Mixtour

Overview

Mixtour is an abstract strategy game for 2 players designed by Dieter Stein. Players place and stack pieces on a board, trying to build towers at least 5 pieces high with their own color on top. The unique mechanic is that movement range is determined by the height of the target stack, not the moving stack. When a stack reaches height 5 or more, it scores for the player whose piece is on top.

Components

• 1 game board (hexagonal grid)
• Pieces in 2 colors (light and dark)

Setup

1. Place the empty board between players.
2. Each player takes their set of pieces.
3. White plays first.

Turn Structure

Players alternate turns. On your turn, do one of:

1. Place a new piece of your color on any empty space.
2. Move one or more pieces from a stack.

Actions

Placing a Piece

• Place one piece of your color on any empty space on the board.

Moving Pieces

• Choose a stack and take one or more pieces from the top.
• Move them in a straight line (orthogonal or diagonal) to land on another stack.
• The distance you move must equal the height of the destination stack before your pieces arrive.
• Example: To land on a 3-piece stack, you must move exactly 3 spaces.
• You take pieces from the top of the source stack and place them on top of the destination stack.

Scoring Stacks

• When a stack reaches height 5 or more, it is immediately removed from the board.
• The player whose piece is on top of the removed stack scores 1 point.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

The first player to reach a set number of points (typically 3) wins. Alternatively, play to a predetermined score.

Each time a stack of 5+ pieces is removed, the player on top scores 1 point.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Movement range is based on the target stack’s height, not the source.
• You cannot move to an empty space (height 0 means distance 0, which is impossible).
• A single piece on a space counts as height 1, so you must move exactly 1 space to land on it.
• The game has a 3-player variant called “Mixtour a trois” with modified rules.
• Pieces always come from the top of the source stack.

Player Reference

Turn: Place a piece on empty space OR Move pieces from one stack to another

Movement rule: Distance = height of destination stack

Scoring: Stack reaches 5+ height -> Remove from board -> Top player scores 1 point

Win: First to target score (typically 3 points)