Horn

The horn is one of ten mugs used in the Drinking puzzle.

The horn gives a player two extra moves when completing a row, but a 10 point penalty when playing a special piece. Extra moves are gained regardless wether it was the horn player's or his/her opponent's row that was completed. The two extra moves are taken from the pieces already on the board at the time of completion, meaning that no additional pieces will fill the spaces of the pieces that player used this turn. Therefore, the maximum number of moves a player can get in one turn is three, regardless of how many rows they clear during that turn.

Since the horn gives no point bonuses whatsoever, some strategy and planning must be used to ensure getting maximum effectiveness from this mug. The horn player uses a piece advantage to gain victory over their opponent. After the first row is cleared and they receive two additional moves, rows start filling up faster and can have a snowball effect. It is necessary for the player to be able to plan effectively before clearing rows to give him/herself the maximum efficiency. Clearing a row only to be forced to drink the remaining two pieces because there is no place to put them is not going to be nearly as devastating.

The horn gains no advantage from playing games that are more or less than the standard 1500 points. A horn will have more potency with a smaller variety of pieces (4 color/shape) due to the fact that completing rows will be much easier. The horn is theoretically strong against the stein, due to the constant outflux of pieces from the board and the extra moves to take opposing stains, but the stein's bonus is still substantial enough to leave both players on an even footing. The horn is weak against the chalice due to its ability to easily block rows.

History

 * In the penalty for playing a special piece was added.