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Berzerk

Berzerk Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

  • Object
  • Contents
  • How to Set Up the Game
  • Basic Rules
  • How to Play the Game
  • How To Win The Game

Object

Score the most points by zapping enemy robots when you are the Humanoid player.

Contents

  • 1 gameboard
  • 8 plastic pawns
  • 6 plastic chips
  • 2 dice (1 white, 1 red)
  • 1 label sheet
  • 1 instruction booklet

How to Set Up the Game

  1. Carefully break off the pawns and Humanoid arm piece from the plastic runner. Make sure no plastic remnants remain on them.

  2. Label Application: Attach the pawn labels to the pawns and the arm labels to the Humanoid arms. See Figure 1 for label identification.

    Figure 1 shows the Humanoid label, the Evil Otto label, the Robot label and the Humanoid arm label.

    A. Apply the Humanoid label to the front of the Humanoid pawn as shown in Figure 2. The Humanoid pawn is the tallest one. Important: The front of the Humanoid pawn is marked with the letter F.

    Figure 2 shows the Humanoid label applied to the front of the pawn, marked "Apply Humanoid Label Here" (Back / Front).

    B. Apply the 2 arm labels to the Humanoid arm piece. Attach one label to the outside of each arm.

    C. Apply the 2 Evil Otto labels to the front and back of one of the remaining pawns.

    D. Apply the 12 robot labels to the fronts and backs of the remaining 6 pawns.

  3. How to put the Humanoid pawn together: After applying all labels, insert the Humanoid arm piece into the back of the Humanoid pawn FROM THE BACK. Carefully press the arm piece into the back of the pawn until the pegs on the outside of each arm snap into the peg holes in the back of the pawn as shown in Figure 3. Figure 3A shows a properly assembled Humanoid pawn.

    Figure 3 shows the arm piece being inserted from the back of the pawn, with the peg and peg hole labelled. Figure 3A shows the assembled pawn, with the note "The arms should move up and down freely if properly assembled."

  4. Open the gameboard and place it on a flat surface between the players.

  5. Place the Humanoid pawn on the space marked HUMANOID. Place the Evil Otto pawn on the space marked EVIL OTTO and the six robot pawns on the six spaces marked with a yellow star inside of a black circle.

Basic Rules

  1. You and your opponent take turns being either the Humanoid player who controls the Humanoid pawn OR the Evil Otto player who controls Evil Otto and the robot pawns.

  2. When you are the Humanoid player try to zap your opponent's robots to score points then escape from the maze.

  3. When you are the Evil Otto and the robots player try to zap your opponent's Humanoid and stop your opponent from scoring points and escaping from the maze.

  4. The game is played in a series of rounds. In each round you are the Humanoid player once, and the Evil Otto player once.

  5. When you are the Humanoid player, your Humanoid ONLY has three lives throughout the entire game. Each time your Humanoid is zapped by your opponent, you lose one chip and your Humanoid loses one life. If your Humanoid is zapped three times, it is destroyed. When your Humanoid is destroyed, you cannot be the Humanoid player again for the rest of the game and your chance to score points is over. Important: Remember the ONLY way to score points is to zap enemy robots WHEN YOU ARE THE HUMANOID PLAYER.

  6. The game continues until either three rounds have been played OR both your Humanoid and your opponent's Humanoid have been zapped three times and destroyed.

How to Play the Game

  1. Both players roll a die. Whoever rolls the highest number on the die is the Humanoid player first in Round 1. The other player is the Evil Otto player. Position the gameboard so the Humanoid pawn is in front of the Humanoid player and the Evil Otto pawn is in front of the Evil Otto player.

  2. The Humanoid player moves first, followed by the Evil Otto player.

  3. Here are some rules of movement common to all pawns:

    A. No pawn can move to or land on the same space more than once on the same turn. You cannot retrace your steps.

    B. No pawn can jump over another pawn.

    C. Two pawns cannot occupy the same space.

    Figure 4 (The Humanoid: Examples of Legal Moves) shows legal Humanoid movement paths on a grid.

  4. How To Play When You Are The Humanoid Player:

    A. BASIC TURN

    (1) On your turn, roll the white die and move your Humanoid pawn the number of spaces on the gameboard shown on the die roll.

    Reminder: You want to zap your opponent's robots then escape from the maze. Rule 7 tells how to escape from the maze.

    B. HOW TO MOVE

    (1) The Humanoid can move forward, backward and sideways, but NEVER DIAGONALLY.

    (2) The Humanoid can move in a straight-line or change direction by turning right or left but NEVER DIAGONALLY. Examples of legal moves are shown in Figure 4.

    C. HOW TO ATTACK AND ZAP A ROBOT

    (1) To destroy a robot you must move your Humanoid pawn to an adjacent space either in front, behind or to the side of the robot. Examples of legal attack positions are shown in Figure 5. Zap the robot FROM THE SPACE YOU ARE OCCUPYING. Figure 6 shows how to zap a robot. Please note: The Humanoid pawn does not land on the same space as the robot to zap it.

