Full Report for Santorini (Man vs Man) by Gord!

Rules

Goal

Move one of your workers to the third level to win; you also win if your opponent has no legal moves. God powers may introduce additional win/loss conditions.

Setup

Players alternate placing all of their pieces in any vacant space.

Player Turns

A turn consists of these steps:

Move a worker.
Build a block in an adjacent space to the worker that moved.

Pieces move to unobstructed adjacent spaces at most one level higher. The fourth block on a space is a cap, obstructing the space and preventing further building there. Pieces are also obstructions.

Miscellaneous

General comments:

Does not support Zobrist hashing.
Requires αβ search to play well.

Play: Combinatorial,Asymmetric,Themed

Family: Kickstarter

Mechanism(s): Stalemate,Variable Powers,Stacking,Movement,King of the Hill

Components: Board

BGG Stats

BGG Entry	Santorini (Man vs Man)
BGG Rating	7.56307
#Voters	21925
SD	1.30653
BGG Weight	1.7328
#Voters	378
Year	2016

BGG Ratings and Comments

User	Rating	Comment
ianos1	10	Must have for a Greek.Production is of the chain.Beautiful components make this abstract game dripping with theme.Artwork is childish but excellent.Strategy is definitely present in this game with plethora of choices in each round.Replayability is infinite with 30 god cards.Buy the expansion to reach "beyond infinity" :P.
Adun	N/A	68.96
adanryd	6	Overall beautiful game with so much thought. I just don’t like chess style games
DriaanB	10
airheart	N/A	Initial thoughts. Played base game with God cards. Overproduced but very good abstract game. Spatial movement is interesting. The variable powers from the God cards adds an interesting tactical element as it allows easier alternate victory conditions. It was funny to catch myself playing with the little figures and plastic blocks in the shape of this Greek island's homes with the intensity of chess.
Al Capwnd You	6.5	Chess/checkers like abstract that combines elements of Connect-4. The special powers change up the gameplay significantly though. Binary win/lose condition, but a simple strategy dueling game.
Aeren	10	Best 2 player "chess-like" game i played so far.
adzimshahabudin	8	Its elegant.
Shoitaan	10	Almost the best game I own. Very easy to teach, very easy to setup and play. The strategic depth and variability will get you years of gameplay from just the corebox alone. Very impressed. Best value for money I've had in ages.
Aiken Drum	10	2019 In my top 50: 2nd
alenen	8	1st play: Beautiful production, clean abstract game with a good theme and tons of replay ability. The basic game of trying to get to the top floor without getting blocked is interesting enough and the god powers ramp it up. A little of the 'Glory to Rome' feeling where it seems like every power is too strong. Like any good abstract you have to balance defensive blocking with trying to win and not get yourself boxed in. 2nd play: Played 3p and the game continues to shine. Looks amazing on the table with fun variable player powers which shake up the game without making it chaotic. Not much else to say except that it's an excellent abstract game that I'm happy to play anytime.
amdon	10
LordOrin	10	Probably my favorite abstract game.
MaNy_HacK	10
josephgardner	10
alanbyrne	7	Lovely 2-player chess like strategy game. Another game that looks great on the table and is simple to teach and play. Recommend to only play 2-player and include the powerful god cards for extra complexity.
2d20	8	KS. Great production, great game!
Lv20Commoner	10	Kickstarter version, have Golden Fleece expansion Gorgeous presentation, simple to teach, infinite replayability with god powers. My perfect game.
alexanderbanning	N/A	ABSTRACT, FAMILY Recommended with 2-4 players (best 2). 20 mins.
hadougan	10
Kwenami	10	Plays best at 2 (or 4, teams). simple to learn, lots of strategy.
Acaedys	N/A	57 UG Tarot: Premium UGD010281
AgentDib	7	Bethany
Necroblaster3000	10	Santorini is a delightful chuckle among rivals at an engaging battle of wits.
adamdynris	7	Kickstarter janvier 2017
SakuraClarsach	10	2-4
1CHNUP	8	Such a cute little game! And really fun too. I think the appeal of this game is the god powers and trying to outmaneuver your opponent. 3-player games have been prone to kingmaking.
strongbow25	10
Daedalus239	10
acorns2009	8	Short, simple, and fun for 2 players! I would personally equate it to a variation of three-dimensional chess, but quicker. Each player's God gives them a unique power with which they can form their winning strategy. Santorini does start out slow for the first few turns, however, the pace quickly picks up as levels begin growing and players race to the top or place dome's on buildings, blocking the potential winner.
paladinelliott	10
AdamCarney	8	(IN MY EXPERIENCE) Women seem to dislike this, and men seem to really, really like this. There is simultaneously simplicity and depth.
ajie426	7.5	很简单的抽象棋，帮别人封顶的时候很有意思嘿嘿
MajaiofDreams	10
adamisclassy	8	A very clean abstract game. Easy to teach with a good deal of strategy. The variable player powers are neat and the cherubic gods are cute. The game has a good presence on the board and is fairly flashy for an abstract. Also doesn't hurt to find this one on sale. A great addition to the collection.
gaddiels	10
msixtynine	10
g00sep00p	10
