
This is an odd line of design thinking: how can you turn a two player game into a three player game?
Say, hypothetically, you had two cousins playing a game like Connect Four and a third one becomes interested? Could you find a variation for them to play?
Rules
- Players are NOT the colors. They play for themselves, not as the black tokens or as the red tokens.
- The goal is to be the player to place the fourth token in a row going vertical, horizontal, or diagonal. That player is the winner.
- On the first turn, the first player places a red token which slides down as normal (unless you’re not subject to Earth’s gravity or in space in which case play a different game).
- The next player clockwise places a black token.
- The next player clockwises places a red token.
- Continue steps 4 and 5, alternating players and token colors until a player reaches the goal of step 2.
There you go, a two player game into a three player one.
Any other games that can have a treatment like this? Chess? Tic-Tac-Toe? Mancala?
As with other three player games, it’s best if the design doesn’t encourage or support kingmaking… Many years of playing with my dad and brother has taught me that ain’t a good move.