Confounded

Confounded is a 1977 uncredited game, published at Lionshare.

The game is played in a 3x9 board divided in three equal sections,

Each player has nine pieces, three labelled 1, three labelled 2, and three labelled 3, which start at the board (check setup below). Pieces move forward, and the label defines their moving range. There are three different possible ways to win the game: (a) by partial traversal, (b) by stalemating, (c) by capturing.

Here are the official rules:

 

An abstract game with too many winning conditions usually is a sign that the rules do not play well together, which I think it the case here. The same happens with the remaining ruleset: instead of going back to simplify and make the core rules work, the way was to add more special cases and different ways of capture...

I'm afraid it is not, in fact, the most intriguing game in centuries...

Crosso and Chains

Crosso and Chains are two games by C.S.Elliott, published at Games and Puzzles magazine #42,

Here is the excerpt that introduces both games:

Torno

Torno is a game which I don't know the author and its date (but it is older than 1900). The game was  published by Villard et Weill in France.

The board and the initial position of each of the nineteen pieces per player:

Rules (here adjacency means orthogonally or diagonally, so a square has eight adjacencies):

• On his turn, the player picks a friendly piece and either:
• moves it to an adjacent empty square
  
• jumps over an adjacent piece (of either color) and lands in the next square (that must be empty)
• jumps  can be multiple and change direction; the only restriction is that a piece cannot stop its jump sequence in its initial square (so the board must change position at each move)
• jumps do not capture enemy pieces
• Wins the player that first occupies the adversary starting position

This is a direct variant of Halma, which was published in 1884. Chinese Checkers, another variant of Halma, is from 1893.

Here are the accompanying rules in French:

The original text:

TORNO

Ce jeu nouveau et très intéressant se joue à deux sur un plateau divisé en carrés et au moyen de deux fois 19 pions de deux couleurs différentes. Aux extrémités du plateau, 19 carrés sont entourés d'une ligne de séparation. Les carrés marqués et compris dans les lignes de séparation sont appelés camps.

RÈGLE DU JEU

On place le plateau de manière que chaque joueur ait en face de lui son camp de 19 carrés. Chacun garnit le sien avec des pions de sa couleur.

Le but du jeu est, pour chacun, de faire sortir les pions de son camp et de les faire arriver, le plus vite possible, dans le camp opposé. Celui qui y réussit le premier, gagne. Il faut, pour atteindre ce résultat, de 60 à 80 mouvements.

Il y a deux sortes de mouvements :  

Le premier, le pas, par lequel on fait passer un pion d’un carré sur l’un des 8 carrés environnants. (C’est la marche du roi aux échecs).  

Le second, le saut, par lequel on fait sauter un pion par-dessus un autre, quelle qu’en soit la couleur, placé sur un carré voisin pour retomber sur un carré vide, et l’on continue ainsi, ce qui fait partie du même mouvement, dans n’importe quelle direction, tant que la disposition des pièces le rend possible et avantageux. Mais, dans ce cas, le pion ne peut sauter que sur un carré de la couleur que celui d’où il est parti.

On ne peut faire qu’un pas par mouvement, on peut faire un nombre illimité de sauts. Avec le pas, il est facultatif d’aller d’une couleur à une autre. Avec le saut on doit toujours rester sur la même couleur. Chacun, à tour de rôle, a droit à un coup, pas ou saut, au choix. Contrairement à ce qui se fait pour le jeu de dames ou celui des échecs, les joueurs ne se prennent pas leurs pions.

Le jeu se divise en trois parties, savoir :  

1° La marche en avant des pions. — Il faut avoir soin de se ménager des échelles, afin de faire arriver ses pions le plus loin possible par un seul mouvement. On peut quelquefois, par ce moyen, faire sauter un pion d’une extrémité à l’autre du plateau. On cherche, naturellement, à entraver, de temps à autre, la marche de son adversaire ;  

2° La mêlée. — C’est l’encombrement qui a lieu, tôt ou tard, quand tous les pions se rencontrent au centre et se bloquent de telle sorte que, pour avancer, le seul moyen, souvent, est de faire un long détour ;  

3° L’arrangement des pions dans le camp opposé. — C’est la partie la plus difficile. De la façon dont on dispose ses pions dès l’entrée dans le camp adverse, dépend tout le succès.  

