The Canonical List of Free Print-and-Play Games A-D
Donald Seagraves
United States
Copperas Cove
Texas
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The 'list' is a work in progress -- it is my goal that every single game that is freely available on the internet will be listed here. A lofty goal, to be sure, but a noble one....
Since there are literally hundreds of free games available on the internet, I've decided to break the list into alphabetical chunks.
The format I'm using is pretty simple -- name, designer, publisher, status (free, shareware, demo, etc.), a short summary, and the website where it is available.
All summaries are either taken directly from the designer's/publisher's website, from the rules, or from the BGG entry. Any references to 'me' or 'I' refer to the designer, not yours truly...
Feel free to add to the list, but please only add games that have been released to the public by their designer or publisher -- don't add games that could be made for free using details and rules found on the internet but are actually commercially-published games. Also, please don't add public domain games such as chess, backgammon, poker, etc -- this would make the list unwieldy, to say the least.
Also, if you have played any of these games, please leave your comments.
A version of this list is also available at:
http://www.runestoneit.com/~dseagraves/canonical_list.html
http://www.runestoneit.com/~dseagraves/list_a.html
http://www.runestoneit.com/~dseagraves/list_b.html
http://www.runestoneit.com/~dseagraves/list_c.html
http://www.runestoneit.com/~dseagraves/list_d.html
Links to the other Canonical Lists of Free Print-and-Play Games:
0-9: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/geeklist.php3?action=view&listi...
E-H: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/geeklist.php3?action=view&listi...
I-L: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/geeklist.php3?action=view&listi...
M-P: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/geeklist.php3?action=view&listi...
Q-T: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/geeklist.php3?action=view&listi...
U-Z: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/geeklist.php3?action=view&listi...
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101.
Board Game: Chicago
[Average Rating:5.50 Unranked]
Donald Seagraves
United States
Copperas Cove
Texas
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Chicago
Designer: Ted Torgerson
Free
Chicago is an auction game based on a poem by Carl Sandburg. It takes place from 1871 until about 1910, an exciting time of change when America was transformed from an agrarian to an industrial economy. You and your fellow players have come to seek fortune and glory in rebuilding Chicago. You will strive to become giants of industry and commerce. You will help settle immigrants who will work for your businesses. You will use your profits to engage in philanthropy to create cultural landmarks in a contest to see who will become the grandest person in Chicago.
Rules and printable components can be downloaded from the game's BGG entry.
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Scott Davenport
United States
Dickson City
Pennsylvania
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http://www.boardgamegeek.com/filepage/38762
Battleship: Search & Destroy. A print & play game that combines the original Battleship with Battleship Express. Search for the enemy using Battleship rules but destroy them with Battleship Express.
My first Print & Play game so Feedback is welcome.
Scott D.
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Donald Seagraves
United States
Copperas Cove
Texas
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Accelerator
Designer: Jonathan Leistiko
Publisher: Invisible City Productions
Free
A runaway maze game for two to four subatomic particles.
Using deflector chits, energy tokens, and a six-sided die, each player attempts to guide their pawn through the board gathering electrons and depositing them in his collector. The first player to have three electrons in his collector wins -- not so easy, since the deflector chits can be changed by any player....
http://www.invisible-city.com/play/53/accelerator
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Donald Seagraves
United States
Copperas Cove
Texas
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Cthulbeque
Designer: Jonathan Leistiko
Publisher: Invisible City Productions
Free
Those Iron Chef guys were wimps. Their ingredients never fought back, and only the giant squid had a chance of driving them insane. But you’re not wimps. Oh no. You’re up to the challenge of non-euclidean food preparation for 2 to 5 chefs.
http://www.invisible-city.com/play/42/cthulbeque
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Donald Seagraves
United States
Copperas Cove
Texas
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Dungeon
Designer: Daniel Bullen
Publisher: Invisible City Productions
Free
A dungeon-crawling card game for 2 to 4 players
Captured and incarcerated, your only goal is to escape the underground prison you find yourself in. As you search for the hidden route to freedom, you must overcome the underworld's hostile inhabitants and dangerously unstable passages.
Object: To escape from your underground prison, or be the last one alive.
You Need: At least one standard deck of playing cards with Jokers. A single deck will suffice for a 3 player game, but such a game will be extended and bloody! Two decks can be combined for 3 or more players, allowing a quicker and easier multiplayer game.