Sfbenjamin	10
aeroguru1978	8	Excellent abstract game that is absolutely beautiful in its new 3D implementation. Mechanics simple enough for a kid to grasp but still a lot of rich gameplay here for more experienced gamers as well. Plays in about 10-15 minutes, so multiple games easy in a single sit down. I've found enough enjoyment with the regular game that I haven't yet tried the pantheon of choices provided by the 'God' powers, but expect those will keep this fresh for a long time.
Justen	10
pupooh	10
alealleida	N/A	C4
Hyde85	10
aculbers	10
Ajax	7	Gorgeous abstract game. The art and production are top-notch! The rules are really quite simple, so young kids would get it too. So far, the gods add some good spice to the game.
Alchemist023	N/A	Dad has 2nd copy
jwspiker	10	Current favorite game, will always play it and it's beautiful Zeus version
yutakahou	10
djayshaggy	10	Still my #1 strategy game by far. I love playing this with my daughter, and it's even really fun at 3 players. The god power cards really elevate this game to a new level. The variety there really makes every game different.
Akrimonious	8	Very good, it's one of my favorite abstract strategy games
afili01	N/A	PnP
1blindI	7	Jackson Birthday
DaFees	10
alcarinque88	N/A	Could be interesting. I like the Greek gods theme.
Goateh	10
RickyTau	10
chris81589	10
Jul159	10
Shemsen	10	Kickstarter
Abaculo	9	Delightful (mainly) 2 player Abstract
alesk1978	7.5	MARIE Ks edition Santorini: Golden Fleece (2017)
evidence	10
rshar224	10
lemonhorst	10
number_eight	10	I've played this many times, but I knew it would be an all-time favorite half way through my first game. It's so simple and deep, and the powers add so much to it. I like trying out all the combinations and taking turns with who has which power.
MOTDF	10
Absolutely	N/A	$75 Medium Light
aclif	8	Fun and simple abstract strategy without gods. Need to try out powers and see how it plays.
Aerothorn	9	Played
Akatwood	N/A	Target
AiGang	8.3	weight 1.80
DG3ntly	10	Soooooooooooooooo good. Usually not a fan of abstracts or games with taglines like 'learn in 30 seconds, play for life,' but this game actually comes kind of close to that descriptor. It's an excellent game with tons of replay ability.
AC0990	8.5	#14
akmalfikri	9	My wife loved this game, especially with God cards.
Achire	8	03/15/19: Played it a bunch more times & loving it more and more. Not sure whether deities are all balanced, but too short a game for it to be a big deal - good strategy seems to reliably win the game regardless. Great filler. I am 50/50 on it as a gateway because the better player does win reliably. I will see if the golden fleece cards can help handicap. 03/03/19: The more I play it, the more I like it. Fast 2-player game, advanced tic-tac-toe. I find it an excellent gateway game and a great filler while waiting for people to show up.
ajgarcia	N/A	H1 S
ajewo	N/A	Abstract 2 player game with fun tactile 3D elements for building houses on a 5x5 grid. + Artwork + Components + Variable player powers (variety) + Simple rules but deep game + Quick playing time - It does not look like it but it is an abstract game
exo20811	10
AirbnbBoardGames	N/A	2019.09 Seth Cochran Owned (at his house)
mjesec1	10
Albertotower	8.5	Pre-order in Kickstarter (aprox Nov 2016) LABSK (Luis Techno) https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/roxley/santorini-learn-it-in-30-seconds-play-it-for-life?ref=card
Selgador	10	Favorite 2 players game by far! Will never refuse a game, will always be ready to teach it! i have much much more gam than 18, just stopped recording games in 2016
ursusmajorca	10	Zeus rocks.. always get people wanting to play it at gamer nights!
ryanmaesen	10
bc84	10	Love it.
JuniorDelta	10
joemarck06	10
ajwill	8	Fast, simple rules, lots of replayability. Plenty to explore still in this.
Masame	10
adhicipta	9	Beautiful boardgame with high replaybility
Acenchious	9	David äger
abodi	9.5	Backed - playing PNP copy
ladybaynes	10
aleksispi	10	Most played game of 2017 -- 60+ plays, yet still only scratching the surface. Only played with 2.
Alan Stern	8	A fun abstract! The god powers make this game.
BouncingSoul	10
mrraow	10	One of my favourite games - great to see a commercial version at last.
adrianfrancies	8	2 players
Board Gaming Bard	10
colintress	10
Alannamairead	7	first conscious modern BG purchase! Kids love it, even Daddy's hooked, God cards add real strategic interest
adamscott	9	The God cards make this a 9. Great replayability and presents a new 'puzzle' every time you play. I'm glad this game has achieved success. Amazing what a "re-theme", some nice pieces and some special powers can do! Now own the Golden Fleece expansion.
ketanp	10
Alarka	8	Players: 2-4 (2) Time: 20 Min Category: Abstract Strategy Ancient Mythology Mechanisms: Grid Movement Tile Placement Variable Player Powers
1 Family Meeple	N/A	[microbadge=40047]Fall.2018 With Golden Fleece
AcemanBR	7	Excelente jogo para duas pessoas. Apesar de não ter sorte envolvida a quantidade de cartas de poder individuais é tão grande que a variedade não faz o jogo parecer claustrofóbico como um xadrez.
Chaosfaktr	10
sane_wonko	10
