This game has a 4×4 board and
16 pieces. Each piece has four dichotomous attributes – color, height, shape,
and consistency – so each piece is either black or white, tall or short, square
or round, and hollow or solid. The object is to place the fourth piece in a row
in which all four pieces have at least one attribute in common. The twist is
that your opponent gets to choose the piece you place on the board each turn.
Description and Preparation
- A board with 16 circles.
- 16 different pieces each with 4 characteristics: light or dark, round or square, tall or short, solid or hollow
Objective of the game
The player must establish a line of four pieces, with at least one common characteristic on the board. The line of pieces may be across the board, up and down, or along a diagonal.
Game Sequence
- The players throw dice to see who starts.
- The first player selects one of the 16 pieces and gives it to his opponent.
- That player places the piece on any square on the board; he must then choose one of the 15 pieces remaining and give it to his opponent.
- In his turn, that player places the piece on an empty square, and so on...
- Players take turns to choose a piece which the other player must then place on the board.
Winning the game
The game is won by the first player to call “Four!”.
1/ A player calls “Four!” and wins the game when, as he places the piece given to him:
- He creates a line of 4 light pieces or 4 dark pieces or 4 round pieces or 4 square pieces or 4 tall pieces or 4 short pieces or 4 solid pieces or 4 hollow pieces.
Different characteristics can accumulate.
- He does not need to have placed the 3 other pieces himself.
- He must declare his win by calling “Four!”
2/ If this player has not noticed the alignment and passes a piece to the opponent:
- The latter may “at that moment” call “Four!” and indicate the alignment:
He wins the game.
3/ If none of the players sees the alignment during the move during which it is created, it loses any value and the game continues.
End of Game
- Game winner: A player who calls and points out a “Four!”.
- Game even: All the pieces have been placed and no winner declared.
Variation for beginners (children…)
Until you are familiar with the game, you can play with 1, 2 or 3 features as line criteria. For example: Create on the board a line of 4 pieces of the same color. (just one feature chosen).
There are 16 pieces, each of which has four attributes :
- Large or small;
- Light or dark stained wood;
- Square or circle;
- With or without a hole.
The common features
small size
dark colour
hole
circle
