Foxy

A two-player game

Translation by D. U. Thibault (D.U.Thibault@Bigfoot.com)
with help from Stephen Tavener (Stephen@scat.demon.co.uk / http://www.scat.demon.co.uk)

1 game board of 36 spaces with 32 depressions
2 transparent tubes
3 sets of 11 playing stones (gray, blue and yellow)
4 rubber pads

Object of the Game

The first player who manages to place his 11 stones in board depressions wins.

Preparation

1. Place the four rubber pads underneath the playing board, so it won’t mar whatever surface it is placed on.

2. Place the board between the players and take the stones out of their bags.

3. Choose who will go first. The first player places the 11 gray stones in board depressions in whatever pattern he likes. This ensures each game will be different.

4. The first player picks a diagonal and places the tubes at its opposite ends.

5. Each player now picks a color (blue or yellow) and fills his tube with his stones. The game may now begin.

Rules of Play

1. The first turn is subject to a special rule. This is to mitigate the advantage the first player has in placing the gray stones and picking the diagonal. The first player moves his tube in a straight line in the direction of his choice and over the distance of his choice (see Figure 1), dropping his stones in the free depressions as he does so. The grooves on the board indicate the possible directions of motion. The second player now chooses which color he will play with.

2. As an example, suppose the first player has the yellow stones. Once he has done his first move, the second player can pick either the blue or the yellow stones. If he picks the yellow stones, he makes the first player’s move his, and the first player simply goes again with the blue stones. For the rest of the game, the first player will be blue and the second yellow.

3. If instead the second player picks blue, he simply plays his turn with the blue stones, leaving the yellow stones to the first player. For the rest of the game, the first player will be yellow and the second blue.

4. This concludes the first turn special rule. It allows the second player to counter any gross advantage the first player may have attempted to gain.

5. Now that each player has been assigned a color for good, he attempts to move his tube so as to place his 11 stones in depressions of the board. As there are only 21 depressions left, only one player can empty his tube. When this occurs, that player wins.

FIGURE 1: Possible first-player moves
(assuming the first player starts at the lower right)

Notes

During the game, the tubes may enter the four corner spaces marked with concentric circles.
During a player’s turn, a tube may not move back and forth; it must move in a single direction without backtracking.

Strategy Tips

When playing the first turn, the first player must try to keep the two colors at a comparable advantage, since the second player gets to pick which color to play with.
Tubes may not pass through each other. This allows one player’s tube to block the opposing player’s tube.
If you see a good move, try not to give it away to your opponent by staring at it.