Picaria

An abstract strategy game related to Tic Tac Toe, Tant Fant & Three Men's Morris

Picaria is a two-player abstract strategy game that was played by the Native Americans ( Zuni Native American Indians or the Pueblo Indians of the American Southwest) since a long time. It is related to tic-tac-toe, but more related to Nine Holes, Three Men's Morris, Teen Patthar, Tapatan, Achi, Tant Fant, and Shisima, because pieces can be moved to create a three-in-a-row pattern.

This is also a great game to learn applied math concepts of predictive behaviors of game theory, geometry and permutations & combinations.

Aim of the player

Picaria is essentially an alignment game where each player strategically moves her pieces to beat the opponent. The goal is to create a three-in-a-row of one's pieces either horizontally, vertically, or diagonally.

Rules and Gameplay

The board is empty in the beginning. Each player has three pieces. One plays the blue pieces, and the other plays the green pieces.

Drop phase: Each player drops one piece per turn on any vacant space on the board except the center (central intersection point). Players alternate their turns. Pieces cannot move until all three pieces of a player have been dropped.

Move phase: After each player's three pieces have been dropped on the board, each piece can move one space at a time following the pattern on the board including to the center. Only one piece can be moved per turn.

Players can create three-in-a-row pattern at either the drop phase or move phase, and win the game.

Levels

There are multiple levels of Picaria. The first level is simpler and the difficulty level increases with levels. There are two versions of the game - one with 9 spaces or intersection points, and the second uses 13 spaces or intersection points. The rules are the same for both the versions.

Scoring

You earn points for every move and the quicker you move, the more points you collect. Also, there is a timer that calculates the time it takes for you to win against computer.

Enjoy the game !

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