Setting the table…
How to play ↗
Build a path. Change the board.
Connect any two opposite edges with a path of your topmost flats and Crowns, including those atop stacks. Walls do not count. Connections may turn but must join edge-to-edge, never diagonally.
Setup
Start with an empty square board and all pieces in reserve. Each player receives:
| Board | Stones | Crowns |
|---|---|---|
| 3×3 | 10 | 0 |
| 4×4 | 15 | 0 |
| 5×5 | 21 | 1 |
| 6×6 | 30 | 1 |
| 7×7 | 40 | 2 |
| 8×8 | 50 | 2 |
Choose the first player randomly for the first game; alternate thereafter. Player 1 places a flat for Player 2, then Player 2 places a flat for Player 1. No walls, Crowns, or movement on these opening turns. Regular play starts with Player 1.
Pieces
Builds paths. Can be covered.
Blocks stacking. Does not build paths.
Builds paths. Flattens walls. Cannot be covered.
Each turn: place or move
Place: put one reserve piece—flat, standing stone (wall), or Crown—on an empty square, never onto another piece. Walls and Crowns can only be placed from reserve, not created by movement.
Move: you control a stack if its top piece is yours. Take 1 to the board’s width in pieces from its top (up to 5 on a 5×5 board). Move horizontally or vertically in one straight line, never diagonally. Drop all carried pieces, bottom first, leaving at least one on every square visited. Land only on empty squares or flats, never walls or Crowns, except when flattening. Stack height is unlimited.
Flattening: only a Crown, dropped alone on the final square of a move, can flatten a wall. It may travel with other pieces before that final drop. The wall becomes a flat even atop a stack; pieces beneath it stay unchanged. Nothing can cover a Crown.
Winning
Path win: completing a path ends the game immediately. If both players complete paths in the same move, the player who moved wins.
Flat win: placing your last reserve piece or filling the board ends the game immediately. If there is no path, count each player’s exposed flats (including single flats). Most wins; a tie is a draw. Covered flats, walls, and Crowns do not count.
Calling “Pathstone” when threatening a win is optional, like “check” in chess.
Reading stacks
Layers run from bottom to top. Each square shows up to the board width plus one layers. The small number is total height; “+” counts deeper pieces. Select a square to inspect it.