You and your opponent(s) take turns playing cards from your hand, trying to escape the dungeon while making it hard for the other players to escape. There are three basic card types in Dungeon:
1. Passages (the value cards, 2 through 10) represent the tunnels, passages, and rooms you must navigate to escape.
2. Creatures (the picture cards, Jack, Queen & King) represent creatures of the underworld.
3. Aces represent your finely honed adventuring skills.
If you escape the Dungeon or all of your opponents are dead, then you win!
http://www.invisible-city.com/games/dungeon.htm
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106.
Board Game: Congo
[Average Rating:5.38 Unranked]
Donald Seagraves
United States
Copperas Cove
Texas
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Congo
Designer: Demian Freeling
Publisher: MindSports
Free
The scenery is Africa. The Lion is king, confined to a 3x3 area as in XiangQi. There is this river as in XiangQi (well, almost...). There are pieces: he had set out to make a set of 8-square leapers, pieces able to jump to 8 target squares, without being hindered by intervening pieces. So here's a Zebra who, by any other name, is still a knight. There's a Giraffe, a kind of 'square knight', able to jump to the second square in 8 directions. There are two Elephants. They unconditionally cover the first and second square rookwise, that is: they jump to the second square without being hindered by intervening pieces. Then there's the Crocodile, the only non-jumper, using the king's move. Finally a real surprise: the Monkey, moving as a king, but capturing as an 8-directional draughtsman!
There are pawns too. Demian didn't know anything about Shogi at the time, but his Pawn and Superpawn (the promoted version) look a lot like Shogi's silver and gold. The pawn moves and captures straight and diagonally forward, which struck me as very logical. Once across the river, it has the right to retreat one or two squares straight backward, without the right of capture. Promoted, it adds the sideways squares for movement and capture, and the unconditional right to retreat one or two squares, either straight or diagonally. These are exeptionally strong pawns!
More surprises came: the object of the game, Demian insisted, was to capture the opponent's Lion. Consequently, Lions may move into check: if they do, they are simply captured and the game is over. Stalemate does not exist.
There is one exception to a Lion's confinement: it may capture the other Lion if it faces it along a file or diagonal, with no piece in between!
http://www.mindsports.net/Arena/Congo/
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Donald Seagraves
United States
Copperas Cove
Texas
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Chaos Chess
Designer:Allan Whincup
Publisher: Hammerdog Games
Demoware
Need a break from the straight-and-unbreakable rules of standard chess? Keep getting thumped by that chess-computer-for-a-brain guy you used to call your friend? Try taking him/it on in Chaos Chess, a set of 80 cards that bring the old classic to new levels of excitement. Each card breaks at least one fundamental rule of chess, creating a game that is ever changing - even chaotic. But don't be fooled! The cards are fickle, and when they ultimately fail you, you will need to call upon all your chess knowledge and strategy in order to come out the victor. Unique art on each card!
Download a FREE Beta version & Let the Chaos Begin!
http://www.hammerdog.com/Intro%20Chaos%20Chess.htm
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Donald Seagraves
United States
Copperas Cove
Texas
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Army of Darkness
Designers: Barry Nakazono, David McKenzie
Publisher: Leading Edge Games
Free
The Army of Darkness board game was put out in 1992 by a company called Leading Edge (now out of business), a company who made board games based movies. The game represents the battle at Arthur's castle at the end of the movie. The game board is composed of 15 3/3 inch squares and 4 6/3 inch wall squares within a square sized castle. All thin white and red outlines printed on a picture of the Deadites from the movie. You have key squares like the tower (where the book goes), the pit (if this opens Deadites start to appear in the pit), the wall squares (This is where Deadites usually appear), and the gate (eventually the Deadites break through the gate and appear hear). This game can be played with 1 to 8 players. Mostly we play with four players against the game. There are seven mortal characters and the Death Mobile.
http://www.deadites.net/aodboard.php
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Michael B.
Canada
Stratford
Ontario
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Designer: Donald Acker
Quick fighting game between two Samurai. Print out the wallet sized card and the rules and off you go. Use dimes for your Samurai and pennies for your hits.
If you have LCR dice kicking around, they'd come in handy for this game.
