List of abstract strategy games


An abstract strategy game is a board, card or other game where game play does not simulate a real world theme, and a player's decisions affect the outcome. Many abstract strategy games are also combinatorial, i.e. they provide perfect information, and do not rely on physical dexterity nor on random elements such as rolling dice or drawing cards or tiles. Some board games can also be played on pen and paper.

Chess and chess-like games

All-in-a-row games involve placing and/or moving pieces on a game board attempting to create a layout of n of your pieces in a straight line. Positional games involve only playing pieces, with no movement or captures afterwards. Many of these positional games can also be played as paper and pencil games, and these are marked †.
Blockade games primarily involve moving your pieces, following the game rules, so as to block your opponent from having any move they can make. In symmetric blockade games, both players have the same number of pieces with the same movement capabilities. In asymmetric blockade games, players have different numbers of pieces with different movement capabilities—usually one player having a single piece of greater movement range and the other player having multiple pieces of lesser movement capabilities.
A connection game is a type of abstract strategy game in which players attempt to complete a specific type of connection with their pieces. This could involve forming a path between two or more goals, completing a closed loop, or connecting all of one's pieces so they are adjacent to each other. Those marked † can also be played as paper and pencil games.
This category is in development, while we re-analyze the collection of games listed under "Other Games".

Capture games have as a central goal the idea of capturing all of the opponents pieces before they can capture yours. The rules for how a capture is accomplished vary greatly. A classic example of this category is checkers. The two most common forms of capture are jump and surrounds. We include here both "capture and remove from the board" games and "capture and convert to one of your pieces" games.
'This category is in development, while we re-analyze the collection of games listed under "Other Games".''

These games involve some aspect of counting, especially to determine the relative outcomes of various alternatives at points along the way. A classic example of this category are the various Mancala games.
'This category is in development, while we re-analyze the collection of games listed under "Other Games".

Positional games allow no captures, but require some arrangement of pieces that constitutes a "win". This is a broad category that includes, as sub-categories, both the "All-in-a-row" games and the "Blockade" games. We include here only the positional games that do not'' fit into those two categories.
'This category is in development, while we re-analyze the collection of games listed under "Other Games".

In "hunting" games, one player's pieces are "hunting" the other player's pieces, so that one player is trying to capture the second player's pieces, while the second player is trying to avoid captures, arranging their pieces to surround the hunters, to be protected from the hunters, etc. A classic example of this category is Fox and Geese. These games tend to have the hunter playing a "capture" game while the prey is playing a "positional" game.
These games include hidden information or set up, random elements or simultaneous movement.
Those marked † can also be played as paper and pencil games. This category is being reviewed, with some games being moved to other named categories. The review is complete through the C's.
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