ekaiser1901	10	Absolutely love this game. Simple setup,easy to learn. Each play is different from the last. Have played with God's and without. The god powers add a huge amount of replay ability because of the way that the differnt powers change the way you and your opponents approach the game. the expansion adds even more gods and options. Will happily share this game with friends and family. Components are amazing and durable. The art is family friendly, and each power is very unique to the god/hero. An all around amazing game. A must have for any collection
Tolkana	10
Albatrocity	4	I wasn't too interested in this game before I played it, but once I did, I still found little interest in it. It's a glorified Connect Four. Typically, I've liked glorified versions of basic games. I hate Werewolf, but really enjoy Secret Hitler. I'm not much for Liar's Dice, but House of Borgia is great. This game it still too basic for me though. I'm also not impressed with the cheap, bland plastic building prices that remind me of something I played with as a child in the 80's. I haven't had a chance to play the game with the God powers, so I'd give it another chance, but even then, I don't think that's going to be enough to enhance my enjoyment of the game that much.
Aleahcim	10	w/ expansion
aldaryn	8	Roxley KS edition with Golden Fleece, art book, several promos.
2niverse	10	Easily one of my favorite games! Gorgeous artwork and extremely polished design. A must own
AhChuckIt	8	Great 2 player game. Expansion adds a few good elements, but base game has plenty of roles and is fantastic. Beautiful game.
actuaryesquire	6	Purchased 13-Apr-2018 at going out of business sale at Toys R Us
akneipp	8	Very cool, easy to jump into game.
abbeb	N/A	Using "Want to Buy" to keep track of games I'm interested in for 2 Players
mind_ranger	10	This is currently my favourite game.
AAAlone	7	Deceptively simple game hides some rich strategic choices. Toy factor very high as is table presence. I prefer deeper more thematic games, but this is a good simple abstract.
aldebaran810	10	Not yet received
AKWA_VQ	5	Perhaps not challenged enough by opponent, but I'm almost positive that my experience stems from my personal feeling of complete disinterest. I'd play with a young child for their personal entertainment. I also beleive the game has hit the marks it's design team intended to hit hence the rating being middle of the road. It's a great game for what it is, but it's not a favorite of mine. Will keep in collection for gaming light guests or children. Probably will never put it on the table in which I've a seat. Definitely won't.
alepsycho	8	Fantastic! I usually enjoy abstracts very much, but this one is amazing, the game is very simple and clever by itself, and the gods powers put this game into another level with a lot of replayability. I enjoyed the quality of the components and art, and the effort to bring a theme to an abstract game that is fine and I can buy the idea.
Abulense	8.5	*** expansion
BoardGamingPenguin	10
addamsik	10	MK
Aephoto	N/A	4/17
abyssal_Tome	7.58	Simple rules but very strategic. An abstract at heart, with gorgeous components. God powers recommended, as the base game is fairly bland. Best at 2 players.
adamw	7	Lovely to look at! It's a clean abstract with the highest production values and many varied 'powers' to create an endless series of plays in the same context and ruleset. Having said all that, I don't really have a place for a 2-player abstract. No real opponent for me to play regularly and this game would certainly favor chess-like brilliance.
adrian754	8	High quality components for a low price. Excellent game mainly for two players with a good playing time of just 20 minutes on average.
albatrosski	8	N/A
alexhart7	7	Brain buster for me! Lot of situational problem solving... God cards really enhanced the game experience and made me want to explore it further
ahken07	10	buy from Boarders, White Box KS Edition, specially bought to play with my lovely girlfriend. Well, surprisingly this is her first board game and she had me quite well! Keep on losing to her. The artwork is super fine and the god card makes the game replayability very high. Recommended to get one for collection as well!
Tso KameL	10
AbandonHope	7	Casual strategy game. Only tried with the basic gods so far... Rating is currently based on a couple of plays
Joep83	10
Sethebos12	10
AveNgelina	10
Broderblid	10
ironvulture	10
LotrScaper	10
asagdwwb	10
PhiberOptik	10
12from1	8	This might soon become a "chess killer" in my house. Now now, I won't get carried away. I still play a TON of chess, but this game has such a great table presence (like chess sometimes does), is easy to learn (like chess), but can be tough to master (like chess). Perhaps its a hybrid between chess and tic-tac-toe. Which, on the surface makes it sound like a simple game. And at it's heart, it is. But when you add in the variability of the god powers, it takes on a new meaning. It's like the app "very bad chess" where the board is set up with all bishops and a king, and you have to figure out how to not lose. This game has lots of replayability through the variety of god powers - that I'll bet this gets more plays than chess for the foreseeable future.
Takvorian	10	Zeus edition #21 Already one of my favorite no-luck abstracts.
litefoot13	10
filch133	10
Adamino	N/A	Seems like a fun games for all ages
