Help for the Game of Lambo

Welcome to the network Lambo server. The challenge command is described here. Other commands are the same as for all pbmserv games.

  lambo challenge [-size=number] [-adjacent|anywhere] userid1 userid2

starts a new game for two players.

The -size parameter specifies the number of tiles (default 48).
The -anywhere option specifies that the two tiles placed each turn need not be adjacent.

Introduction

Note: The game is much easier to see using the graphical web interface than the ASCII email version!

Rules

Two players, Light and Dark, share a common pool of 48 hexagonal bridge tiles. Each tile contains a white bridge and a blue bridge, and may be oriented in three ways such that the corner colours are the same for each rotation.

         .--oo          .--oo          .--oo
        o   oo\        /    oo        / ooo \
       ooo  oo )      oooo    )      oooo    )
        o   oo/        \ ooo /        \    oo
         `--oo          `--oo          `--oo

Start: The game starts with a single tile in the middle of the playing area.

Play: Light places a single tile adjacent to the starting tile such that edge colours match, then players take turns placing two tiles per turn adjacent to at least one existing tile such that edge colours match. The two tiles played each turn must themselves be adjacent (unless the -anywhere option is used).

Aim: The game is won by the player who forms a closed group of their colour containing at least one bridge. Only one tile need be played if that tile wins the game for either player.

For example, the following figure shows a game won by Dark (o) who has enclosed a 'o' group containing one bridge. The closed Light group in the lower left contains no bridges so doesn't count.

                    .--oo              
                   /    oo
              .--ooooo    `--oo          
             / ooo   ooo   ooo \
        .--ooooo    .  ooooo    `--oo        
       o   oo     oo    oo    oo   oo\
      ooo  oo .  ooooo    .  oooo  oo `--oo  
       o   oo     oo ooo o   ooo   oo     oo
        )  ooooo    .  oooo  oo .  ooooo    )      
       o   oo  ooo   ooo o   ooo   oo  ooo /
      ooo  oo .  ooooo    .  oooo  oo .--oo 
       o   oo  ooo      oo    oo   oo/
        `--ooooo    .--ooooo    .--oo  
             \    oo     \ ooo /
              `--oo       `--oo  

If a move forms winning groups for both players, then the mover loses. If the tiles run out before either player wins then the game is won by the player with the largest group (counting bridges) otherwise it is a draw.

Syntax

The move syntax is:

  lambo move board# userid password a1
  lambo move board# userid password a1,c12

History

Lambo tiles and rules by Cameron Browne and copyright (c) Cyberite Ltd, 2008.

The name Lambo is derived from the fact that the game is a sort of "Lite Mambo".

Please see the official Lambo page (now called Palago) for further details and examples: http://www.cameronius.com/games/palago/

Implementation and Help file by Cameron Browne, August 2008.