Abstratus
Abstratus Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
4 identical kits of building parts.
Each kit contains:
- 3 acrylic parts: 1 box, 1 sphere, 1 tetrahedron
- 15 wooden parts: 1 square base with peg holes, 3 pegs (one slightly thinner than the others), 3 cylinders, 3 circles, 3 cubes, 2 spheres
Also included:
- 4 card piles of increasing abstraction level: Builder of Landscapes (36 cards), Master of Shapes (36 cards), Sculptor of Possibilities (36 cards), Architect of the Impossible (36 cards)
- 16 blank cards labelled Originator of Novelty
- 1 hourglass
- 4 voting rulers (1 of each player colour)
- 16 round markers (4 of each player colour)
- 4 scoring rulers (1 of each player colour)
- 4 scoring cubes (1 of each player colour)
Try not to snap a peg as you remove it from its hole. If it jams, turn the fitting part clockwise while spinning the peg in the opposite direction until it breaks loose.
Setup
2 to 4 players, ages 8 to 99, 30 minutes
Set aside a wide space, large table, or even the floor as your play area.
Each player gets a kit of building parts. They also pick a colour to identify them from now on, then take a voting ruler, a scoring ruler, and a scoring cube of the chosen colour. Insert your scoring cube — blank side up — into the 0 mark of your scoring ruler. Finally, each player picks a set of round markers, one of each player colour.
Stack up four card piles according to their increasing level of abstraction: 1: Builder of Landscapes, 2: Master of Shapes, 3: Sculptor of Possibilities, 4: Architect of the Impossible.
Gameplay
These are the rules for a game with three or four players (see Two-Player Game for a two-player game; for a five- or six-player game, check the Five- or Six-Player Game section).
Abstratus is played along four rounds of increasing complexity. In the very first round, each player takes a card from the Builder of Landscapes pile. In the beginning of each further round, players will take cards from the pile whose level of abstraction matches the number of the round. (If you're playing with children, consider using only cards from the first two levels of abstraction throughout the four rounds.)
Each player then secretly reads the word printed on their card's face. Then an hourglass is turned, and players are free to use the parts in their kits to build a structure that hopefully will depict their words. Use the hourglass to time the maximum length of this building phase (around 2 minutes).
Remember: You don't have to use all the parts in your kit. You may choose how many and which parts you're using. You're not allowed to make either letters or symbols with your building parts.
When the building phase is over, everyone hands their card face-down to the one player charged with the task of arranging all cards in a single row and revealing them. Before revealing the cards, though, that player should add cards from the round's pile to the row, bringing the total up to six.
Therefore:
- in a three-player game, you add three cards;
- in a four-player game, you add two cards.
All six cards are then shuffled and displayed face-up on the play area, with their arrows pointing to the right.
You can also make up a whole new set of words by filling the blank cards labelled Originator of Novelty with your ideas.
Voting
Now it's time to guess which structure matches which word. Each player aligns their voting ruler with the row of words on the play area, so all arrows are pointing to the right. This is important: aligning words and rulers allows for a smooth vote.
Take a good look at each structure. Consider which word might be a match to that particular sculpture. Then you take a marker of that player colour and secretly pin it down into the space of your voting ruler that aligns with the word you picked as a match for that structure. Move on to the next structure and repeat the process. Do it even for your own sculpture.
Once all players are done voting, they reveal their rulers all at once. Then they check who guessed correctly and scored some points this round.
Scoring
Notice that the scoring cubes have a blank face, and five other sides showing values from 1 to 5 that stand for the tens digit. Values on the scoring rulers show the units digit.
- 1 point for each word you've matched correctly to another player's structure.
- 1 point for each other player that guessed your word correctly.
- x2 (double points) if you successfully guessed all words this round.
- x2 (double points) if every other player successfully guessed your word.
Example of Scoring
After aligning all voting rulers to the word sequence, with the arrows as a guide, you can easily check who guessed each word right. Notice that every player has evidently matched their own word to their own structure on their voting ruler; this will provide you an answer key to help you with the scoring process.
In this sample round, Player 1 meant WOODS with his sculpture, Player 2 built a RAMP, Player 3 made a FIREPLACE, and Player 4 depicted a GIMMICK. CATWALK and SLOPE were added randomly to the sequence to bring the total number of words up to six.
All other players guessed Player 1's word correctly, so he gets 3 points, then doubles his score for a total of 6 points. He also successfully guessed every other player's word, so he scores (3 x 2 =) 6 points again, for a total of 12 points. He scored 12 points this round, so he spins his scoring cube to 1, then moves it to mark 2 on the scoring ruler.
Two players (Yellow 1 and Lilac 3) guessed Player 2's word correctly, so she scores 2 points there. She also nailed Player 1's and Player 3's words, which brings her score up to 4 points. She scored 4 points, so she moves her cube, still with its blank side up, to mark 4 on her ruler.
Player 3's word was successfully identified by all other players, so he gets to double his score of 3 points, for a total of 6. Since he guessed correctly the words of two other players (Yellow 1's and Grey 2's), his final score this round is 8. He scored 8 points, so he merely moves his cube to mark 8.
Only one player (Yellow 1) matched Player 4's word to her structure, so she scores 1 point. She guessed correctly the words of two other players (Yellow 1's and Lilac 3's), for a total score of 3 points. She scored 3 points, so she simply moves her cube to mark 3.
