Veletas

About this board game

Veletas is a drawless territory game for two players, with a typical play time of 45 minutes. On a 10×10 checkered board, Black and White compete to claim a majority of seven neutral shooters.

Each player uses shooters to place stones of their own color. On a turn, a player may move a shooter in a straight orthogonal or diagonal line to an empty square, without jumping over stones. They must then shoot a stone onto an empty square aligned orthogonally or diagonally with the moved shooter, or with any shooter if none was moved.

The aim is not simply to occupy space. After each shot, any previously unclaimed shooter that has become trapped is claimed. The player with the largest orthogonally adjacent group of stones claims it; if there is no adjacent group or the largest groups are tied, the opponent claims the shooter instead.

• Board: 10×10 squares, initially empty
• Players: Black and White
• Components: seven shooters and black and white stones
• Winning condition: claim at least four shooters

Setup creates an unusual opening: the first player places three shooters and one black stone, while the second player chooses the colors and places the remaining four shooters and one white stone. Once play begins, Black takes the first regular turn. Claimed shooters remain fixed, while other shooters can move and shoot over both claimed and unclaimed shooters.

Veletas rewards careful placement, group-building, and timing. The game won, along with Four, the BoardGameGeek Best Combinatorial 2-Player Game of 2013 Award. Smaller versions on 7×7 and 9×9 boards are also suggested for shorter games.