OverGrid Rulebook — Complete Table Reference

Rotate shapes · claim territory · surround to capture

How to play OverGrid

OverGrid pairs Go-like enclosure pressure with pieces that turn through three dimensions. Use this as the table reference, then open the tutorial archive for photographed demonstrations and edge cases.

Open the one-page printable cheatsheet →

Watch first Complete narrated tutorialOpen on YouTube

Objective

Claim. Surround. Capture.

Rotate pieces to claim tiles, then surround exposed territory to capture it. The pressure is Go-like, but every move is a three-dimensional construction and the highest score wins.

At the table

Claimed tiles are worth 5 points each.
Captured tiles are worth 10 points each and are harder for opponents to take.
Captured height tiles can award additional bonuses.

Setup

Choose a grid and a color

OverGrid supports 2–6 players across multiple grid layouts. Each player starts from the home tile marked with a white diamond in their color.

At the table

Choose the grid for this game.
Assign each player a color and its matching block supply.
Keep the blocks within reach; every turn uses exactly three blocks.

Your turn

Place exactly three blocks

Make one connected construction on the grid, confirm the move, then remove the blocks to reveal the territory change.

At the table

At least one block must be on or next to your existing territory.
All three blocks must touch one another on at least one flat side. Corner contact does not count.
Every block must stay fully inside the grid.

Placement

Know where blocks may touch

Blocks may rest on ordinary tiles and patterned claimed territory, including territory owned by another player.

At the table

Do not place blocks directly on black tiles.
Do not place blocks directly on an opponent’s solid-colored captured tiles.
You may still claim protected tiles by bridging over them without touching them.

Territory

Claim first, then capture

A tile under a valid move becomes part of your territory. Patterned tiles are claimed; solid-colored tiles are captured.

At the table

A claimed tile becomes captured when all eight surrounding positions, including diagonals, are your territory. Black tiles and positions beyond the grid edge are exempt.
Opponents can take claimed tiles by covering them with a later valid move.
Captured tiles cannot be covered directly, but a legal bridge can take them.

Height tiles

Match the number of dots

While black dots remain visible, a tile can be claimed only when the tallest block above it matches the required height exactly.

At the table

One dot requires height one, two dots require height two, and three dots require height three.
Rotate or combine blocks to create the required height.
The height bonus is awarded only when the height tile is captured, not merely claimed.
After that one-time bonus is banked, the dots are consumed. Later takeovers use the normal claim and bridge rules at any height.

Single height: +10
Double height: +20
Triple height: +30

Bridging

Build over what you cannot touch

A bridge may pass over black tiles or captured enemy tiles. The blocks must arch above those tiles without resting on them.

At the table

The construction must remain connected through flat-side contact.
Blocks may be stacked to make taller bridges.
A height tile under a bridge requires the exact matching height only while its dots remain unconsumed.

End game

Fill the territory tracker

Claiming and capturing white tiles advances the game-progress tracker. Black tiles can score but never fill the tracker. When it fills, the final round is triggered.

At the table

Any player who has not yet taken a turn in that round gets one final turn.
Scores can change until the final move because opponents may take territory.
After the final round, the highest score wins.