Mur is an abstract strategy board game for two players, which was invented by Canadian, Desmond R Davies, in Atlantic Canada in 2021. The concept behind Mur's game design draws inspiration from the book of Genesis. The Mur board is a round grid with 25 intersections and the playing pieces are small checkers engraved with ancient galleys making the game set reminiscent of the ancient city of Atlantis as described by Plato in his Critias dialogue.
There are a total of 15 game pieces: 14 ships and one kraken. Seven ships are black and belong to the first player, seven ships are white and belong to the second player, and one piece—the kraken—is red and is a neutral piece. During a turn a player may either place, move or (if forced) withdraw a ship. Since there is no capturing and therefore no permanent elimination of material or territory, the game of Mur functions as a perpetually shifting puzzle. A ship forced into or found in a surrounded solitary position, which is called a trap, must be removed from the board by the owner, not the opponent. The goal of the game is to be the first player to surround the kraken OR acquire three ship traps. Visit murfederation.com to learn more!
Circular logic, but in a good way! Check out Tom's review of Mur from Desmond Davies.
Tom interviews the designer of Mur, Desmond Davies, to discuss the design process, Mur, and Chess
