REBUS Core Rules

Core retains REBUS's central territorial strategy while removing cloaking, Delta bombs, points and battlefield attrition.

Board and pieces

The board contains 81 tiles: 27 Red, 27 Blue and 27 neutral Green. Each active colour begins with three each of ★, Ω, π, ▲, ●, ■, G, J and K. Green retains nine Theta, nine Phi and nine Xi tiles.

Capturing

Select an unlocked tile and then a glowing target. Ordinary pieces capture any adjacent tile, including diagonals. Stars capture within a radius of two. A visible symbol cannot capture another visible copy of itself.

The attacking symbol occupies the captured square. The displaced symbol appears in the small history box and is restored if that square is recaptured.

Stars

Each player may control at most five active Stars. A Star capture or history restoration that would create a sixth Star is illegal. Buried Stars do not count until restored.

Successive capture

After capturing a visible symbol, a matching enemy or neutral symbol directly above, below, left or right of the new square may be captured immediately. Continue through connected matches or press End Chain.

Turn protection

Every tile captured during the turn is protected during the opponent's next turn. After the chain, nominate one additional friendly tile for the same temporary protection.

Locked groups

Double-tap a complete 2×2 or 3×3 block of your own unlocked tiles. Repeated double-taps on the same anchor cycle through all valid overlapping groups. Locked tiles cannot attack or be captured.

Mixed-symbol locks break when the opponent controls two complete outside edges.
Uniform-symbol locks require three complete outside edges.
A mixed block already covered along two edges cannot be locked.

Winning

The first player to control 51 tiles wins. At 41 tiles the trailing player may yield or continue. When neither side has a legal capture, the player with more territory wins; equal territory is a draw.

AI

Easy is forgiving, Medium is balanced, Hard is ruthless, and Mike Mode is the maximum-strength challenge with deeper search, relentless locking, exact chain planning and no surrender.