Siege Stones
Siege Stones is a game for two players. It requires a hexagonal board of wood or cloth, set of smooth, uniform stones, 30 of any one color, 30 of a contrasting color, and 12 clear. Many players carry a personal set of 30 stones in their chosen color, and six (6) clear. It also requires some way to keep score, and can use a marker of some sort to keep track of the last stone.
The object of the game is to score points by getting stones of your color into three pockets or squares in a row, be it across, up and down, or diagonally. The game ends when the last stone is played.
At the first player's turn, draw a stone from the pouch and place it into an empty pocket on the board. You must play what you draw, even if it's your opponent's color. If this is the first play of the game, you may play the stone anywhere. Otherwise, you must play the stone into an empty pocket in the same row or the same column as your opponent's last play. If this is not possible, because none of those pockets are empty, you may play the stone into any empty pocket on the board. Once a stone is played, it is not moved for the remainder of the game.
Note the empty space at the center of the board. Think of this as a pocket that always remains empty. So, pockets on opposite sides of the center are considered part of the same row or column (see picture above), however you cannot score a 3-in-a-row through the center.
The ring, or marker, is used to keep track of the last stone played. (As the board fills up, it's easy to forget which stone was played last.) After playing a stone, place the ring over it, or the marker next to it.
Scoring
Each player scores 1 point for every 3-in-a-row made with their color stone, whether across, up-and-down, or diagonally. A stone may be part of more than one scoring row. For example, a line of 4 stones of one color contains two 3-in-a-rows, each of which scores a point, while a line of 5 contains three 3-in-a-rows, and so on.
A clear stone counts for both players. A line of three stones containing both white and clear stones scores for white. A line of three stones containing both black and clear stones scores for black. A line of three clear stones does not score for either player. For scoring purposes, it does not matter which player played the stone. It is very common for you to score when your opponent plays a stone of your color, or for both players to score when one player plays a clear stone. Remember not to score the same 3-in-a-row more than once. When adding a stone to an existing 3-in-a-row, score only the newly created 3-in-a-row.
Once the last stone has been placed, high score wins the game. In the event of even score, the game is a draw. Observers frequently bet on games, placing odds on the liklihood of a win, loss, or draw for their chosen player. It is also common for multiple tournament rounds to be played.
(Note: This game is also known as three stones, and official versions are available from Amazon and other board game realtors. Less fancy versions can be made with canvas. Instructions on making Stones boards will be available soon.)