Inner Circle (board game)
Inner Circle is a board game for 2–4 players first published in 1981 by Milton Bradley and designed by Virginia Charves and Wayne J. Yee.[1] Inner Circle uses a modular, four-level board design. Each level is hexagonal, with holes (referred to in the game as "survival spots") that allow playing pieces to pass from the current level to the next. Each level is marked with circular spaces with between 1–4 dots inside the circle that determine how many spaces that piece may move. Each successive level is smaller than the previous level (stacked on top of it) and has fewer survival spots. The object of the game is to occupy the lone survival spot at the center of Level 4.
Gameplay
At setup, players take turns placing their playing pieces (pawns, either red, blue, green or yellow) on any of the 18 circles on the outer rim of Level 1. In a four player game, one player (yellow) will therefore have only 4 pawns to the other players' 5. Players place their pawns strategically, endeavoring to maneuver as many of their own pawns into survival spots as possible. Moving a pawn into the large central circle of Levels 1–3 enables the player to immediately move their pawn up to 4 spaces in any direction. When all survival spots are filled, the level is lifted and set aside, allowing the pawns in the survival spots to pass through to Level 2. Pawns not in survival spots are removed from game play. Play continues in this fashion on each successive level, until one player reaches the sole survival spot at the center of Level 4. Level 4 may be lifted, allowing the victorious pawn to stand alone in a winner's circle with a colorful star.