Figure 10 (The Maze). Labels on the diagram: Wall; Evil Otto Space (also Exit Space); Barrier Square; Robot Space; Humanoid Space; Evil Otto Side of Maze; Striped Spaces Form a Dividing Line; Humanoid Side of Maze.

How To Win The Game

The player who scores the most points wins the game!

  • Both players take three chips. Please note: When you are the Humanoid player, your Humanoid pawn has a total of ONLY THREE "LIVES" FOR THE ENTIRE GAME. Each chip you have stands for one of these "lives". See "BASIC RULES", Rule 5 for details.

  • Have a pencil and paper handy to keep score.

  • (2) The Humanoid does not have to land on a space next to a robot by exact count. The Humanoid can zap a robot "in passing". For example, you roll a 5 on the die and move your Humanoid pawn 3 spaces to a space next to a robot. Now zap the robot FROM THE SPACE YOU ARE OCCUPYING then move 2 more spaces to complete your move on the rest of your die roll.

    (3) The Humanoid can zap more than one robot on the same turn or from the same space.

    (4) The Humanoid cannot zap a robot through a wall.

    (5) The Humanoid can never zap the INDESTRUCTIBLE Evil Otto.

    (6) When your Humanoid zaps a robot, remove the robot from the maze and set it aside.

    Figure 5 (The Humanoid: Examples of Legal Attack Positions) shows the spaces from which the Humanoid can zap the robot, indicated by an X.

  • How To Play When You Are The Evil Otto Player:

    A. BASIC TURN

    (1) On your turn, roll the red die and move TWO ROBOTS (or more), splitting the die roll between them in any combination. For example, if you roll a 3 on the die you can move one robot 2 spaces and one robot 1 space OR you can move three robots 1 space each.

    Important: You cannot move Evil Otto UNTIL the Humanoid has zapped two of your robots. Please note: If you roll a 1 on the die you can only move one robot 1 space.

    (2) WHEN THE HUMANOID ZAPS TWO OF YOUR ROBOTS you MUST start moving Evil Otto on every turn. Roll the die and move Evil Otto AND TWO ROBOTS (or more), splitting the die roll between them in any combination. You MUST move Evil Otto first, then the robots. Please note: If you roll a 1 on the die you must move Evil Otto 1 space. If you roll a 2 on the die you must move Evil Otto 1 space then one robot 1 space.

    B. HOW TO MOVE EVIL OTTO

    (1) Evil Otto can move forward, backward, sideways, AND DIAGONALLY.

    (2) Evil Otto can move in a straight-line ONLY (cannot change direction during a turn). Examples of legal moves are shown in Figure 7.

    (3) If Evil Otto moves and hits the outside edge of the maze he automatically stops. He cannot change direction and bounce off the edge of the maze on the same turn.

    Figure 6 (caption: "Push down on the back of your Humanoid's arms to zap enemy robots.") illustrates how to zap a robot.

    Figure 7 (Evil Otto: Examples of Legal Moves) shows the straight-line and diagonal paths Evil Otto may take.

    C. HOW TO MOVE A ROBOT

    (1) A robot can move forward, backward, and sideways but NEVER DIAGONALLY.

    (2) A robot can move in a straight-line or change direction by turning right or left but NEVER DIAGONALLY. Examples of legal moves are the same as those shown in Figure 4 for the Humanoid.

    D. HOW TO ATTACK AND ZAP THE HUMANOID WITH EVIL OTTO

    (1) Evil Otto can zap the Humanoid pawn by landing on the same space it is occupying, from any direction INCLUDING DIAGONALLY. It does not have to be by exact count. Examples of legal attack positions are shown in Figure 8.

    (2) When Evil Otto zaps the Humanoid pawn, immediately return the Humanoid to the space marked HUMANOID. All other pawns remain where they are.

    (3) When Evil Otto zaps the Humanoid, the Humanoid player loses a chip. Put the chip aside, out of play.

    Figure 8 (Evil Otto: Examples of Legal Attack Positions). Caption: "Evil Otto can zap the Humanoid from any direction as shown by the arrows."

    E. HOW TO ATTACK AND ZAP THE HUMANOID WITH A ROBOT

    (1) A robot can zap the Humanoid pawn by landing on the same space it is occupying, from any direction EXCEPT DIAGONALLY. It does not have to be by exact count. Examples of attack positions are shown in Figure 9.

    (2) When a robot zaps the Humanoid pawn, immediately return the Humanoid to the space marked HUMANOID. All other pawns remain where they are.

    (3) When a robot zaps the Humanoid, the Humanoid player loses a chip. Put the chip aside, out of play.

    Figure 9 (Robot: Examples of Legal Attack Positions). Caption: "A robot can zap the Humanoid from any direction except diagonally as shown by the arrows."

  • The Maze (refer to Figure 10)

    A. WALLS

    (1) There are 10 walls in the maze (8 are L-shaped and two are straight).

