Tiger and buffaloes

Setup

Rules

• Players alternate their turns throughout the game.
• The first stage of the game is the Drop phase. The Buffaloes move first. Four buffaloes are placed on any vacant points on the board. Then the Tiger player places one tiger on any vacant point. Then the Buffalo player places four more of its pieces on any vacant points. Then the Tiger player places another tiger piece onto any vacant point. Then the Buffalo player places its last three buffaloes on any vacant point. Lastly, the Tiger player places its last tiger onto any vacant point.
• The next stage is the Movement phase. The Buffaloes move first. Both tigers and buffaloes can move along a line onto a vacant adjacent point. There are only orthogonal lines on the board, and therefore all moves are orthogonal. However, the tiger instead can capture an adjacent buffalo. The tiger leaps over the adjacent buffalo, and lands on a vacant point immediately beyond. The leap must be in a straight line, and follow the pattern on the board. The captured buffalo is removed from the board. It is uncertain if multiple leaps and captures are allowed. It is also uncertain if captures are compulsory, but in all other hunt games, captures are never compulsory.
• The tigers win if they capture enough buffaloes such that the buffaloes can no longer effectively block their movements.
• The buffaloes win if they block the movements of the tigers.

  Khla si ko

Setup

Rules

• Players alternate their turns throughout the game.
• Cows have the first turn, and one cow may be place onto any vacant square on the board. All 12 cows will be entered on the board one cow in a turn before any of them can be moved on the board.
• The tigers on their turn may move orthogonally to a vacant adjacent square. Alternatively, a tiger may capture a cow if one is available for capture. The tiger must leap over an orthogonally adjacent cow, and land on an empty square immediately beyond. The leapt cow is captured, and removed from the board. A tiger may only move or capture exclusively in a turn, it cannot do both, and only one tiger may be used in a turn. Multiple captures in a turn are not allowed.
• As with the tigers, cows move only orthogonally one space onto a vacant adjacent square. However, cows are not allowed to capture or leap over any tigers or fellow cows. Only one cow may be moved in a turn.
• Tigers are not allowed to leap over or capture fellow tigers.
• If the tigers eat all the cows, the tigers wins. If the tigers block the movements of the cows preventing the cows from moving, then this is also deemed a win for the tigers.
• If the cows block the movements of the 4 tigers, then the cows win.

  Len cúa kín ngoa

Setup

Rules

• Players alternate their turns throughout the game.
• Oxen have the first turn, and one ox may be place onto any vacant square on the board. Captain James Low does not describe how the remaining 11 oxen are specifically entered on the board, but it might be assumed that all 12 oxen are entered on the board one ox per turn as in Khla si ko especially since only one ox was placed on the first turn suggesting that oxen are entered one per turn. In most hunt games only one piece may be dropped or moved in a turn. Low also does not describe when the oxen can move, but in Khla si ko, an ox may only move on the board after all 12 of them have been dropped.
• The nearest tiger to the first oxen dropped on the board is the first tiger to move, but Low does not describe how tigers can move, that is, whether or not they can move orthogonally or diagonally, and whether their movements are limited to an adjacent vacant square, or if they can move any number of unoccupied squares.
• Low describes that a tiger may capture an ox by the short leap if the ox is orthogonally adjacent to the tiger, and there is an empty square immediately beyond. Low explicitly rules out diagonal captures.
• Low does not describe if oxen move only orthogonally or diagonally, or whether they are limited to moving only to an adjacent vacant square, or whether they can move any number of unoccupied squares. Low does not rule out whether or not oxen can capture using the short leap, but since he doesn't describe it, it is unlikely. In most hunt games, the side with the greater number of pieces usually can not capture by the short leap.
• Low does describe that the tigers can be captured if they are hemmed in by the oxen. He writes "The tigers are taken and put off the board when hemmed in so that they cannot move, or they are taken then by the oxen moving diagonally. If only two tigers are left on the board the oxen are victors." This statement suggest that each tiger when hemmed in by the oxen is captured and removed from the board, thus allowing the tigers to be reduced to two delivering the victory for the oxen. Hemming in a single tiger or a group of tigers and capturing them is a form of custodian capture that's found in other games but is highly uncommon in hunt games. The phrase that tigers "are taken then by the oxen moving diagonally" is vague. If we assume that the oxen can only move orthogonally as in Khla si ko, then it appears strange or contradictory that they can move diagonally only when attempting to capture the tigers. But if that is not Low's intent, then perhaps he is suggesting that the oxen can only move diagonally and not orthogonally, and it's only now that he's taking the time to describe the exclusive diagonal movements of the oxen. Another possibility is that the oxen may move orthogonally or diagonally, but only hem in and capture the tigers when moving diagonally.

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