Il faut éviter de laisser encombrer les abords de ce camp, et, autant que possible, échelonner en tous sens des pions qui aident à arriver aux extrémités.  

Un seul pas bien calculé peut épargner toute une série de mouvements.

Recently, the new database of French boards games, Histoire en Jeux, went online and provides more pictures of the game,

Les Crocs

Les Croks is an uncredited game that appears in Patrick Carpentier rule's collection. Unfortunately, the document is very sparse with information. The only date we can deduce is that the game is older than 1995-2000, the years where the collection was written.

The game is played on an initially empty 6x6 board. Each player has ten pieces (les croks, i.e., the fangs) all marked with a direction (e.g., an arrow).

Rules:

• In a first phase, players take turns dropping a friendly piece on an empty square. 
• Here's a board example after the end of this phase:

• In the second phase, each player picks a friendly piece and can either:
• move it to an adjacent empty square
• move it twice in its forward direction
• rotate it one quarter left or right
  
• capture by replacement in its forward direction, unless the enemy piece is faced towards it
• in the previous board, d6 can capture d5, but e6 and f7 cannot capture each other
• Wins the player that captures all enemy pieces

There is a related game at the same collection, quite probably by the same unnamed author, called La Saga des Croks.

• Here players only drop six pieces each, the other four stay in reserve.
• The capture is changed to emulate reproduction: it is only possible to attack from behind.
• The 'jumped-over' crok is not removed from the game. 
• On the next turn, the attacking crok slides to an adjacent orthogonal empty square without changing orientation, and the player places a new crok from the reserve on any empty square. 
• This new Crok must not be in a 'capture' position.
  
• Wins the player that drops on the board his four pieces initially in reserve.

This second game was also described at Jeux et Stratègie #28 by Michel Brassinne:

Orbit

Orbit is a 1975 uncredited game, published by Clipper.

The game is played on a 15x9 board, Each player has eight tiles and one pawn.

Rules

• Each player places their pawn on one of the starting spaces (marked by the star) at the edge of the board.
• The player who starts can either (a) move their pawn, (b) place a tile on board, (c) remove a tile
• A pawn can advance horizontally or vertically by one square.
• Tiles can be placed on the board, except on: 
• The starting space
• The center squares
• The squares on the finish line
• Players can place their pawns on their own tiles, but not on the opponent's tiles.
• A confined (or trapped) pawn can no longer advance for three turns (check figure 3 below). 
• The pawn must then restart from a starting space. 
• The winner is the one who first places their pawn on the last line

The original rules in Dutch and French:

  

King of the Castle

King of the Castle, aka Montana, is a 1975 game by Mordecai Meirowitz, and published by Hasbro, among others.

The game is played on this board with six concentric circles (the Castle), having eight paths (or stairs) going from the bottom circle to the top circle (the levels):

Rules:

• Initially, players receive eight pieces, and place them in stacks of two, in alternating fashion
• The pieces can move upwards or downwards from one path to the next or sideways to adjacent paths on the same level.
• Pieces of any color can be stacked to form stacks (towers) of any height.
• A tower can only be moved by the player whose piece is on top. Using this "capture tactic," a player can block the opponent’s pieces or move them to a lower level.
• On his turn, a player moves a single piece, or an entire tower with a friendly piece is on top. 
• In the case of a tower, the move consists of as many steps as there are pieces in the tower.
• The entire tower is lifted, and the bottom piece is placed first, followed by the next, and so on until the top piece is placed. For example, in a tower of three pieces, the bottom piece can be moved up one level, the next piece can be moved down, and the top piece can be moved sideways, or any other combination of steps on adjacent paths (notice that a player can move enemy pieces that belong to the moving tower).
• Each move can be made to an occupied place, placing that stone on the top of the other pieces standing there. 
• Only one piece can be placed at the top circle, per turn.
• A piece on a top circle can no longer move.
  