    (2) The Humanoid and the robots CANNOT move through or jump over a wall.

    (3) Evil Otto is the ONLY pawn that can move through a wall.

    B. SPACES

    (1) The HUMANOID SPACE is a "safe" space for the Humanoid throughout the entire game. The Humanoid cannot be zapped by Evil Otto or a robot when occupying this space. Evil Otto or a robot cannot even land on this space.

    (2) The BARRIER SQUARE is the purple space in the exact centre of the maze. NO pawn is allowed to land on or jump over this space. It is a barrier to all.

    (3) The EVIL OTTO SPACE is also the EXIT SPACE for the Humanoid to escape from the maze. The Humanoid can land on this space only when exiting from the maze. Evil Otto or a robot cannot land on this space after Evil Otto moves off of it.

    (4) Any pawn can land on any of the 6 ROBOT SPACES.

    (5) The STRIPED SPACES form a dividing line across the centre of the maze. It divides the maze into two parts (the Humanoid side and the Evil Otto side). Later in the game the movement of the Humanoid may be limited to only one side of the maze. See Rule 8 for further details.

  • WHEN YOUR HUMANOID HAS ZAPPED AT LEAST 4 ROBOTS you have the option of either escaping from the maze or trying to zap the remaining robots to earn bonus points. To escape from the maze, move your Humanoid to the space marked "EVIL OTTO" and you're out. You don't have to land on it by exact count.

  • WHEN YOUR HUMANOID HAS ZAPPED 5 ROBOTS you cannot cross from the EVIL OTTO side to the HUMANOID side of the maze. If your Humanoid is on the HUMANOID side, you can cross over to the EVIL OTTO side but you cannot cross back. The striped spaces across the centre of the maze are part of the HUMANOID side and they form the dividing line. See Figure 10 for a labeled illustration of the maze. This rule does not apply to Evil Otto or the one remaining robot.

  • When your Humanoid escapes from the maze (or is zapped 3 times and destroyed), your turn at being the Humanoid player and controlling the Humanoid is over. Now your opponent has the chance to be the Humanoid player and zap robots to score points. Turn the gameboard around and place all of the pawns back on their starting spaces. Your opponent becomes the Humanoid player and you become the Evil Otto and the robots players. Play as outlined above.

  • Here's How To Score

    A. When you are the Humanoid player you receive 10 points for each robot your Humanoid zaps.

    B. If your Humanoid zaps all 6 robots in one maze, you automatically receive an additional 60 BONUS POINTS for a total of 120 points.

  • THE FIRST ROUND IS COMPLETED when both players have been the Humanoid player once and the Evil Otto player once.

  • The Second Round

    A. You and your opponent play a second round. Follow the rules for the first round BUT WITH ONE EXCEPTION IN THE BASIC TURN OF THE EVIL OTTO AND THE ROBOTS PLAYER.

    B. Here's the BASIC TURN of the Evil Otto player in the second round:

    (1) On your turn, roll the red die and move TWO ROBOTS (or more), splitting the die roll between them in any combination. Important: You cannot move Evil Otto UNTIL the Humanoid has zapped two of your robots.

    (2) WHEN THE HUMANOID ZAPS TWO OF YOUR ROBOTS you MUST start moving Evil Otto on every turn. Roll the die and move EVIL OTTO AND ONE ROBOT (or more), splitting the die roll between them in any combination. You MUST move Evil Otto first, then the robot.

    (3) Please note in the second round, the Evil Otto player becomes more powerful than before because there is less limitation on the movement of Evil Otto and the robots. Even after two robots have been zapped, only two pieces have to be moved per turn. This makes it more difficult for the Humanoid player to zap robots and survive.

    C. Remember you cannot be the Humanoid player in the second round if you already lost your three chips. This means your Humanoid was zapped three times and destroyed when you were the Humanoid player.

  • The Third Round

    A. You and your opponent play a third round. Follow the rules for the first round BUT WITH ONE EXCEPTION IN THE BASIC TURN OF THE EVIL OTTO AND THE ROBOTS PLAYER.

    B. Here's the BASIC TURN of the Evil Otto player in the THIRD ROUND:

    (1) On your turn, roll the red die and move TWO ROBOTS (or more), splitting the die roll between them in any combination. Important: You cannot move Evil Otto UNTIL the Humanoid has zapped two of your robots.

    (2) WHEN THE HUMANOID ZAPS TWO OF YOUR ROBOTS you can start moving Evil Otto if you want to, but the choice is yours. Roll the die and move EITHER EVIL OTTO OR ONE ROBOT (or more). You only have to move one piece of your choice on each turn.

    (3) Please note in the third round, the Evil Otto player becomes even more powerful than before because there is even less limitation on the movement of Evil Otto and the robots. After two robots have been zapped only one piece has to be moved per turn. This makes it even more difficult for the Humanoid player to zap robots and survive.

    C. Remember you cannot be the Humanoid player in the third round if you already lost your three chips. This means your Humanoid was zapped three times and destroyed when you were the Humanoid player.