Four On Top

Four on Top: In a Line
This is a 2-player stacking game inspired by classic connect-four style gameplay

Play Time: 10–15 minutes

Objective

Be the first player to create a visible line of four of your discs — horizontally, vertically, or diagonally.

Note:  Only the top disc of each stack counts.

Components

• 4×4 board
• 24 discs:
  • 8 discs (Player 1)
  • 8 discs (Player 2)
  • 8 white/neutral discs

Setup

1. Place 2 white/neutral discs stacked together in each corner of the board.
2. Each player takes 8 discs of one colour (eg. blue or orange).

3. Decide who goes first.

    

   

Taking a Turn

On your turn, complete all three steps in order:

1. Place a Disc

• Place one of your discs on top of any non-empty space (ie. onto a stack of 1 or more discs).
• You may not place a disc on an empty space.

2. Pick up the entire stack

• Pick up the entire stack you just added your disc to.

3. Move and drop

• Move the stack one space at a time:
  • Up, down, left, or right (no diagonals)
• Starting from the adjacent space, drop one disc per space
• Discs are dropped from the bottom of the stack first

• Continue until all discs have been placed

   

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In the above move, Player 1 placed their blue disc on bottom left stack (2 white discs), then moved right (dropping bottom white disc in place), then up (dropping second white disc in place), and up again (dropping blue disc in place).

Movement rules

• You may change direction as you move (left, right, up, down, not diagonally)
• You may not immediately move back to the space you just left
• You must stay on the board

Winning the Game

• You win immediately if four of your discs form a straight line on top of stacks.
• Vertical stacks do not count.
• If both players complete a line on the same move, the game is a draw.

End of the Game

• If all player discs have been used and no one has won, the game ends in a draw.