Selfo

Lore & Background

Selfo was designed by Prof. Francisco Vico, and its name comes from the phenomenon of self-organization, referring to an increase in a system's organization without external guidance. During a game of Selfo, sets of pieces may flow in a coordinated way as they step on the board. Despite its simple definition—'group your set of pieces by moving in turns to adjacent cells'—complex self-organization processes emerge under concrete circumstances, such as a balanced distribution of pieces and players with similar expertise, resulting from abrupt and deep changes in tactics.

The particular values of traditional game parameters (board tiling, size, initial position, number of pieces and players) are not so relevant; many variants meet the conditions for self-organization. Instead, the Selfo class is defined by the interrelations among parameters that favor self-organization. Subclasses of Selfo derive from move length: in a generic Selfo-n game, a player can move one piece from 0 (passing) to n consecutive steps to adjacent empty cells.

An algorithm has been designed to play Selfo at a human level, and an implementation of it is publicly accessible.

Reader's Guide

Selfo represents a distinctive approach to connection games, emphasizing emergent self-organization over fixed rules. Its significance lies in demonstrating that complex tactical shifts can arise from simple movement rules when parameters are interrelated to favor self-organization. The class is notable for its flexibility: many variants of board tiling, size, initial position, and number of pieces and players can still produce self-organizing behavior, as long as the interrelations among parameters are maintained. This shifts focus from specific game settings to the dynamic relationships that enable coordinated piece flow. The subclass system based on move length (Selfo-n) allows for scalable complexity, from passing to multiple consecutive steps. The existence of a human-level algorithm and a public implementation makes Selfo accessible for study and play. Its legacy is as a case study in how abstract strategy games can model self-organization, offering insights into emergent coordination without external guidance.

Did You Know?

• Selfo's name derives from the phenomenon of self-organization, an increase in a system's organization without external guidance.
• During a Selfo game, sets of pieces may flow in a coordinated way as they step on the board.
• Subclasses of Selfo are based on move length, where a player can move one piece from 0 to n consecutive steps in a single turn.
• An algorithm has been designed to play Selfo at a human level, with a publicly accessible implementation.