When Kage Yaichiro discovered Go when searching for games of strategy to play, to test and hone his tactical skills, it was already a popular game in Yamataian culture. Immediately recognizing the potential of this game, he began to work on making it work for the new era of space travel and combat.
It had no sense of depth or movement, so he endeavored to add dimensions to it. The results were games that could be played both as a leisurely distraction and an exercise in tactics.
Starting from the original Go, moving to Go 3, and finally Go 4 is intended to prepare officers and soldiers for true combat simulations.
This game has been around since ancient times, possibly before Nepleslians attained the ability to reach space. The game of Go is a game similar to checkers in that pieces are captured, but can be quite complex. Due to its nature, it is theorized to have been used as a tactical training exercise, the game similar to manipulating large numbers of troops in combat on a two-dimensional scale.
The game of Go is played on a field of crossing lines using typically black and white pieces. These pieces are placed on crossing points on the lines in an effort to take up as much space as possible on the board. He who controls the most space at the end of the game wins.
One must take care, though. By surrounding a piece or group of pieces with your own, they can be captured and removed from the game. This is done when no more moves inside the area in Atari (in danger) are possible. Lastly, the board can never look the same in any two turns of the game. This prevents stalling tactics.
The game's rules are simple and few, but it is still a popular game with an intense following, especially on Yamatai and in its sphere of influence.
Kage Yaichiro's first effort to enhance Go was to add dimensions to it, creating Three-Dimensional Go, or Go 3. It was a simple change, but a logical one in an era of space travel.
Go 3 is similar to Go, but is played in a cube of three-dimensional space. The rules are largely the same, though the size of the new grid sometimes makes it prudent to place two or three pieces a turn than merely one. This is a variable determined by the players before gameplay begins.
In this variant, Yaichiro introduced the fourth dimension to Go–time. This created Go 4.
In Go 4, one can either add a piece (or multiple pieces if the players want a faster game) or move a piece or group of pieces by one unit in any direction (up, down, forward, backward, left, right, or any diagonal). This addition of six axes of movement permits added complexity, as well as a new way to eliminate pieces. If a group is trapped in Mobile Atari, they are blocked from movement on all six sides by enemy pieces, and captured. This introduces elements of attack, retreat, and the ability to defeat large enemies with fewer resources.