Hexica (2013)

Hexica is a 2-4 player capture the flag/fleet combat game set in space. At the start of each player's turn, a flag spawns on a random spot. After three rounds, flags run out and players are forced into combat to steal each others flags. Aside from the specialized six ships that compose each fleet in the game, players also have access to twenty Advanced Systems cards. Each player starts with two of these cards and more can be purchased throughout the game. These cards temporarily affect four aspects of the game: the economy, movement, attack, and defense of each player's fleet.

At the start of a game, players secure an economic foothold using carefully placed Harvesters to earn money. During the second round, players begin building an army to defend their Motherships and capture flags. During a player's turn, all of his or her ships can move and attack.

The six ships used in the game are: (1) The Mothership, the slow but hardy flagship of every fleet. (2) Harvesters, which harvest materials in space and earn money. (3) Salvagers, which collect the wreckage of destroyed ships for a money reward and pick up and carry flags. (4) F13s, cheap, fast, and weak fighters meant for quick skirmishes and surprise attacks. (5) F35s, expensive, slow, and strong fighters used for heavy assaults. (6) Bandits, used to steal enemy ships.

Mastering Hexica requires an understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the ships used in the game, a familiarity with the Advanced Systems cards, creative thinking, and skill in successfully distracting and misleading the enemy.