# The Hexodic rules, mechanic by mechanic. > One map of every rule in Hexodic and how each one feeds the others — with a page per mechanic and a glossary for every term. The Hexodic rules hub: how Project, Shape and Echo make a turn, how tiers drive capture, and how the three wins (Network, Takeover, Strangle) and the half-move cap end a game — each linked to its own page. Canonical HTML: https://hexodic.com/rules Site index for agents: https://hexodic.com/llms.txt Hexodic is a two-player abstract strategy game whose whole ruleset is a short chain: every turn is a Project, a Shape and an optional Echo; tiers built by Shape decide captures; and captures, tiers and space decide the three wins. This page maps how those mechanics depend on each other and links to one page per mechanic. Every statement here was checked against the Hexodic rules engine, not a design document. Reviewed 2026-09-15 against the Hexodic rules engine. ## How do you play Hexodic? Two players alternate turns on a 37-cell hexagonal board. One player moves first, every cell starts at tier 0, and each player starts with 7 stones in reserve, 3 charges and 6 lowers. A turn has three steps, always in this order: 1. [Project](/rules/project) — Place a stone from your reserve, or, once the reserve is empty, Move a stone one cell. 2. [Shape](/rules/shape) — raise or lower one nearby cell by one tier. 3. [Echo](/rules/echo) — optionally spend a charge on an [Echo-Capture](/rules/echo-capture) or an [Echo-Lock](/rules/lock). After the turn, the engine runs the [capture](/rules/capture) check, then checks whether the player who just moved has won. The [how it works](/how-it-works) page walks through a full turn in plain language. ## How the mechanics relate - [Tiers](/rules/tiers) are the core resource. Shape creates them, capture is decided by them, and the [Network](/rules/network) win and the tiebreak are counted in them. - Capture feeds [Takeover](/rules/takeover). Encirclement, Echo-Capture and a Move onto a lower enemy cell all count toward it. - Echo is the scarce accelerator. Echo → Echo-Capture turns a sealed enemy group into several captures at once, which is the fastest route to Takeover. Echo-Lock freezes a tier-2 cell, which is tier control in its purest form and protects a Network. - Space feeds [Strangle](/rules/strangle). Containment removes an opponent's legal Projects, and a player who begins a turn with no legal Project loses. - The [game end](/rules/game-end) rules — half-move cap, tiebreak and repetition loss — make every game finite. ## Is there luck in Hexodic? Hexodic has no luck. The rules engine has no dice, no card draw and no random setup: the starting position is identical every game, and the result of a turn depends only on the position and the chosen actions. [Deterministic strategy games](/deterministic-strategy-game) explains what that means for improving. ## Is information hidden in Hexodic? Hexodic has no hidden information. Both players see every stone, every tier, every lock, both reserves, both charge counts and both lowering budgets, so a Hexodic position is a perfect-information position. ## Why a hex board? Hexodic uses hexagons because every cell has exactly six neighbours at the same distance, with no diagonals. Encirclement counts all 6 neighbours of a stone, Network counts connections between neighbours, and Shape reach is measured in hex steps, so one adjacency rule serves every mechanic. [Hex grid strategy games](/hex-grid-strategy-games) compares Hexodic with other hex games. ## Every term, defined The [Hexodic glossary](/glossary) defines every mechanic term used on this site, from Stone to Repetition loss. [Get the Hexodic app](/download) — the fastest way to learn the rules is one game against a bot. ## Frequently asked questions ### How do you win Hexodic? Hexodic has three wins, checked at the end of your own turn or the start of your opponent's: Network (enough of your stones on connected tier-2 cells), Takeover (enough captures), or Strangle (your opponent has no legal Project). If nobody wins before the half-move cap, a tiebreak decides the game or it is a draw. ### Is there luck in Hexodic? No. The Hexodic rules engine contains no dice, no shuffling and no random draws: the same position and the same choices always produce the same result. ### Does Hexodic have hidden information? No. Every part of a Hexodic position is public to both players — stones, tiers, locks, reserves, charges and lowering budgets. ## Where to go next - [Strategy](https://hexodic.com/strategy) — The principles that follow from the rules, not from habit. - [AI and research hub](https://hexodic.com/hexodic-and-ai) — The bots, the training loop and the measurements, collected. - [How it was measured](https://hexodic.com/how-hexodic-was-measured) — The evidence behind every published number, and the method. - [Roadmap](https://hexodic.com/roadmap) — What is live, what is in flight, and what is only a vision. ## Questions this page answers - How do you win Hexodic? - Is there luck in Hexodic? - Does Hexodic have hidden information? - Why does Hexodic use a hex board?