Catch Mag Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• The Game Board
• Goal of the Game
• Setup
• Playing the Game

Components

• 1 game board
• 25 magnetic rods, 5 each in white, green, red, yellow and blue
• 1 Catch Mag: a magnetic star with a negative and a positive pole
• 10 joker balls for the outer and inner game circles
• 1 number die
• 4 spaceships as game pieces

The Game Board

The game board shows:

• The universe, with spaces for the magnetic rods (numbered 1–30) and the five outer joker balls (numbered 1, 7, 13, 19, 25);
• A star galaxy which contains the five bonus joker balls at its ends;
• 4 space stations, each marked by a star. Each space station contains 5 rows of different colors (blue, green, red, yellow, white) and five numbered spaces for the five outer bonus balls;
• 4 spaces for the spaceships;
• One space for the die;
• One space for the Catch Mag.

Goal of the Game

The winner is the first player to place five rods of one color into the matching rows of his space station.

Setup

The 25 magnetic rods are placed, mixed at random and by color, into the recesses of the game circle (the universe). The 10 joker balls are placed into the openings provided for them in the outer and inner game circles.

The Catch Mag is placed in the middle of the game circle.

The players sit in front of the space stations arranged in the four corners of the board.

Playing the Game

All players roll the die in turn. The player who rolls the highest number may begin.

The player rolls the die and moves his spaceship clockwise from start space no. 1, by the number rolled. There, he has the chance to use the Catch Mag to pull out the magnetic rod placed at that spot.

Note: There is a 50% chance of pulling the magnetic rod out (POLARITY).

If he succeeds, he brings the rod to his own space station and places it in the matching color row.

If pulling the rod out does not succeed because the parts repel each other (reversed polarity), his turn is now over. The Catch Mag may no longer be turned; it is returned to the middle of the playing field, and the next player takes his turn.

Note: The rod has a positive pole at one end and a negative pole at the other, so the player must think carefully, and also be lucky, to set the Catch Mag onto the matching pole of the rod.

If a player lands on an outer joker space (no. 1, 7, 13, 19, 25), he uses the Catch Mag to pull the ball out of its recess and then has two options:

• Either he places the joker ball into the matching recess of his home space, to use it later. (Note the numbers, to see where the joker came from: after use it must go back there.)

• Or he "swipes" ("mopst") an important rod from an opponent's home space with the Catch Mag and the joker ball hanging from it, pulls it out there, and places it into the matching color row of his own space. Afterwards the joker ball must be returned to its compartment in the game circle.

Note: A distinction is made between the joker balls (outer circle) and the super joker ball, which is located in the inner game circle.

Unlike the joker ball, the player can use the super joker ball to pull a sought-after magnetic rod out of any position in the game circle and use it to fill his home space. The super joker ball cannot be reserved and must be set back immediately to its starting position after use.

If a player already has four stones of one color in his space station, then on his turn he may roll the die three times in a row, which improves his chances of winning. This applies for as long as he holds four magnetic rods of one color.

The players must make sure that no opponent completes one of his color rows early and thereby wins. This can and should be strategically hindered or blocked by using the joker balls.