Coffee is played on an initially empty 5×5 board. Players take turn to place a , trying to be the first to make 4 in a row (in any direction, including diagonals).
On her turn a player selects a neutral on the board to make into her own . Any other are removed. Next the player must choose whether to place new neutral on all free squares , , or from the chosen unit. These new neutral units will then serve as placement options for the opponent! You cannot select a direction that doesn't yield any .
On the very first turn of the game there are no , so Player 1 gets to place a in any location.
In this game Player 1 first placed b2 and chose . Player 2 then chose d4 and .
Now Player 1 gets to pick between a4, b4, c4 or e4.
There are two endgame conditions:
madeline: If after
placing a
you have 4 in a row in any direction you immediately win.
starvation: If
your opponent cannot place a unit and then give you valid options, you
also win.