• If a player cannot make a move, he must pass his turn.
• Individual pieces or towers cannot be captured on the bottom or top levels.
• Wins the player that first moves his eight pieces into the center circle (the highest level of the Castle).
• Each player can only occupy four of the eight places in the top circle, and at least two of these must be adjacent.

This is a little game with lots of rules. Some rules are just exceptions, or addendums, that seem to exist to compensate for the lack of overall design. Even so, it would be nice if the rules explicitly stated if pieces can move over stacks of any size. The rules seem to assume so, but I wonder if forcing a size restriction could introduce extra tactical depth to the game.

Here's a review from GAMES #2:

Connex'Oh

Connex'Oh, aka Connexion, is a 1992 game by Sébastien Sjoholm, and published by Carlit.

The game is played on a 6x6 board. There are 36 tiles each divided into a dark triangle and a light triangle, and each player owns six pieces of his color. 

All tiles and pieces are initially placed as in the following diagram:

 Rules:

• On his turn, each player can either:
• Slide a friendly piece along a path made of empty adjacent triangles of the same color (two triangles are connected if they share one edge)
• note: the moving piece cannot jump over other pieces, nor stop on an occupied triangle
  
• Rotate a tile, whether it has pieces on it or not, by a quarter-turn or half-turn in either direction
• If the rotated tile made new connections of the player's color, then neither one of these tiles can be rotated next
• The game has a red token to identify the last rotated tile (cf. next picture) and its adjacent connections

 

• Wins the player that moves his army out of the board from to the player's opposite side
• To exit a piece from the game, the path it is on must be connected to the opposite side of the board; this requires the last triangle of the path to touch the edge of the game frame
• Once a path is connected to the exit, all pieces on that path are immediately removed from the game without waiting for the next turn. This rule applies regardless of which player connected the path.
• If a tile rotation causes both last pieces of both players to exit the board, the player that rotated the tile loses the game.
  

The rule of any number of pieces immediately leaving the game when a path is open to the board's edge, seems a way to allow the game to quickly converge to its end, but at the cost of loss of uniformity: it is a rule quite different in nature with regards to the regular move of just one piece per turn.

There is a 4x4 version of this game named Connexo published in 1995.

Red White Blue

Red White Blue is an uncredited game, c.1938, which was offered to customers by the firm Perry & Co [1].

The game is played on a 8x8 board, where one player has fourteen blue and seven white pieces, and the other player has fourteen red and seven white pieces. The white pieces are marked red or blue, to identify its owner.

The rules based on the text from Fred Horn (adjacency and movement are assumed either orthogonally or diagonally):

• On his turn, the player moves a friendly stone to an adjacent empty square
• When a player makes a red-white-blue pattern, he removes those three stones and scores one point (the white piece can be from either player)
  
• The game ends when it is no longer possible to make the pattern
• Wins the player with more points
  

This is a very interesting game. The ludeme of piece removal, after a pattern is made, is quite original as far as I can tell.

The color pattern comes from the flag of the Netherlands 🇳🇱.

[1] Fred Horn, Great Finds, AGPC Quarterly vol.17 [3], (2015).

Hinck

Hinck is a 1973 uncredited game, published by Interbero.

Each player has 40 pieces, which are initially placed in the players' first four rows, plus the four rightmost columns of the central row, leaving the 9x9 board's center empty.

Rules

• The first move (called a hinck) must go toward the free central square, in a horizontal direction.
• Each player, in her turn, selects a friendly piece and uses it to jump over an adjacent piece (of either color), landing on the next square, which must be empty. 
• The jumped piece is captured.
• Only orthogonal jumps are allowed (so, no diagonal jumps)
• A single capture takes precedence over a multiple capture, but once you begin a multiple capture you must complete it.
• When one player does not have more moves, the game ends. The player with less stones on board wins the game.