Mellekai	10	This is a classic, modern, fresh but with a ever changing gameplay. It feels like it was with me my whole life. It is something like an evergreen, once played never forgot.
detectivesparky	10
xamQC	10
adamxpaul	10
BoardGamer2008	10
aldrichb	N/A	Roxley Version
1000rpm	6	Not really my kind of game, too abstract and thinky
Safman	10
aleksandar	N/A	2 Players
Faldum	10	I already loved the original game, but the new edition has expanded it almost beyond reason. Replayable basically forever. Fast, simple, elegant. Beautiful to look at (if, in this version, a little fiddly to set up and play, though that's the price you pay for all that visual appeal). Has finally taken its place as one of the top abstract games, as ranked here on BGG, anyhow.
yougo	10
ahalm	8.11	A good 2 player abstract game. Goods add nice elements to the game. Never again with 3 (or 4) though.
boufalaxx	10	I was completely surprised by Santorini. It really ticks the box for me as a thinky abstract with heaps of theme. But once I got it to the table I knew it was a 10! The strategy in here is over the top as you get your head around the core rules and the balance between offensive play and defensive play. It's a must play, accessible for families and HEAPS of re-playability for Gamer types.
agentwoof	5	Can be fun in the right setting. Too simple for its own good sometimes.
rowdas	10
von_kalts	10
Alex the Pretty Good	7	Surprisingly tactical for a game with such simple basic rules. Not yet 3D chess but a step above 3D checkers.
Albin_Anger	N/A	+ Golden Fleece
Gooszer	10
ahwood23	8	Dad owns Beautiful game that so far I've only played twice, without any special powers, and 3 players, which I think is all "suboptimal" way to play, but we greatly enjoyed it!
cybersplat	10
tonyhanna	10	❤️
grisboui	10
Trothgard	10
pennywise988	10
adrianliew93	7	A cool puzzle and chess-like game. Lack of theme but it is still a quick clever game. The set up is fast and it plays within 20minutes too.
Prince of Guelph	10
KJAZZ	10
Ag0n1st	7	Cost: $30 $5.00/play GOAL REACHED
Ayanami77Ivy	10	Elevates the game that I already love with it's production quality. Absolutely fantastic.
Aberdeen1977	7	08-12-2018 (111)
alek2	3	Abstract. Didn't get me.
fon!	10
1point21gigawatts	7	Kickstarted - Available [-]November 2016[/-] January 2017
afafard	6	Surprisingly good for a light abstract game.
adebisi	5	Cannot believe this game has been released in 2016. Santorini is a pure abstract with mechanics as innovative as any abtract in 80's or 90's. Reminds me of Torres quite a bit except for that Torres has an interesting scoring mechanic with a lot to ponder whereas Santorini is very straightforward sporting a dull sudden death winning criteria. Folks admire the looks but personally I dislike the polished and childish art although I have to admit the plastic components look nice. But they are not exceptional (compared to e.g. aforementioned Torres) and actually the first and second tier building blocks are easy to mix up. Ok, Santorini is not a bad game but very outdated without any innovations. Ok at best.
mopeymatt	10	This is hands down my favourite pure strategy game. It's interesting, dynamic, and replayable.
Akado	6	Neat game, but the god powers can create wild imbalances and very uneven gameplay, with some of them forcing opponents to make certain moves or play certain ways. Medusa (crush opponents with buildings) forces one player to try and hide, whereas Persephone (opponent must move up if possible) can play opponents turns for them. Definitely a lot of tactical and strategic potential, but I just can't get over the god powers that seem to pigeonhole playstyles.
LoanWolf	10
agentpatman	8	One of the first board games we purchased. I like the board, components, theme, simplicity, basically everything.
kidkorea	10	Kickstarter
567inc	8	Honestly, I wanted to give it a ten (10) simply because of the Zeus package :D.
abweins	7	Great filler
alarthame	N/A	Shauna
aebert11	9	I have been wanting to buy this game for a while now, and I finally got it while it was on sale. To be honest, the first two games we played, I wasn't really sure if I liked it. But when we added the God cards, wow wow wow did that make it better. The games became tighter, and games where it seemed like one person was clearly going to win had surprise endings. It is quick, it is easy, and it is super duper fun! I am now many many plays in, and I now have the Golden Fleece expansion. This game is now the game I find myself wanting to play most often. I look for every chance I can to get it to the table!
Acama	8	Nice two player game, very strategic and very quick to play. Super cute player board makes it fun to play, who doesn't like building a little city.
bartoszopka	10
absenthero	7	I was drawn to this game by it's unique elements. Being able to play a "3D Chess" style strategy game by building the city of Santorini is fun and with the god card abilities it provides a variety of gameplay styles. The Spin Master version (which I own) did not include the base Ocean game board and the game piece management within the box is poor. Both factors I did remedy by printing my own Ocean base and constructing inserts out of 3mm foam core to store the games many pieces. (Members on this site have provided plans for inserts) Santorini is a fun game that is easy to learn and worth checking out.
amgrover	10

