Mū Tōrere

Slide your counters around an eight-pointed star and leave your opponent with nowhere to move — a deceptively deep traditional game.

How to play

Mū Tōrere is a traditional Māori board game played on an eight-pointed star: eight outer points (kāwai) surround a single centre (pūtahi). Each side has four counters (perepere). On your turn you slide one counter into an empty neighbouring spot, manoeuvring to leave your opponent with no legal move. Strand them and you win.

• Slide one of your counters into an adjacent empty spot each turn.
• You may move into the centre only from an outer point that sits next to an enemy counter.
• Counters never leave the board and are never captured — it's purely about restricting movement.
• A player who has no legal move on their turn loses the game.

Game modes

• Vs computer: easy, medium, or hard CPU, with wins ranked per difficulty.
• Hot-seat: red versus blue on the same device.
• Online: create an invite, join with a code, or quick-match a live opponent.

Controls

• Desktop: click one of your counters to pick it up — its legal empty neighbours glow — then click a glowing spot to slide there.
• Phone & tablet: tap a counter then tap a glowing spot; tap the counter again to deselect.

Tips & strategy

• Control the centre carefully — the rule for entering it is the key to every trap.
• Think a move ahead about which spaces your opponent will have left after your slide.
• Avoid opening the one empty point your opponent needs to keep their counters mobile.

Origins

Mu torere is a board game of the Maori of New Zealand, played on an eight-pointed star. It is one of the very few traditional board games documented among the Maori, and is especially associated with the Ngati Porou people of the east coast — a small board that hides a surprising amount of strategy.

About Mū Tōrere

Mū Tōrere is a traditional Māori strategy game of movement and entrapment played on a star-shaped board. This is an original, free browser build with three CPU difficulties, hot-seat, and live online play — no download or sign-up needed.

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