Four-player strategy

Five walls, three rivals

In a four-player game each player has 5 walls, half as many as in a two-player game, and three rivals instead of one.

A wall still costs you a turn. But when it slows one rival, the other two lose nothing, so each of them gains a turn on you. A four-player wall has to do more than slow somebody down. It has to slow the player who would otherwise win, by enough to change the result for you.

Count who finishes first

Count every rival’s steps to their goal, then look at the turn order.

Turns go clockwise: amber, pink, teal, violet. If two players need the same number of steps, the one whose turn comes first gets home first. So the leader is not always the pawn nearest its edge: it is the pawn that would arrive first.

Then look one place further down. If you push the leader back, who is next in line, and are they still ahead of you?

When a wall hands the lead to someone else

You are amber on e5, 4 steps from the top. Violet on c5 needs only 2 and is in the lead. Pink on f3 needs 3, and moves right after you.

The wall adds two steps to violet’s route and costs you nothing. It looks like a good wall. But if nobody else places one, pink now gets home first, where violet would have without it. You are still behind both of them.

One wall can’t stop two rivals who are both ahead of you. In a spot like this, ask whether a wall really changes the result for you, or only changes who beats you.

Let someone else block, but not for too long

Everyone is racing the leader, so sometimes another player places the wall you were going to place, and you keep yours.

In our test games between computer players, a player that simply walked and kept all five walls for the last few steps won about six games in ten against computer opponents that spent their walls readily. Against three opponents who only raced, the same player won just 7% of games: nobody else blocked, and its late walls came too late.

Saving walls works while the others are spending theirs. If nobody else is going to stop the leader, you have to.

The race to the centre: don’t stop one square short

In the race to the centre all four pawns head for the same square, so they meet on the way in. A jump onto the middle square wins, just like a step.

Amber was one step from winning. But pink was directly behind, in line with the middle square, and moved next. Before you step next to the middle, look behind you. If a rival is right behind you and moves before you do, wait or place a wall instead. For the jump rules, see how to play.

A wall can never close the middle off completely: at least one way in always stays open, so walls near the centre slow the race without ending it.

Before you place a wall with four players

1. Who gets home first? Count every route, then use the turn order.
2. Who is next in line? If you push the leader back, is that player still ahead of you?
3. Will someone else block? A rival behind the leader with walls left may do it for you.
4. What does it cost you? A turn always, and sometimes steps on your own route too.

Questions

Try it in a real game: play 4-player WallRush against three computers, in an online quick match, in a room with friends, or pass one device between four people. New to playing with four? Read the four-player rules.