Callisto (2015)
Callisto (2015) Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 52 cardboard tiles and 12 cardboard "pillars" (in 4 colors)
- Flexible frame to delimit the playing area, made up of 4 large pieces and 8 small ones
- These rules
Object of the Game
Place as many tiles as possible inside the frame. The tiles that remain unplaced at the end of the game penalize with a certain number of points. The player with the lowest number of points is the winner.
Setup
Each player chooses a color and takes the 13 tiles and the 3 pillars of that color. Then form the frame appropriate to the number of players: for two players use the 4 large pieces, forming a 10 x 10 grid; for three players add one small piece on each side (12 x 12); for four, add two small pieces on each side (14 x 14).
How to Play
The youngest player starts and play proceeds clockwise. On their first turn, every player places one of their pillars inside the frame; on the second, they place their second pillar. Players may place the pillars anywhere adjacent to the inside of the frame, but not adjacent to another pillar.
After each player has placed two pillars, players place their tiles, one per turn, always respecting the following two rules:
- You must place your tile inside the frame and adjacent to one of your pillars or to one of your already placed tiles (they cannot touch only by a corner).
- On any turn during the game you may place your third pillar anywhere adjacent to the inside of the frame or adjacent to a tile of any player, but not adjacent to another pillar.
(The rulebook illustrates these rules with diagrams of allowed and not allowed placements.)
End of the Game
When a player can no longer place more tiles, they are out of the game. The game continues until no player can place more tiles. At that moment, each player calculates their penalty by adding up the points of the tiles they were unable to place. The player with the lowest total is the winner. An unplaced third pillar adds no penalty points. In case of a tie, the player who started playing later wins.
Play as many games as there are players, with the starting player being a different person in each one. Add up all the penalty points of the games; the player with the lowest total sum is the final winner.
Penalty Points
Tiles left unplaced at the end of the game penalize with a certain number of points. (The rule text gives no further formula; its illustrated examples show a tile worth 2 points and unplaced-tile totals such as 3 + 5 = 8, 4 + 4 + 5 = 13 and 3 + 4 + 4 = 11 points.)