The single capture precedence is intriguing. Usually, a Checkers-like game making it optional the maximal-capture rule is bad design, because it prevents players to produce forced move sequences, which is one of the best things this family of games has. But here there's still a mandatory aspect to the ruling, which feels quite original.

Also, capturing your own stones is curious, but runs the risk of reducing player's interaction and making more of a race game. 

Realm

Realm is a 1973 game by Phil Orbanes Sr, and published in Gamut of Games and at nestorgames. 

It is played on a 12x12 board, where each army has 14 squares (the bases), nine triangles (the enforcers), and four circles (the powers). This is a game of capturing based on blocking pieces.

The rules are quite complex for an abstract game, and I will not write them here. Please check the rules written by nestorgames (which includes several variations).

The game was reviewed and explained in Abstract Games Magazine #9, and is playable at AbstractPlay.

Also, here's an older review from GAMES #47:

Kage

Kage is a 1986 game by Jay Myers, published by TSR. 

The game, played on a 8x8 board, comes with one red 'bird', one blue 'bird', and 48 white walls.

The rules:

• Initially, the birds are placed at d5 and e4
  
• Then, on his turn, a player can either:
• Move his bird to an orthogonal adjacent empty square (if there's no wall in-between)
• Drop a wall in-between squares, or at the board's edge
  
• Wins the player that encloses the adversary bird in a connect chain of walls (the cage), 
• Note that the edge itself is not a wall; if the cage includes the board edge, then those squares also need walls.
  
• The player wins even if his own bird gets enclosed at that same turn
• If after placing all walls, neither bird is enclosed, the game is a draw
  

Some tips from Chris Okasaki:

Be sure to pay attention to how your opponent can use the toothpicks you place against you. This is especially true in the endgame, where it is common to see one player place a toothpick intending to threaten the other pawn, and then the other player suddenly wins by placing a toothpick that encloses both pawns simultaneously.

An advanced tactic is to use your pawn to block your opponent from escaping your enclosure. It is dangerous, however, because to do so you must be close enough to risk being enclosed yourself.

Caesar's Game

Caesar's Game is a 1984 game by Malcolm Goldsmith and Michael Kindred, published at Waddingtons.

Each player has four columns and six coins. This is the initial setup:

Notice that coins are placed in the small square intersections between the large circles.

Rules:

• On his turn, the player either moves one of his columns or one of his coins
• A column at the board's edge can move to an adjacent empty circle of its color
• Inside the board, columns jump over adjacent coins, landing in the immediate next circle, that must be empty; jumps can be multiple
• Coins can move to diagonally adjacent intersections, that must be empty
• Coins can also trap enemy columns by custodian capture; a trapped column is then placed at an empty circle (of its color) at the board's edge 
• A column can pass through a 'trapped' circle (i.e., between two enemy coins) but cannot end its movement there
  
• Wins the player that makes a square formation with his four columns, no column can be at the board's edge

The original rules:

thanks to Steve G for sending me the rules

The Game is Nirtz

The Game is Nirtz is a 1961 uncredited game, published by Ideal.

The game is played on a 8x8 board,

 

and each player has 10 pieces, marked 1 to 5 (each player has two of each).

This is a 7 in-a-row game (!) where pieces are not placed but moved. The number label determines the piece's moving range.

Here are the official rules: 

Besides the seven in-a-row requirement, the row must be orthogonal to the piece's initial setup (so, no diagonals also). The designer must have felt that leaving the direction to be decided would make the goal too easy to achieve. On first glance, it does not seem so, since making a seven in-a-row, especially on such a small board, is usually very hard if not impossible. 

However, the winning pattern can use the opponent's pieces, which is a quite original take on this genre. Also, the largest pieces are very flexible, since they can zig-zag while moving.

Caesars

Caesars is a 1980s uncredited game, published by Idéal Loisirs.

The game is played on a 4x4 board, where each player has a different set of eight Othello-like pieces.

