Games - Board Game Terms

the time when someone has the opportunity, obligation, or right to do a certain thing that everyone in a group does one after the other

the act of removing an opponent's piece from a board or game

a change made by a player in the position of a piece in a board game

a designated space on the game board where players can place their game pieces or tokens before they are put into play

a capture when an opponent's game piece is blocked on adjacent sides by two or more of the capturing player's pieces. The blocked piece is then removed from the game board as a result of the capture

a capture method used in some board games where a player's game piece is removed from the board and replaced by the capturing player's piece

a roll of two dice that show the same number

a set of three game pieces or cards or dice that share the same attributes, such as color, shape, or value

a vertical column of squares on a board, such as in chess or checkers

the set of activities, actions, and interactions that take place during the course of a board game or video game

a bonus turn in a game allowing an extra action beyond the normal limit

a set of rules or conditions that are put in place to balance the game and give a disadvantaged player a better chance of winning

the ability of a player to capture an opponent's game piece by removing it from the board when the opponent fails to capture one of the player's pieces that is able to make a capture move on the same turn

used to refer to the cards, pieces, etc. that a player holds and has not yet played

the ability of a player to capture an opponent's game piece that has just made a capture move, by moving one of their own pieces to a square adjacent to the captured piece

a rule used to determine who plays first in the game, and to ensure that the starting player does not have an unfair advantage over their opponent

a horizontal line of spaces across a game board, typically at a right angle to the columns

(in backgammon) to safely bring one's pieces home and out of the game

a player who switches allegiances or teams, typically to gain an advantage or for strategic reasons

a central reserve or stockpile of unused tiles, cards, or pieces that players can draw from during the game when they need additional resources or replacements

a chain reaction where players set up a line of dominoes to knock one another down in a visually pleasing way