Winning the Game
Add your scores to your running tally round after round until the end of the game. At the end of the fourth and last round, the player with the highest final score is the winner. If it's a tie, try another round.
It's Sculpting Time!
Two-Player Game
In a two-player game, players are not in direct competition. Instead they either win or lose each challenge as a team. There is a predetermined set of words to choose from, and players build two or four structures at a time.
You and a friend can play Abstratus on two different modes: Easy and Hard.
Easy Mode
- Lay nine randomly chosen cards from any abstraction level that strikes your fancy on the play area.
- Each player secretly picks two words and write them down on a piece of paper. It's okay if both players pick the same words! Comparing different depictions of a single word can be quite fun.
- Turn the hourglass over if you wish to set a time limit for the building phase, but that is totally optional on Easy mode. Each player then builds one structure for each of their secret words. You may use two kits of sculpting parts if you like, provided both players have agreed to it previously.
- When time is up, or players agree they are done with their structures, each player tries to guess each other's words.
- Players win the challenge if they guess all four words correctly!
Hard Mode
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Players sit across a grid of four by five cards, one row of cards for each abstraction level. For example:
Row Words 1 POWER, SACRED, SUPERIOR, DELICATE, EXUBERANT 2 PROPORTION, CONNECTION, CONTRAST, MOVEMENT, UNBALANCE 3 CLOSED, REPEATED, CENTRED, ELABORATE, OPEN 4 CATWALK, TERMINUS, SKYSCRAPER, FACTORY, CIRCUS -
Each player secretly picks four words, one from each row, and write them down on a piece of paper.
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Turn the hourglass over and build away! Consider carefully which words you choose, because you'll have only one kit of sculpting parts and about two minutes to build all four of them!
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When time is up, players leave their structures as they are. Taking turns, they try to guess each other's four words. You're not allowed to give any hint other than stating which abstraction level a given structure belongs to. Your two-player team wins the challenge if all eight words are guessed correctly!
Five- or Six-Player Game
Would you care for an extra dose of excitement? Consider purchasing the Abstratus Expansion Kit, which is sold separately from this basic set. It allows you to add up to two new players to the match, making the game even more challenging!
The Expansion Kit adds:
- 2 voting rulers (1 of each new player colour)
- 12 round markers (6 of each new player colour)
- 2 scoring rulers (1 of each new player colour)
- 2 scoring cubes (1 of each new player colour)
- 8 extra round markers (2 of each player colour from the basic set)
A five- or six-player game plays out as usual, except that now the winner is either the player who scores the most points after four rounds, or the one who first reaches a tally of 59.
Maintenance Recommendations
Read the following instructions before playing, so you can keep your Abstratus kits in good shape for a never-ending fun experience.
Storing
Every bit and piece in each sculpting kit has been hand-picked to offer you a smooth tactile experience. Therefore we strongly recommend AGAINST mixing parts of individual kits. Store each kit as follows:
- Place all small parts inside the acrylic sphere.
- Use one of the halves of the acrylic box as a base for the black square, then mount the wooden ring on top of it. Add the three wooden pegs as shown.
- Balance the acrylic sphere on the wooden ring. Insert the large wooden circle vertically between the sphere and one of the acrylic box walls. Finally, cover the lower acrylic box half with its matching upper half, then store the whole kit away in its proper package before returning it to the game box.
Maintaining the Acrylic Parts
Cleaning
Use a feather duster to clean the pieces. Alternatively, you can use a damp cloth or, if necessary, you can wash them with water and a neutral soap.
Restoring the Original Shine or Removing Minor Scratches
To restore the original shine or to remove minor scratches from the surface of a piece, use a soft, clean cloth dampened with a furniture or plastic polish restorer. Polishing is also the easiest way to remove grease or other oily stains.
Don'ts
Don't use scouring pads, least of all steel wool, to clean acrylic surfaces. Avoid cleaning a piece with a cloth you've just used to polish another item, because any dust motes that cling to the fabric could scratch an acrylic piece. Don't use abrasive cleaners, paint removers, rubbing alcohol, or thinners, because they can damage your game components.
Maintaining the Wooden Parts
- Our pieces are 100% wood; they can vary a little in shade and texture, and those variations are perfectly natural. It's not a bug; it's a charming feature only natural wood can offer you.
- Avoid Direct Sunlight. Excessive light can damage wood and change its colour. Keep wooden pieces away from the sun, unless you're actively looking for an ageing effect.
- Be Careful While Cleaning. Mind your cleaning products. Many of them are quite abrasive, and they can stain or scratch your game pieces. A dry cloth is preferable; you can also use a cloth dampened with water and neutral soap, provided you let the wooden parts dry afterwards.
- Water and Moisture are the Villains. Water and wood do not go together. Keep your game components away from any source of moisture, because water makes wood expand. Air humidity is detrimental too.
Environmental Social Responsibility
Ludens Spirit and Zebra 5 undertake to contribute with Anjos da Mata Atlântica, an environmental initiative bent on planting urban rainforests and woodland-savannas within the Greater São Paulo area in South-Eastern Brazil.
With the help of local communities, this initiative plants rare native species that have all but vanished from large urban sprawls, contributing to the recovery of Brazilian biodiversity.
We firmly believe humans can live together in respectful harmony with the environment and all living beings.