Hexplode

Hexplode is a computer board game originally designed for the BBC Micro but since ported to many other platforms. The board comprises an array of 25 hexagonal cells. Its novel feature for a two-player alternate-turns game is that when the number of tokens in each cell reaches a critical threshold, the cell "hexplodes" such that the contents of the cell are equally distributed to each of the adjacent cells. This process can often generate a chain reaction which means that predicting the outcome of a turn is quite difficult for human players.

File:Hexplode Screenshot.png

Implementations of Hexplode exist on a number of platforms including this version for Palm OS

History

The game first appeared in the British magazine Personal Computer World as a program for the BBC Micro. Its author was J Ansell.

External links

• Hexplode article by Andre van Linden. Gives history and downloads for several platforms.
• hexplode.com info page about the Hexplode iPhone game by Agens.

Mathematics

If color is ignored, the behavior of Hexplode is a variation of the Bak–Tang–Wiesenfeld sandpile model.