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Chain Reaction Game: The Rules Explained
PlayCascade is quick to learn: one rule for placing, one for overflowing, one for winning. Here are all three – with examples.
PlayCascade is an abstract strategy game for two players on a rectangular board of 6×6, 8×8 or 8×10 cells. Each player has a colour, and you take turns placing one marble at a time. That is all you need.
Rule 1: Where you can place
You place your marble on an empty cell or on a cell you already own. Your opponent’s cells are off limits – you can only capture them with an overflow.
Rule 2: When a cell overflows
Every cell has a limit: the number of its direct neighbours – up, down, left and right, no diagonals.
| Position | Neighbours | Overflows at |
|---|---|---|
| Corner | 2 | 2 marbles |
| Edge | 3 | 3 marbles |
| Centre | 4 | 4 marbles |
When a cell reaches its limit, it overflows: it passes one marble to each neighbour. Every neighbour that receives a marble switches to your colour – even if it belonged to your opponent.
Rule 3: The chain reaction
If an overflow pushes a neighbour to its limit, that cell overflows too – and so on. The cascade resolves level by level: first every cell that is full at this step overflows, then the next ones. A single move can recolour large parts of the board.
How to win
Once each player has moved at least once: if, after all cascades have resolved, every occupied cell belongs to one player, that player wins. The opponent has no marbles left on the board.
Tip: The interactive tutorial in the app walks you through exactly these rules in five steps – from your first marble to a winning combo. You can also play cascades step by step to follow every chain reaction.
How to use the rules tactically: Strategy tips for chain reactions.
PlayCascade for iPhone. Free, offline, no ads – play a friend or the AI in four levels.