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Donald Seagraves
United States
Copperas Cove
Texas
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Asteroids
Designer: Shaun Austin
Free
From the BGG entry:
Solo Table top game based on the Arcade Classic.
You control a space turret to destroy incoming Asteroids. However as you destroy the larger asteroids they break up into smaller ones, increasing the number of targets on the board.
Although a one player game, it can be adapted for two players.
All items needed to play are available for download:
* Complete Rules Set
* Game Markers and Dice
* Asteroids
* Turret Model
http://www.geocities.com/shaungamer88/asteroids.html
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Donald Seagraves
United States
Copperas Cove
Texas
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Bleeding Sherwood
Designer: James Ernest
Publisher: Cheapass Games
Orderware
Shooting ducks in a barrel has nothing on this.
Welcome to Sherwood Forest, where the Poor are getting richer. A lunatic named Robin Hood has taken it upon himself to burgle the rich nobles of Merrie Olde England and redistribute their ill-gotten wealth to those who deserve it even less, the ubiquitous Poor.
You and your friends, a small band of wandering merchants, have taken it upon yourselves to relieve these simple peasants of their newfound wealth, with such desirable medieval amenities as fyne arte, olde milke, and tropical fyshes.
Why? Because these country folk have more easy cash than they know what to do with, especially with Robin Hood prancing through town every week. Why, if it weren’t for you, they might not even manage to stay Poor.
This game is 'orderware.' If you like it, we won’t ask you to pay for it. Instead, show us how you enjoyed it by placing an order of $10 or more at our double-secret Web site, http://www.cheapass.com.
http://www.cheapass.com/free/games/bleedingsherwood.html
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112.
Board Game: Catnap
[Average Rating:5.10 Unranked]
Donald Seagraves
United States
Copperas Cove
Texas
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Catnap!
Designer: Ken Maher
Publisher: KenMGames
Free
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/13888
Cats, either you love 'em or you hate 'em. Whatever the case, you'll find something to like in this game. It's a lazy, crazy race around the house to end up right back where you started ... doing nothing! Napping, eating, scratching, and staring at things ... this game has it all. Oh yeah, did I mention the evil twins who are out to humiliate and torture you? The game includes the board , all the cards, rules and tokens you need to get started! As an added bonus, there are some game variations included to really get the fur flying!
http://members.shaw.ca/kenmgames/games/catnap/catnap.html
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113.
Board Game: Antagon
[Average Rating:5.00 Unranked]
Donald Seagraves
United States
Copperas Cove
Texas
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Antagon
Designer: Angelo Zucca
Publisher: Kidultgame
Free
Antagon is a game for two players where some luck is needed along with the ability to make strategic choices that will influence greatly the course of the game.
The players will be in command of two columns of ants against each other with the aim to transport to safety the eggs deposited in the nest: a confrontation, a direct challenge involving one to three groups of ants. They must fight for the transported eggs with each other, trying to take as many eggs as possible. Beware of the unexpected: the greedy anteater could pop up at any moment and eat the ants front alignment. The subtle termite could steal the eggs and bring them directly to the opponent, or destroy a group of ants, maybe the strongest. Do not fear, there are always new grubs that are growing in the nest guaranteeing a constant renewal of troops for the marching column.
http://www.kidultgame.com/en/printandplay/Antagon_ingl.htm
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Donald Seagraves
United States
Copperas Cove
Texas
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Assembly Line
Designer: Stephen Glenn
Publisher: Boardgames.About.com
Free
Players each control 9 workers on an assembly line. As the products roll by, players will get a chance to score at certain points in the game, based on what product they're working on at that moment.
You need:
* 18 Poker Chips (9 of two different player colors)
* 18 Product Tokens (6 each of three different product colors)
* Two Hands (one per player)
* A bag
* Paper (for scoring)
http://boardgames.about.com/library/games/on/bl-simul-assemb...
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Donald Seagraves
United States
Copperas Cove
Texas
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Axis of Evil – 2007
Designer: Brandon Gajda
Free
September 2001: The world was faced with the horrors of global terrorism by the destruction of the World Trade Center buildings and sever damage to the Pentagon by the evil terrorist organization known as al-Qaeda. Osama bin Laden, the spiritual head and leader of al-Qaeda, had declared war on America. President George W. Bush quickly responds by galvanizing world support in destroying al-Qaeda and other terrorist organizations around the world.
