- Conspirateurs
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Conspirateurs Years active Late 18th century to present Genre(s) Board game, Abstract strategy game Players 2 Setup time 0 seconds Random chance None Skill(s) required Tactics, strategy Conspirateurs (or the English spelling Conspirators) is a two-player abstract strategy board game from France. It was invented sometime in the 18th century. The game resembles Halma, Chinese Checkers, and Salta as players hop over friendly or enemy pieces to get to their destination.
There are two phases to the game: a drop phase where players place their men onto the board, and a move phase where players race their men to the perimeter destinations (shelters).
Contents
Equipment
Conspirateurs starts on an empty board having central "secret meeting place" and 39 perimeter shelters.
- The game board consists of 17×17 gridded lines. At the center of the board is a specially marked or colored area consisting of 9×5 intersection points (representing a "secret meeting place"). On the perimeter of the board, 39 of the intersection points are specially colored or marked for identification as shelters.
- Play pieces (men) are always placed on the intersection points, using either marbles (in holes), pegs (in holes), or flat-bottom pieces. Each player has 20 men; one side plays White, the other plays Black.
Rules
The board begins empty. Players choose color, and which player has the first turn. Play alternates after each turn.
- The drop phase: Players first place one man per turn on any vacant intersection point on the special 9×5 center area of the board. Players cannot move a man until all of their 20 men have been placed.
- The move phase: Players may move one of their men to a vacant point one step in any direction (horizontally, vertically, or diagonally). Or players may jump over an adjacent man (friend or foe) and land onto a vacant point immediately beyond.
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- A jumped man is not captured (there are no captures in Conspirateurs). Multiple jumps are allowed: A man can continue to jump as long as there are jumps to be made, and can stop jumping at any point (jumps are never compulsory).
Goal
Players attempt to race their 20 men from the "secret meeting place" into the 39 shelters on the edge of the board (a shelter may hold at most one man). The first to accomplish that feat wins the game. (A drawn result is not possible in Conspirateurs, since a total of 40 men and 39 shelters will always leave one unfortunate man without a shelter.)
See also
- Halma
- Chinese Checkers
- Salta
References
- Bell, R. C. (1983). The Boardgame Book. Exeter Books. ISBN 0-671-06030-9.
External links
Categories:- Board games
- Abstract strategy games
- French culture
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