Levels of Play

AI	Wins vs prev level	Draws	Losses	#Games	Win%
Random
Rαβ + ocqBKr (t=v0.01s)	36	0	0	36	100.00
Rαβ + ocqBKr (t=v0.07s)	36	0	12	48	75.00
Rαβ + ocqBKr (t=v0.20s)	36	0	5	41	87.80

Level of Play: strong beats weak 60% of the time (lower bound with 90% confidence).

Kolomogorov Complexity Estimate

Size (bytes)	171838
Reference Size	10328
Ratio	16.64

Ai Ai calculates the size of the implementation, and compares it to the Ai Ai implementation of the simplest possible game (which just fills the board). Note that this estimate may include some graphics and heuristics code as well as the game logic. See the wikipedia entry for more details.

Playout Complexity Estimate

Playouts per second	32530.80 (30.74µs/playout)
Reference Size	1923076.92 (0.52µs/playout)
Ratio (low is good)	59.12

Tavener complexity: the heat generated by playing every possible instance of a game with a perfectly efficient programme. Since this is not possible to calculate, Ai Ai calculates the number of random playouts per second and compares it to the fastest non-trivial Ai Ai game (Connect 4). This ratio gives a practical indication of how complex the game is. Combine this with the computational state space, and you can get an idea of how strong the default (MCTS-based) AI will be.

