2021 · Move38
Trifoil is a long-form, 2 player turn based strategy game in the vein of chess or go that can be played with 6 or more Blinks. Players take turns placing links, pushing them, and rotating sections of the board to try to build a long chain before their opponent can.
The rules are flexible along with the initial board state, so the game can evolve to be simple, complex, or even just different depending on what you want to play!
Setup
The base board setup with 6 blinks is as follows:
There are 2 players, red and blue. The board's background color is lit up with the current player's color. Each turn, players can use up to 2 actions (see available actions), except for the first turn of the game where a player can only use one action.
A player wins when they have a chain of 5 links of their own color! The game also ends when either player has placed 9 links, in which case the player with the longest chain wins (see end game rules).
Gameplay
On the first turn of the game, the player going first only gets 1 action. Every turn afterwards each player gets 2 actions. Note: You cannot make a move which returns the board to the previous board state.
Place a link
You can place a link by first clicking the blink you wish to place on, then clicking the blink touching the face (direction) where want to place the link
This means that you can't place any links facing outwards from the formation.
Spin
You can disconnect, rotate, and reattach one of 3-blink triangles that form the corners of the board as one of your actions. They are labelled "Δ", "Ω", and "θ" in the board above!
Players are allowed to do this ONLY if they have less links on that triangle than their opponents. This is referred to as the "minority rule." If they have the same amount of links as the opponent, they cannot spin it.
Push
You can push a link outwards from a Blink the using the same input as placing a link. E.g. if you attempt to place a link where a link already exists, you will instead push it--pushing any other links in the way in a straight line as well! You can only push links of your own color.
Ending your turns
Once you have made your moves, double click any Blink to commit a move and pass the turn to the other player
Win Condition
Be the first to create a chain of at least 5 links. Only 2 links to Blinks are counted toward the final score. Scale chain length according to amount of Blinks (see below)
Variations
The rulebook and the board are flexible, so use your imagination--the possibilities are endless! See Examples below
Rule Variations
Try limiting number the total number of links you can place to . If either player runs out of links, the player with the longest chain wins.
Try playing until any one Blink is filled with 6 links of any color. When that happens, the longest chain wins.
Try playing with 3 moves instead of 2! You might need to increase the winning chain length.
Removing the limit of links that a Blink can contribute to a chain creates a muc
