GeonAxis Rules

TL;DR: It's basically altruistic multiplayer go with the ability to gamble* if you want. Use your pieces to capture(circle) free space on the board,
More circled space = Good.
Note: GeonAxis is only cooperative and altruistic if you want! By all means if you can take on everyone without cooperating to win more money* then that's up to you.

More Details:

GeonAxis is an encircling game similar to Go. Go rules apply regarding liberties and capturing pieces etc (watch a how to play go video on YouTube, here's one:)

The Game Pot:

There is a game pot or ‘kitty’ similar to poker that is up for grabs, each player puts 10 Geon Credits into the pot at the start of play and holds 10 more Geon Credits to use during the game.

Game Play:

It is round based, rather than turn based with all players placing one piece each on the Game Board Tile (within the face of the hexagons rather than on the intersecting lines, so it's different to Go in this respect). Pieces are placed at the same time within a set period of time. You may place a piece anywhere on the board so long as there is a free space next to the piece (or the unit aka a group of same coloured pieces that are all connected --- just like in go). If you dont move within the set round time you lose that turn. Each player has the ability to pause the game up to a maximum amount of time decided upon by all players at the start of the game (default is five minutes, for toilet breaks etc).

(First in best dressed will solve most disputes, for more serious disputes all players who don't move somewhere else within the turn time period lose their turn and can't play in the disputed space next round either.)

Each player has one Game Board Tile that they may play as their turn (instead of playing a coloured piece) connecting to another Game Board Tile (within the black line guides on the table) to extend the play area of the game. It is not compulsory to play a Game Board Tile.

Co-operative Play and challengers:

If two or more players completely encircle an area of free space they may enter into a security agreement to protect the area. Deciding on an amount that each player is to wager using Geon Credits they mark the area using a security token and place the Geon Credits (yellow hexagon cards) together face down (hidden) on the side of the table with the public number value (green card) face up and a copy of the security token placed on top of the cards as to indicate which area of the board that pile of cards represents.

If a player (any player --- including players from the security agreement in question) wants to play in the protected area they have to challenge by wagering more than the number of Geon Credits (yellow hexagon cards) than are in the pile.

An element of bluffing is involved because each player doesn't have to be honest and can secretly put less or no Geon Credits in the pile, (instead placing joker cards which are worthless into the pile). A player may also put more than the agreed number of Geon Credits in the pile too. So the true number of Geon Credits in the security fund is unknown.

Once challenged the security fund is revealed and compared to the challenge fund.

If the challenger is successful and has paid more than the secret amount of the security fund then the security fund goes to the challenger, the same amount from the challenge fund is returned to the challenger with only the excess (from the challenge fund) being paid to the game pot.

If the challenger is unsuccessful (wagering less than the security fund) the challenger’s fund is paid evenly between the security fund’s players with any unequal division/remainder paid into the game pot.

If the challenger is unsuccessful and the security fund was higher than the public number card (that is, there are more hexagons in the security pile than the number displayed on the green face up card) then the excess (the number of hexagon cards above the number on the green card) is paid into the game pot (from the security fund). The remainder of the security fund is divided equally between the security fund players (despite the amount that each player paid separately) and the challenger’s fund is paid evenly between the security fund’s players as above.

After an unsuccessful challenge, the security fund may be renegotiated creating a new agreement with new numbers (or the same numbers it’s up to the players). The players may also cancel the agreement altogether if they wish.

After a successful challenge, the challenger may play inside the disputed territory but does not have to play there.

Round timers are paused during a challenge.

Winning:

The game ends when all players pass in the same round signaling the fact that they cannot gain any advantage by moving. Their points are added by counting their captured pieces (see go rules on scoring, it’s the same) plus their free spaces they encircled on the board. Shared free spaces are divided equally.

Count all points from all players and work out each player's percentage of the whole (the number of total points will vary because the amount of circled territory will always be different).
Using your percentage you then claim the same percentage of Geon Credits from the Game Pot (with the winner rounding up to claim an extra card where possible moving down to the player with the least points). The winner gets the advantage from rounding errors when counting the final score.

The player with the highest number of Geon Credits won from security cooperatives and challenges during the game plus the share of Game Pot Credits from territory and captures will be the winner.

Whether the Geon Credits represent how many votes you have on a certain issue (weighting democratic votes in favour of logical problem solving ability and cooperation skills) or a share in the "buy-in --- poker style pay to play kitty"* is up to the players before commencement of the game.

Philosophy:

GeonAxis was invented because there was a lack of cooperative games which reward altruistic behaviour, GeonAxis teaches altruism by protecting common assets. In game theory this is similar to the 'tragedy of the commons' game, with a loose representation of the 'prisoners' dilemma' in the wagering mechanics of the security funds and challenges.

A variation of the game can be played where money (or other) can be raised for a common good, utilising a third pot, the house pot. Where rounding errors and spare cards from security challenges are paid into the house pot.. (this could be something as noble as raising money for research or as humble as playing for the common good of a house beer or house tea fund.) In this variation at the beginning of the game you may buy moves --- 1 move per Geon Credit would go into the house pot for a maximum of 10 moves (with the idea that altruistic donations to the cause are advantageous in the form of extra moves, especially if you buy more moves than the other players).

*Disclaimer: Don’t gamble.