Alfred's Wyke

Published in Games Magazine in September 2008, Alfred's Wyke is a two player game where one plays the Builder, the other the Destroyer. Square tiles are place in 2×2 plots that are arranged on a 4×4 grid (except for one pair of opposite corners that start with just 3 tiles). The Builder tries to build up two-story "houses" (2×2×2), while the Destroyer tries completely demolish buildings in order to create empty plots (2×2×0). On each turn, the players select from a menu of five tile placement/removal options:

• 1-1-1-1-1 (one at each of five different plots) Note: If and only if each player has claimed six plots, meaning only four plots remain unclaimed, this option becomes 1-1-1-1.
• 2-1-1 (two at one plot; one at each of two others)
• 2-2 (two at each of two plots)
• 3-1 (three at one plot; one at another)
• 4 (four at one plot)

However, after each player has taken one turn, only three are available on any turn, because a player cannot pick a set that has been selected in the previous two turns. Once a plot is completely built or torn down, it is claimed by a player. The first player to claim one of the following wins the game:

• four plots in a row (orthogonally or diagonally)
• four plots in a 2×2 square
• four more plots than his opponent
• a total of seven plots