Players: 2 Players
Playtime: 20–30 Minutes
Ages: 14+
Mechanics: Abstract Strategy, Modular Board, Grid Movement, Spatial Reasoning

Infinite boards. Singular strategy.

Discover a pure, tactical showdown built for deep replayability. Coga is a 2-player abstract strategy game that strips away elements of luck, putting the focus entirely on positioning, foresight, and outmaneuvering your opponent. With modular board mechanics that ensure no two setups are ever identical, every single match challenges you to adapt to a brand-new battlefield.

Graphic Design: Scott Ungar - Paddlefish Design https://paddlefishdesign.com/

No AI was used in the making of this game.

Components: 12 large hex tiles, 3 Blue Pawns, 3 Orange Pawns, 1 Rule Booklet

Coga Rules

COGA Rulebook_v01.pdf

Game Design History

ORIGINAL VERSION

At first this game was named KOGA and I envisioned it as the battle between a fire god and an ice god. I eventually scrapped this theme and just focused on the abstract gameplay.

This was the prototype and I thought I'd make them myself out of wood and printed stickers. Yes, I was very naive ...well let's just say "ambitious" back then. I soon learned trying to manfacture a game yourself at home was not scalable or cost effective or good for one's sanity.

OOOPSIE VERSION

Eventually I discovered the Gamecrafter.com and I found these red and purple wizard pawns that I built the new theme on. Around this same time a friend introduced me to Midjourney and I thought, "Hey this will be cool. I'll add some AI art and everyone will love that." I renamed it Triax and proceeded to build it out on Gamcrafter.

In my defense, I did draw about 10% of what you see as the hands that Midjourney created looked like squids. I have been drawing my entire life and when this came out it seemed like it could be another tool in the artist's tool belt, like the clone tool in Photoshop ( which was a bit controversial itself back in the day). What I didn't know at the time was how much harm AI art was causing out in the world. I took it to a Protospiel playtesting event and learned a lot about the game, why it doesn't need a theme like this at all, and most importantly to STOP USING AI ART.

COGA VERSION

I scrapped the Triax name, the AI art, and went back to my graphic designer to create a clean abstract look with no tacked-on theme. I changed the name back but spelled it with a C this time.

The name is inspired the Irish word 'Cogadh', which means battle or conflict, and the latin root word 'cog' which shows up in words like cognition, cogitate, or recognize and meaning 'of the mind' So Coga for me evokes a 'battle of the mind' which is exactly what I'm aiming for.