Introduction:Dendria (from the Greek: Dendron, meaning "tree", combined with the suffix -ria used in many geographical names) is a territorial game for two players: Light Brown and Dark Brown. It is played on the hexes (plots) of a hexagonal or modular board, initially empty, the latter composed of modules of 7 plots (one central and six around) that must connect to each other by at least two adjacent plots. The recommended size is 6 plots per side or 13 modules, but boards of 5 or 7 plots per side, or 7 to 19 modules, are also valid. Each player has access to a sufficient supply of pieces of their own color, divided into three categories: seeds, trees, and sprites. In the physical version, double-sided discs are used (front = seed, back = tree) and pawns to represent the sprites. Definitions: A group is a maximal set of connected pieces of the same color and category. A single piece is also a group. A group of seeds is a seedbed. A group of trees is a forest. A group of sprites is a host. A piece sees a plot when it is connected to it along an infinite straight line with no intervening pieces. A hungry seed is a seed that sees the edge or corner through empty plots or modular lagoons; otherwise, it is a nourished seed. A protected forest is a forest where all of its adjacent empty plots are seen by friendly sprites; if it has no adjacent empty plots, it is protected if it sees more friendly sprites than enemy sprites. The power of a sprite is the distance, measured in empty or occupied plots, that separates it from the nearest edge or corner of the board. The leafiness of a forest is the number of trees it contains according to the triangular score, which is calculated by summing all natural numbers from 1 up to the size of the forest. Turns:Dark plays first, and then turns alternate. On your turn, perform one of the following actions: Sow a hungry seed of your color by placing it on an empty plot adjacent to no more than three non-touching friendly seeds, sprites, or trees. Then, optionally, you may convert one or more friendly or enemy seeds into friendly sprites only if they are nourished and see more friendly pieces than enemy ones. Move a sprite of your color in a straight line through empty plots, so that its power decreases, although it can increase if you perform a conversion that increases the number of friendly trees; being able to jump over seeds of any color or over friendly sprites, and land on an empty plot or on an enemy sprite to capture it by replacement. You can also jump over lagoons on a modular board, but you cannot land on them. Then, optionally, you may convert one or more friendly or enemy seedbeds into friendly forests only if all of their adjacent empty plot are seen by friendly sprites. Pass your turn. During its movement, the sprite may perform conversions both from its initial plot and from each plot it passes through. In any of them, it may replace seeds with sprites or forests, or convert unprotected enemy forests into friendly ones. End of the game:The game ends when both players pass on consecutive turns. At the end of the game, points are counted by summing the leafiness of the friendly forests, plus an additional half point for the player with the largest forest, or in case of equality, the next largest forests are compared, and so on, until a pair with different values is found. The player with the highest final score wins. To balance the game, before starting, the first player chooses a whole number of points that is added to Light's score at the end of the game as compensation for playing second, and then the second player chooses a side. This balancing method is called the komi pie rule. —description from the designer

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