Toru, Part 1: A Game from the Basics

I’ve been poking around into mechanics recently, and starting playing around with the idea of a very basic game. I don’t mean “basic” in terms of easy, or boring, but rather a game made from the basic building blocks of board games: a grid, and some pieces. I’ve given myself some limitations:

1. the game requires the use of common game pieces. Most likely a checkers set
2. the game should be two-player, but strive for indeterminate mechanics
3. the game should be easy to learn
4. and because I’m here in New Zealand right now, the game should incorporate Māori terms or principles

I’ve already got a couple of pages of notes, but I’ve also discovered that I don’t have a checkers set here in NZ. Durrrr.