How does Hexodic differ from Go?
Hexodic resembles Go in one fundamental way and differs in three. Like Go, Hexodic uses a single kind of stone whose value comes entirely from where it sits. Unlike Go, Hexodic is played on a small 37-cell hexagonal board, Hexodic cells have height that players change every turn, and Hexodic stones can move once a player’s reserve is empty.
The British Go Association gives 19 by 19 lines as the normal Go board. This page explains the differences and does not rank the games.
Side by side
| Property | Hexodic | Go |
|---|---|---|
| Players | Two | 2 (British Go Association) |
| Board | 37 hexagonal cells with three height tiers | Normally 19 by 19 lines; 13 by 13 and 9 by 9 also used (British Go Association) |
| Stones | One type, placed from a limited reserve, then moved | Black and white stones placed on the lines' intersections |
| Does the board change? | Yes: each turn raises or lowers one cell | No |
| Capture | Encirclement weighted by cell height | Surrounding a group, per the source's rules |
Why the differences matter
Hexodic encirclement is weighted: a Hexodic stone is captured when the tiers of the cells around it outweigh its own, so height decides whether a ring is strong enough. Hexodic also offers three simultaneous win conditions, Network (connect five of your tier-2 stones), Takeover (capture six opposing stones), and Strangle (leave the opponent with no legal Project), so a Hexodic game is not decided by counting territory at the end. The tier of a cell is its height, and Shape is the sub-action that changes it. The full Hexodic rules are on how it works.
Sources
- Go facts (players, board sizes, stones): British Go Association, How to Play, read 2026-09-15.
- Hexodic facts: the Hexodic rules engine; see how it works and the bot gauntlet.
More pairings are on the comparisons hub, and the genre view is on the abstract strategy hub. Reviewed 2026-09-15. Get the Hexodic app.
Part of the Hexodic comparison hub, which links every side-by-side comparison on this site.