AKARA

AKARA is an abstract pure-strategy game of transforming elemental pieces for 2-4 players. Players begin the game with one Aether and an army of Particle (pawn) pieces positioned opposite each other on a hexagonal board. After moving one of their pieces on the board, players may transform any one of their pieces into a different piece type. This results in an evolving board state that players must constantly anticipate and react to. Particles can transform into any of the four elements: Water, Earth, Fire, or Air. Elemental pieces can transform back into a Particle or to a different element, though they may not transform to their opposite element. The Aether piece cannot transform and other pieces may not transform into an Aether. If a player's piece lands in the same space as an opponent's piece, the opponent's piece is destroyed and permanently removed from the board (in its current form). There are two ways to win AKARA: either be the first player to maneuver your Aether to the center of the board OR be the last player with your Aether still standing! —description from the designer