Worker step and build
Move a worker, build one level and distinguish a climb from a tower being built.
Logic & rule checking
- Players
- 2
- Time
- 15–25 minutes
- Materials
- 4×4 height grid, four worker tokens
Prepare
Start every height at 0. W workers start A1,D1 and B workers A4,D4. Two players alternate; the eight surrounding cells count as adjacent. Heights are 0,1,2,3,4, where 4 is a closed dome.
Play
Choose one own worker and move it to an adjacent unoccupied non-dome cell. It may climb at most one level; a downward move has no height limit. Immediately after moving, build one level on an adjacent unoccupied cell of height 0–3. The vacated cell is allowed.
Worked example
Moving from a height 2 cell onto height 3 wins immediately, before building. Merely building a height 3 cell does not win. Moving from 0 directly onto 2 is illegal even if the destination is empty.
Finish and check
For a starting W turn, move A1 to B2, then raise A1 from 0 to 1. Record both actions. Later a worker at height 1 may step to height 2 but cannot step straight to height 3.
Adaptation and limits
A normal turn requires both a legal move and a legal build. If no worker can complete one, the active player loses. Stop after 50 complete turns with no win as a draw. Keep heights written visibly; use paper numbers instead of unstable physical towers.
Purpose, observation and provenance
Within this activity: Move a worker, build one level and distinguish a climb from a tower being built.
A partner can replay each legal action and explain the stopping condition; this is an observable task, not evidence of lasting improvement.
Our rules, examples and printable diagrams are separately prepared. The earliest inventor of the broader mechanism is not established here.
Free alternative: Copy the supplied grids, labels and cards onto reused paper. No specialist product is needed. Adults may prepare pieces or act as a scribe.
Printable materials
Preview at 100% scale, with browser headers and footers off. Cut with suitable help. Keep host keys separate. This is a manual tabletop kit, not an online opponent, automatic judge or solver.
Rules to keep beside the materials
- Start every height at 0. W workers start A1,D1 and B workers A4,D4. Two players alternate; the eight surrounding cells count as adjacent. Heights are 0,1,2,3,4, where 4 is a closed dome.
- Choose one own worker and move it to an adjacent unoccupied non-dome cell. It may climb at most one level; a downward move has no height limit. Immediately after moving, build one level on an adjacent unoccupied cell of height 0–3. The vacated cell is allowed.
- Moving from a height 2 cell onto height 3 wins immediately, before building. Merely building a height 3 cell does not win. Moving from 0 directly onto 2 is illegal even if the destination is empty.
- For a starting W turn, move A1 to B2, then raise A1 from 0 to 1. Record both actions. Later a worker at height 1 may step to height 2 but cannot step straight to height 3.
- A normal turn requires both a legal move and a legal build. If no worker can complete one, the active player loses. Stop after 50 complete turns with no win as a draw. Keep heights written visibly; use paper numbers instead of unstable physical towers.
Worker step and build — player materials
| Cell | Height0–4 |
|---|---|
| A1 | 0 |
| B1 | 0 |
| C1 | 0 |
| D1 | 0 |
| A2 | 0 |
| B2 | 0 |
| C2 | 0 |
| D2 | 0 |
| Cell | Height0–4 |
|---|---|
| A3 | 0 |
| B3 | 0 |
| C3 | 0 |
| D3 | 0 |
| A4 | 0 |
| B4 | 0 |
| C4 | 0 |
| D4 | 0 |
| Move | From/to heights | Build cell/new height |
|---|---|---|
| ________ | ________ | ________ |
| ________ | ________ | ________ |
| ________ | ________ | ________ |
| ________ | ________ | ________ |
| ________ | ________ | ________ |
| ________ | ________ | ________ |
| ________ | ________ | ________ |
| ________ | ________ | ________ |
Host check — keep separate
Start A1→B2 then build A1 to 1; only a 2→3 climb wins.
Examples are stipulated model cases, not measured experimental or learning outcomes.