Time passes... enemies are made... alliances are formed... events unfold...
December 2007: al-Qaeda terrorists sneak an Iranian-made nuclear bomb across the Mexican border into Baltimore, Maryland where US forces are gathering to deploy overseas. On December 7th, the detonation destroys the port and much of the city causing over 60,000 deaths. The US is shocked by the attack on its own borders. The US rallies its populace and declares war on the International Islamic Alliance who is harboring Osama bin Laden who has claimed responsibility for the attack. Europe unites with the US. Russia and China publicly declare there secret alliances with the Islamic International Alliance and are determined to bring the world under a new world order.
So it begins...World War III. Who will ultimately become the great superpowers of the world? Will Europe and America prevail again or will they be consumed by the new Axis of Evil?
http://axisandallies.metalsaber.com/AxisMain.htm
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Pedro Barradas
Australia
Brisbane
QLD
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New kid on the block. My first attempt at creating a game that can attract different types of players. Give it a go, tell me how it went!
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118.
Board Game: Bones
[Average Rating:4.98 Unranked]
Donald Seagraves
United States
Copperas Cove
Texas
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Bones
Designer: Joshua Howard
Publisher: BoneGames
Free
Bones is a two player strategy game in which each player tries to be the first to get 5 squares of the their color in a row. It may seem similar to other games, but Bones has a unique aspect that makes game play very different from what you might expect! Can you deal with the overlapping of pieces better then your opponent?
Bones is very simple to learn, but like the best of the abstract games, is deviously complex in its possible strategy.
http://www.bonegames.com/games/bones.html
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119.
Board Game: Antipod
[Average Rating:4.75 Unranked]
Donald Seagraves
United States
Copperas Cove
Texas
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Antipod
Designer: Cameron Browne
Free
Antipod is a connection game with unequal goals played on the two halves of a sphere.
Antipod is played on two equally sized hex hex boards, typically with six cells per side. The board is set up with a black piece in the center of each half, forming Black’s antipodal goals, and white pieces placed at the six corners of each board, forming White’s handicap pieces.
Black wins by forming a chain of black pieces between the antipodal goals of each board half. White wins by preventing a Black win. This amounts to completing a cycle of white pieces around at least one of Black’s antipodal goals. Exactly one player must win.
http://members.optusnet.com.au/cameronb/games/antipod/antipo...
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Donald Seagraves
United States
Copperas Cove
Texas
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Black Cat
Designers: Natosha Ellis, Benjamin Gibbs, Jonathan Leistiko
Publisher: Invisible City Productions
Free
A simultaneous, real time, high speed card game for two to four players.
Object: To build kitty piles consisting of adjacent pairs of cards that add to 10. There are other card sequences that also score points.
You Need: A Poker deck.
You start play with two empty kitty piles in front of you. You may take a card from the deck and put it in one of your your kitty piles. You may only take one card at a time.
The object of the game is to build kitty piles that have specific cards and card sequences in them. It's important to note that you can not rearrange the cards in your kitty pile during play or at the end of the game. That's why you need to pay attention the the cards you grab while you're playing. You're trying to build kitty piles with the following features:
* Card pairs adjacent to each other that add to ten. A pair that adds to 10 is called a Tomcat. (worth three points)
* Tens. A ten is called a Yowler. (worth one point)
* One or more face cards of the same type sandwiched between two other cards of the same type. Each face card in a sequence like this is called a Jellical Cat. (worth two points)
* An unbroken chain of black cards that adds to thirteen. This is called a Black Cat. (worth six points)
The game ends when the deck runs out of cards or (if the game stalls) when someone yells, 'Black cat, black cat, crossin' my path. Don't look back or you'll get scratched!'
