Proteus (1983)

Overview

From the Kadon website:

"Background :: In ancient Greek mythology there was a sea god named Proteus. His most notable characteristic was that he could change his shape at will, from a man to a fish, a whale, a bird, or anything else. This most useful skill against opponents gave rise to the expression of being in a "Protean struggle." The Proteus game set is so named because the game can change its form — not its physical form, but rather the game rules themselves."

Michael's concept was to create a meta-game that allowed for rule-changing but had a fixed slate of rules, unlike the fluid game of Nomic. The rules on 9 wood tiles determine how the players may move their pieces, trade the tiles, or even win. A rule is activated when a player's piece enters a correspondingly shaped tile, and the previously active rule is turned off. A placement phase precedes the movement stage. Experienced players can sometimes win even before movement begins. The strategy is intense because long-range moves are not calculable. For two players, Ages 12 and up.

On Omni's list of best new games, 1983.

Online Play

Boardspace.net (real time or turn based, AI option)

Mobile Apps

Boardspace.net local multiplayer or online, IOS Boardspace.net local multiplayer or online, Android