Description

IGBÓ is an abstract strategy board game that teaches sustainable thinking. IGBÓ translates to 'forest' in Yoruba.

To begin, each player gets 36 "seeds" and 4 "desert" pieces. The game starts by flipping the IGBÓ piece. If IGBÓ lands face-up then the youngest player starts. The IGBÓ piece can be used as a neutral seed by both players, but neither player can stack on top of it.

Next, players now take turns to place pieces on the board. Desert pieces prevent growth and can be used defensively/offensively during the game. The seed pieces are used to form IGBÓs.

An IGBÓ is formed in the following ways:

Plant 5 seeds in a row, the center seed becomes the IGBÓ trunk AND/OR:
Plant two intersecting rows of 3 seeds, the center seed becomes the IGBÓ trunk.

Methods of scoring a single IGBO:

The center of each shape gains another seed and becomes the stacked trunk of the IGBÓ. Once an IGBÓ is stacked and formed, the other seeds in the formation are turned over to signify that they have become roots. Players add more symmetric root branches to their IGBÓ to take it to be a Double, Triple and Quadruple IGBÓ.

The scoring is simple and works as follows:

Single IGBÓ gives you 2 points
Double IGBÓ gives you 4 points
Triple IGBÓ gives you 8 points
Quadruple IGBÓ gives you 16 points

Another strategic element is the wind. Seeds that are not "rooted" can be blown in the wind and travel a maximum of 5 spaces on the board moving horizontally and vertically. This can be used to disguise your strategy to your opponent. On your turn, you may either plant a new seed or move two existing seeds.