LUSITANO RETREAT — Mū tōrere
Māori game from Aotearoa New Zealand
Players: 2
CHOSEN VERSION: AMSP teaching rules retain the outer-to-centre enemy-neighbour restriction. Te Papa publishes alternative opening options; do not silently mix them.

EQUIPMENT
1. Eight connected outer positions and one centre
2. Four counters of each colour

SETUP
1. Place each colour on four consecutive outer points; leave the centre (pūtahi) empty. Alternate turns, choosing the starter. Only the two boundary counters of the starting four-counter block can enter the centre.

HOW TO PLAY
1. Move one counter into the single empty position. An outer counter may move to an adjacent outer empty point; a centre counter may move to the empty outer point.
2. To move from an outer point into the centre, the moving counter must have at least one opposing counter on an adjacent outer point. This restriction applies throughout this chosen version.
3. No jumping, captures, stacking or passing. All eight counters remain in play, so exactly one of the nine spaces is always empty.
4. Look ahead before filling the centre: a legal move can leave your opponent with no legal reply. Swap colours and first player for the next game.

SCORING
1. No capture score; keep a simple tally of games won only if desired.

WINNING: Block the opponent so they have no legal move on their turn.

AT THE RETREAT
Draw the board on card and use two colours of large wooden discs; credit its Māori origin.

SOURCES
AMSP — maths games teacher notes — https://meirezblobs.blob.core.windows.net/22847ebd-67f2-4007-3bab-08dcdc863398/AMSP-maths-games-from-around-the-world-teacher-notes.pdf
Page 12 specifies centre-entry restriction.
Te Papa — Matariki activity book — https://www.tepapa.govt.nz/assets/76067/1693183038-matariki-ab-2022-eng-jun14-online.pdf
Museum board and explicitly different opening variants.

https://lusitanoretreat.com/build-guides/world-games/#game-mu-torere