Continuing with my project to create a list of great games you can play for free, this post features a clever little thinking game called Sprouts. The great thing about Sprouts is that you need only a pen and some paper to play.
Sprouts
Number of players: 2
Playing time: 5 minutes
You will need:
- Pen and paper
Before the game begins, a few (between 3 and 9 is best) spots are drawn onto the paper.
Players take in turns to draw a line between two spots, or from one spot to itself. After each line has been drawn, that player must then draw a new spot at a point along the line they have just drawn.
- Lines drawn cannot cross itself or any other line.
- Spots cannot be attached to more than three lines. A spot that has a line going from itself to itself counts as being attached to two lines. A new spot that is drawn at a point along a line also counts as being attached to two lines.
The player who is able to make the last move wins.
An example of play can be seen in the image below. Here, the red spot is the new spot drawn on each turn. After four turns, the only two spots that are attached to less than three lines cannot be connected to each other. In this game, the person who made the fourth move is the winner.
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