MSG Abstract Games

OUST	Intense game of annihilation. Magnificent architecture and dramatic play. You can get behind and come back, a few times, in one play. Oust is an exhilarating game to win. And a shtty game to lose. The Oust game tree is ginormous. Moves are more restricted than in Go, but large groups are removed, and the vacated spaces repopulated - again and again. Oust has been copied, but never equaled. No serious AI exists for Oust. Nor will it exist, for many years to come. See also square Oust. Same rules but played with a Go set. Equipment:* Hex hex game board, Go stones. Played at: Ai Ai, ig Game Center, Mind Sports. Oust strategy guide.
GOPHER	Extremely simple game. Place a checker next to one enemy checker and no friendly checkers. Last player to place a checker wins. BOOM, that's it. Can't get much simpler than that. Despite its simplicity, or perhaps because of it, Gopher is a good game. Three similar games preceded Gopher. Chris Huntoon's Spider Lightning is virtually identical to Stephen Tavener's Snowpaque. This game employs only one color stone and starts in the center of the board, branching outward by connecting to exactly one stone. Both of these games were in turn preceded by Dan Troyka's Blue Nile which also employs only one color of stone, but differs by only allowing connection to the most recently placed stone. Normally I withdraw games that turn out to be similar to existing games, but not in this case. The central mechanisms of these games are elementary. My addition of another color doubles the complexity of the rules, and constitutes a vast improvement in my opinion. Two color games are much more vibrant. They're not boringly Nim-like. Gopher is a distinct game. Drew Edwards found an easy win for Red on size 5, 7, 9... boards. Red starts by placing a stone in the center or a corner. Then, whichever way Blue branches out, Red continues the branch in the same direction.
DODO	Extremely simple game. Move a checker forward or diagonally forward. If at the beginning of your turn you have no moves available, you win. Dodo is a hard game - complex and deceptive.