The rules:

• The board starts empty
• On the first turn, the first player drops a friendly piece with either side facing up
• On their remaining turns, each player:
  
• Moves and flips one of their opponent's pieces (if no movement is possible, pass this step)
  
• Then drops one friendly piece on an empty square, with either side facing up
• Wins the player that makes a 3 in-a-row (orthogonally or diagonally) with friendly pieces with the same side, provided the adversary cannot break this line on their next move
  

When the board starts getting full, players will have less and less leverage to change the adversary position. On the other side, less pieces will get flipped, which might be bad for either player.

In the next position, Black to move. One possible option is to move white's d3-d4 and flip (in the corner, the piece is quite harmless) and place a piece at b1 with the 'ball' side. That means that if the adversary moves either b1 or c1, he can reply with a 3 in-a-row:

Here's a game description at Jeux et Stratègie #43:

Dobývání Hradu

Dobývání Hradu, Czech meaning “The Conquest of the Castle”, is a 1984 uncredited game, published by Tofa (a Czechoslovakian game publisher).

[Rules translated from here] Both players begin by building the fortifications of their castle, placing keeps, towers, and walls. Then each positions their soldier-pawns on their own fortifications to defend themselves and prepare to attack the neighboring castle! A medieval battle is about to take place.

EQUIPMENT

• A square board of 381 squares (19×19)
• Construction pieces for the castle fortifications (walls, towers, and keeps)
• 16 soldier-pawns: 8 black and 8 white

The board is empty, and each player builds the fortifications of their castle by placing the keeps on the red squares, the towers on the grey squares, and the walls on the yellow squares.

OBJECTIVE OF THE GAME
To win, players try to occupy the central square of the opponent’s castle (marked by a black circle). As soon as a player reaches this square, they win the game and it ends immediately.

PLACEMENT OF SOLDIERS
Once the fortifications are built, the players alternately place their eight soldier-pawns on the walls, wherever they choose. A random draw determines who begins.

MOVEMENT AND CAPTURES
Players take turns moving one of their soldiers. A soldier may move forward, backward, left, or right, but never diagonally. A soldier can move any number of squares, but the path must be clear and fortifications are obstacles to this kind of movement.

In addition, in a single turn, a soldier may:

• climb onto a wall,

• move along a wall, or

• climb down from a wall.

Each of these counts as one step of movement. For example, to access a wall, a soldier must first move to a square adjacent to it, then on the next turn climb onto it.

Soldiers may not stop on the central square of their own castle, though they may pass through it. All other squares inside castles and along walls are accessible to both players’ soldiers.

During a move, a soldier may capture an opponent by occupying their square. The captured soldier is permanently removed from the game. Captures are not mandatory.

the original rules in Czech

The automated translation of this second ruleset:

“The Conquest of the Castle” is a game for two players. Before starting, each player builds the fortifications of their castle on their half of the playing board. Wooden blocks are used to build the walls with battlements and towers.

The game begins after the drawing of lots for the color of the figures — the soldiers. After the draw, each player places their soldiers on the walls of their castle so that the initial setup is on top of the castle walls.

The aim of the game is to conquer the central square of the opponent’s castle.

The game begins with the first move by the player with the white soldiers. Both players then alternate turns, one move at a time. Players are required both to attack and to defend.

During their turn, soldiers move on the playing field, that is, outside the walls, between the castles, or along the walls, and may move forward, backward, to the right, or to the left by any number of squares. Diagonal movement is not allowed. Soldiers cannot move diagonally.

Movement of soldiers is limited by the fortifications. When climbing onto or descending from the walls, a soldier may only move one square. In other words, a soldier can only climb onto a wall from an adjacent square at its base. To step down from the walls, a soldier must first descend to the first square next to the wall. Gates are not considered as part of the walls; soldiers may pass through them without restriction.

No soldier may step onto or move across the central square of their own castle.

Soldiers who are captured are removed from the game. A capture occurs when a soldier occupies the square on which an enemy soldier is standing.

The conquest of a castle and the capture of its central square is the key to victory in this tactical game. To succeed, the player must skillfully coordinate the movements of their soldiers, because a clever strategy is always better than sheer force.

Wishing you many enjoyable moments with the game — The Manufacturer.