Nine Men's Morris
Classic · two players
Older than most of the board.
Ready to play now.
A demonstration of Nine Men's Morris, played by the computer against itself.
Nine Men's Morris — playing itself
Ways to play
Alone, against the computer
Your own pace, no arranging anything. Take a move back whenever you like.
Play alone5 opponents, weakest first
- LearningOne ply, and it looks away a third of the time.
- CasualTwo plies, and misses about one move in ten.
- SteadyFour plies, and never misses on purpose.
- SharpSix plies. It will see the mill you are building.
- RelentlessSearches toward eight plies, within a hundred and ten thousand positions a move. Expect to lose.
Together, in the same room
2 players. One device goes round the table, or everybody plays off the same screen.
Play in the same roomOnline, at a table
A room code, joinable from anywhere. Pause tonight and pick it up next week from your device.
Play online
About
Three phases, one small grid. The smallest complete game on the shelf, and the first one built here — which is why it proved the whole path.
How it feels
- Compact
- Sharp
- Ancient
What the design is for
Standard rules
Flying permitted at three men, as most tables play it.
Five opponents
From one that misses things to one that does not.
Taught by playing
An eight-step tutorial, played rather than read.
- Best at
- —
- Kind
- Classic
- Table
- Competitive
- Studio
- Classics
The opponents
Learning
One ply, and it looks away a third of the time.
Casual
Two plies, and misses about one move in ten.
Steady
Four plies, and never misses on purpose.
Sharp
Six plies. It will see the mill you are building.
Relentless
Searches toward eight plies, within a hundred and ten thousand positions a move. Expect to lose.
Achievements
0 of 4 earned
First Mill
Win a match of Nine Men’s Morris.
Untouched
Win without losing a single man.
Nowhere To Go
Win by leaving your opponent with no legal move at all.
The Swing
Close a mill by sliding a man straight back into it.
Key art
Concept plate — Board.game art system
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