Win % By Player (Bias)

1: Black (Man) win %	53.50±3.10	Includes draws = 50%
2: Red (Man) win %	46.50±3.07	Includes draws = 50%
Draw %	0.00	Percentage of games where all players draw.
Decisive %	100.00	Percentage of games with a single winner.
Samples	1000	Quantity of logged games played

Note: that win/loss statistics may vary depending on thinking time (horizon effect, etc.), bad heuristics, bugs, and other factors, so should be taken with a pinch of salt. (Given perfect play, any game of pure skill will always end in the same result.)

Note: Ai Ai differentiates between states where all players draw or win or lose; this is mostly to support cooperative games.

Mirroring Strategies

Rotation (Half turn) lost each game as expected.
Reflection (X axis) lost each game as expected.
Reflection (Y axis) lost each game as expected.
Copy last move lost each game as expected.

Mirroring strategies attempt to copy the previous move. On first move, they will attempt to play in the centre. If neither of these are possible, they will pick a random move. Each entry represents a different form of copying; direct copy, reflection in either the X or Y axis, half-turn rotation.

Complexity

Game length	65.88
Branching factor	8.75
Complexity	10^57.67	Based on game length and branching factor
Samples	1000	Quantity of logged games played

Move Classification

Distinct actions	220	Number of distinct moves (e.g. "e4") regardless of position in game tree
Good moves	123	A good move is selected by the AI more than the average
Bad moves	96	A bad move is selected by the AI less than the average
Samples	1000	Quantity of logged games played

Change in Material Per Turn

This chart is based on a single playout, and gives a feel for the change in material over the course of a game.

Trajectory

This chart shows the best move value with respect to the active player; the orange line represents the value of doing nothing (null move).

The lead changed on 45% of the game turns. Ai Ai found 3 critical turns (turns with only one good option).

Overall, this playout was 71.43% hot.

Position Heatmap

This chart shows the relative temperature of all moves each turn. Colour range: black (worst), red, orange(even), yellow, white(best).

Actions/turn

Table: branching factor per turn.

Action Types per Turn

This chart is based on a single playout, and gives a feel for the types of moves available over the course of a game.

Red: removal, Black: move, Blue: Add, Grey: pass, Purple: swap sides, Brown: other.

Positions Reachable at Depth (Includes Transpositions)

0	1	2	3	4	5	6
1	25	625	14425	318025	3378313	20631241

Note: most games do not take board rotation and reflection into consideration.
Multi-part turns could be treated as the same or different depth depending on the implementation.
Counts to depth N include all moves reachable at lower depths.
Zobrist hashes are not available for this game, so transpositions are included in the counts.

Shortest Game(s)

No solutions found to depth 6.

Openings

Moves	Animation
b2,c3,b3,d2,b2->c2,Tile-b1,d2->d3,Tile-e4,c2->b2,Tile-c1
d2,b3,b4,d3,d2->c2,Tile-b1,d3->d2,Tile-e1,b3->c4,Tile-c5
d2,c3,b2,c4,d2->c2,Tile-d1,b2->c1,Tile-b1,c2->d1,Tile-e1
d2,c3,c2,d4,d2->d3,Tile-e2,d4->c4,Tile-b5,d3->d2,Tile-e3
d2,c3,b3,d3,c3->b2,Tile-b1,d3->c2,Tile-b1,d2->d3,Tile-e4
d2,c3,d3,b3,c3->b2,Tile-b1,d3->c2,Tile-b1,d2->d3,Tile-e4
d2,c3,c4,b2,d2->c2,Tile-d1,b2->c1,Tile-b1,c2->d1,Tile-e1
d2,b4,c2,c4,d2->d3,Tile-e2,c4->b3,Tile-a2,b4->c3,Tile-d4
d2,b4,c4,c2,d2->d3,Tile-e2,c4->b3,Tile-a2,b4->c3,Tile-d4
b3,d2,b4,d3,d2->c2,Tile-b1,d3->d2,Tile-e1,b3->c4,Tile-c5
b3,c3,c2,b4,b3->c4,Tile-d5,b4->c5,Tile-b5,c3->b2,Tile-a1
b3,c3,b4,c2,b3->c4,Tile-d5,b4->c5,Tile-b5,c3->b2,Tile-a1

Puzzles

Puzzle	Solution
Black (Man) to win in 8 moves
Red (Man) to win in 8 moves
Red (Man) to win in 4 moves
Black (Man) to win in 4 moves
Black (Man) to win in 4 moves

Selection criteria: first move must be unique, and not forced to avoid losing. Beyond that, Puzzles will be rated by the product of [total move]/[best moves] at each step, and the best puzzles selected.