kept the board vibrant and added a nice touch."
"The strategy was pretty complex and I look forward to playing it again."
"Creative game! I enjoyed it and feel like I'd pick up the strategy way better as I played more."
"Such a great game for explaining a complex concept."
"Clever strategy game. Instructions were right: final score was 5-4."
"Loved the ease of scoring at the end."
"Good for deep strategy thinkers."
"Bare-bones, but so fun. Bonus points for political commentary. :)"
"Quick to set up. I like the scoreboard setup. Didn't take long to play, so can be played multiple times."
"Thought this would be a simplified version of Go (like Othello), but was pleasantly surprised. Enjoyable game."
"Game was fun and I enjoyed playing it. The game played exactly how I anticipated it from the instructions."
"Would recommend to high school politics classes."
"One of the best abstract strategy games I've played in a while.... Board state matters, and the math and back-and-forth make for interesting strategic choices."
"I love abstract strategy games, and this one hit the mark in every possible way. Also, all the colored pieces kept the board vibrant and added a nice touch."
"The strategy was pretty complex and I look forward to playing it again."
"Creative game! I enjoyed it and feel like I'd pick up the strategy way better as I played more."
"Such a great game for explaining a complex concept."
"Clever strategy game. Instructions were right: final score was 5-4."
"Loved the ease of scoring at the end."
"Good for deep strategy thinkers."
"Bare-bones, but so fun. Bonus points for political commentary. :)"
"Quick to set up. I like the scoreboard setup. Didn't take long to play, so can be played multiple times."
"Thought this would be a simplified version of Go (like Othello), but was pleasantly surprised. Enjoyable game."
"Game was fun and I enjoyed playing it. The game played exactly how I anticipated it from the instructions."
"Would recommend to high school politics classes."