Manalath (2018)

About this game

Manalath (from lat. "manus", referring to the five fingers of the hand) is an abstract game for two players from the growing family of Yavalath-like games. Unlike Yavalath however, it was designed by humans. Material: a hexagonal hex gameboard with 5 spaces on the side 30 white, 30 black pieces (a Yavalath set) Rules: Two players (White and Black) take turns. In their turn, players choose a piece of any(!) color and place it on an empty space. A piece may not be placed such that a group of more than 5 pieces is created. If there is, at the end of your turn, … - a group of 5 of your colour, you win. - a group of 4 of your colour, you lose. If both conditions are present at the end of your turn, you lose. If you cannot make a legal move (which is rare) the game is ended, but still the final state has to be examined: if you are neither in a winning nor a losing position, the game ends in a draw.

Does it fit your group?

• Group size. Strictly 2 players — no more, no fewer.
• Rules load. At 2.0/5 this is a mid-weight game — expect a proper rules explanation before you start.
• Age. The publisher suggests 10 and up. That rates the rules rather than the artwork, so judge the box yourself for younger players.