The player with the highest point total wins.
http://www.invisible-city.com/games/blackcat.htm
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Donald Seagraves
United States
Copperas Cove
Texas
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Breakfast at daVinci’s
Designer: Silvano Sorrentino
Publisher: daVinci Games
Free
Breakfast at daVinci's is a quick game requiring some observation skills, for 2 or more players. Each card of the deck depicts a unique combination of ingredients and special symbols. Players are called to identify, after three cards have been placed face up on the table, how many complete breakfasts can be put together. As you may know, a "complete" breakfast is made up of milk, coffee, sugar and donuts: all you have to do is quickly count all the relevant symbols on the cards but careful! The waiter's hand cancel an ingredient, while the " 2" doubles it... can you still find out how many happy clients you will have? If yes, congratulations!, but in order to score you still have to be the fastest to do so! After 9 rounds the game ends, and whoever has scored the most points is the winner.
http://www.davincigames.com/page_eng.cfm?sez=03&gioco=badv
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Donald Seagraves
United States
Copperas Cove
Texas
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Battle Platform Antilles
Designer: Steve Zaccardi
Publisher: BattlePlay
Shareware
As humanity spread to nearby stars the remnants of an ancient civilization were discovered. In orbit around several star systems were space platforms left from some forgotten race. Initially these platforms were thought to be non-operational. Until ships in those systems disappeared, and their colonies were found flattened...
Earth now sends out squadrons of Assault Ships to seek out, and destroy the platforms. These " Paladin Class " assault ships are the most powerful and destructive weapons ever construced by humanity. Capable of FTL and " Blip " travel, and armed with twin high-powered fusion guns, they are the only hope of saving millions of innocent lives and ensuring the stars are safe for human colonization.
Crew-up your Paladin and set your jump vector for adventure! In this solitaire game an elite squadron of Paladin Class assault ships are under your command. Objective: Destroy an artifact battle platform while minimizing losses to your squadron. The automated platform will be firing deadly plasma bolts automatically and randomly. Avoid these while using your fusion guns to take out the platforms critical components before you are vaporized!
http://www.battleplay.com/subpages/antilles.html
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Michael B.
Canada
Stratford
Ontario
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Solo dicefest, recreating the old video game of the same name.
Fly through up to 36 sectors of space and face the enemies. You will either destroy them first, or they will damage your ship.
Can you rid space of all the bases before your ship sustains 100 points of damage?
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124.
Board Game: Bid
[Average Rating:4.64 Unranked]
Donald Seagraves
United States
Copperas Cove
Texas
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Bid
Publisher: Amherst Lodge Games
Free
Trivia meets with brinkmanship in this explosive new party game. Full of fun, tactics and nerves.
Everybody plays at once. One person reads out a category name and ten items within that category (this is all provided in the file). Some of the items genuinely fall within the category whilst others don't. You have to decide how many of the correct answers you think you can correctly identify and then bid. But here's the dilemma: If you bid too high, you risk getting it wrong but if you bid too low, you might well be outbid. You've got to combine your knowledge of trivia with a little guesswork and a lot of guts to win!
http://www.amherstlodge.com/dirtycheats/fbg/downloads/games/...
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125.
Board Game: Dominox
[Average Rating:4.62 Unranked]
Donald Seagraves
United States
Copperas Cove
Texas
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Dominox
Designer: Torben Mogensen
Publisher: Boardgames.About.com: 8x8 Game Design Competition
Free
An entry in the 2001 About.com 8x8 Game Design Competition.
Dominox is played on a standard Chess/Checkers board using a standard set of Domino tiles. Only tiles with 0 to 6 dots are used. One player is designated 'white' while the other is 'black.' The players take turn placing tiles on the board, starting with the player who is dealt the lowest numbered double-tile, who must place this a his first move.
Tiles are placed according to the following restrictions:
* A tile must be placed such that it spans two squares (i.e., one half of the tile is on a black square and the other half is on a white).
* No two tiles can share a square.
* If a tile is placed next to another tile, the number of dots on the touching tile-end(s) must match that of its (their) neighbour. If a tile-end is next to several other tile-ends, only one of these need to match.
When there are no undrawn tiles left and two passes in a row occur (i.e., both players pass), the game ends. At this point, the unfilled areas on the board are scored: Each connected unfilled area on the board counts to the colour that is in majority in that area. If there is the same number of black and white squares, no player gets points for the area.
The player with the most points wins.
http://boardgames.about.com/library/games/on/bl-8x8-dominox....
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Lerum
What a lot of work you put in to produce these geeklists!
RESPECT
Zaragoza
Zaragoza
http://gratis.labsk.net
Greenwood
South Carolina
Nothing to print except the rules, so maybe not technically print and play.
Las Vegas
Nevada
Reno
Nevada
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/1567