Clacks: A Discworld Board Game Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Contents
• The Player's Part
• Introduction and Objectives
• Basic Rules
  • Playing Board
  • The Clacks Alphabet
  • The Clacks Exchange and Tower Selector Buttons
  • Clacks Cards
  • Jacquards
  • Playing Jacquards
  • Transmitting a Letter
  • Stress Points
• How to Play Clacks
  • Competitive Game (2, 3 or 4 Players)
    • Set Up (Competitive Game)
    • Who Goes First?
    • A Player's Turn
  • Competitive Game — Player's Turn Explained
    • 1. Moving to a Tower Selector Button
    • 2. Playing Jacquards
    • 3. Mark Clacks Card
    • 4. Draw Replacement Jacquards
  • Fault Report Cards
  • Winning
  • Last Letter Sabotage
  • Competitive Game — Optional Rules
• Co-operative Game (2, 3 or 4 Players) — The Race to Genua
  • Objectives
  • Set Up (Co-operative Game)
  • Which Route?
  • Who Goes First?
  • A Player's Turn
  • Co-operative Game — Player's Turn Explained
    • 1. Play Jacquards
    • 2. Update Clacks Cards and Playing Board
    • 3. Discard Used Jacquard/s and Pass a Jacquard to the Next Player
    • 4. Draw Replacement Jacquard
  • Swapping a Jacquard
  • Incident Report Cards
  • Operator's Log Cards
  • Winning (Co-operative Game)
  • Co-operative Game — Optional Rules
• For Younger Players
  • Junior Race Game (2 Players)
• Rules Summary for Clacks Competitive Game (2, 3 or 4 Players)

Contents

• 1 Clacks Operators' Manual
• 1 Playing board
• 16 Lamp tiles
• 1 Sheet of Lamp ON/OFF Stickers (Not shown)
• 36 Clacks Cards
• 12 Fault Report Cards (Red back)
• 8 Incident Report Cards (Blue back)
• 8 Operator's Log Cards (Green back)
• 48 Jacquards
• 4 Player pawns
• 2 Deep Dwarf marker
• 24 Transmit Markers (Wooden cubes)
• 12 Clacks Tower Pieces
• 1 Ankh-Morpork Post Office Marker
• 1 Clacks Alphabet Card
• 1 Play Timer (Not shown)
• 1 Cloth Bag

Before playing affix Lamp On / Lamp Off stickers to the Lamp Tiles.

IMPORTANT: Each Lamp Tile should have a Lamp On sticker on one side and a Lamp Off sticker on the reverse side.

The Player's Part

With the forthcoming transmission race coming up against the Ankh-Morpork Postal Service, The Grand Trunk is hiring only the very best Clacks Operators to work on the network. Have you got what it takes to master one of the new Clacks exchanges? Can you be the fastest and shrewdest Clacks Operator on the Disc?

Introduction and Objectives

The 'central section' of the playing board represents a Jacquard Operated Clacks Exchange, from which operators can control a number of Clacks Towers.

The board holds a set of 16 Lamp tiles, each with a 'lamp on' and a 'lamp off' side that are used to represent the lamps on a series of twelve Clacks Towers. Players are each given a Clacks Card showing a well-known Discworld name or word and the specific letter patterns that represent that word in the Clacks alphabet. This is the message they must transmit.

Players then use Jacquards which, when played, will turn on or off a specific number and pattern of lamps on the Clacks Exchange.

Players take turns to play their Jacquards, switching Lamp tiles on and off to transmit the required letters shown on their card in the correct order starting with the first letter. The winner is the first player to successfully transmit all the letters shown on their Clacks Card in the correct order.

Basic Rules

Clacks can be played either as a Competitive Player v Player game for 2 to 4 players, or as a Co-operative Team Game where 2, 3 or 4 players work together defeat the game.

The Basic Rules in this section and will apply to both versions of the game.

Playing Board

Clacks Exchange — This section holds the Lamp Tiles and is used in both Competitive and Co-operative Clacks games.

Start Buttons — These are used only in Competitive Clacks games.

Map Section — This section is used only in Co-Operative "Race to Genua" and the Clacks "Junior Race" games.

The Clacks Alphabet

Clacks messages are sent from tower to tower using a six lamp semaphore system. Each letter of the alphabet has a unique lamp pattern that is shown on those six lamps to transmit that letter. In Clacks we refer to those as Letter Patterns.

Each letter of the Clacks Alphabet is signalled using a 2 x 3 vertical block of 6 lamps.

The Clacks Exchange and Tower Selector Buttons

The central area of the playing board is referred to as the Clacks Exchange. In Clacks each player is in control of 6 Clacks Towers. The six towers controlled by each player are marked on the Clacks Exchange panel as either Red (square) or Green (circle) Tower Selector Buttons. These buttons match the coloured Start Buttons on the outer edges of the playing board.

Each Tower Selector Button sits in the centre of a vertical group of 6 Lamp Tiles which represent the lamps on 'one Clacks Tower'. During the game each player will use only the Tower Selector Buttons matching the colour and shape of the 'Start Button' nearest to them on the edge of the board.

If a player begins the game on a Green (circle) Start Button then they only use the Green (circle) Tower Selector Buttons during the game. If a player begins the game on a Red (square) Start Button then they only use the Red (square) Tower Selector Buttons during the game.

In the example shown, Player 1 & Player 3 use the six Clacks Towers controlled by the Red Tower Selector Buttons on the Clacks Exchange. Player 2 & Player 4 use the six Clacks Towers controlled by the Green Tower Selector Buttons.

The letter patterns illustrated show the direction in which each player must create their letter patterns.

Clacks Cards

Each Clacks Card has a 5 letter Discworld name or word printed on it. These are the messages that players will have to transmit to win the game.

Jacquards

The lamps on the Clacks Towers are switched on or off using punched cards known as 'Jacquards'. Each Jacquard shows a specific number and pattern of punched holes. These cards if played, allow a player to turn over the corresponding pattern of Lamp Tiles on the playing board.

Each Jacquard carries a Fault stamp, a Punch Pattern, and a number of Stress Points printed in the bottom left corner.

Playing Jacquards

The pattern shown on the Jacquard can be played anywhere on the board as long as the full pattern shown on the Jacquard fits within the 4 x 4 grid of 16 Lamp Tiles. You must turn over every tile in the pattern shown on the Jacquard.

The patterns may be 'rotated or mirrored' if required.

Transmitting a Letter

On the Clacks Cards the pattern of lights required to transmit each letter is shown below the word. (Larger versions of the Letter Patterns are also shown on the Clacks Alphabet Card).

Players use their Jacquards to turn over Lamp Tiles, switching lamps on or off in order to create their required Letter Patterns on the Clacks Exchange.

Important

• The Letter Patterns must be created facing the player Vertically on the board exactly as shown on the Clacks Card.
• Players must transmit the letters of the word on the Clacks Card in the correct order.
• Players cannot transmit more than one letter per turn.
• Players cannot claim a Letter Pattern that is already on the board at the start of their turn. (A Player must have changed at least one Lamp in the six Lamp Tiles surrounding the Tower Selector Button where their pawn is sitting. This may be achieved by turning one lamp off with a Jacquard then back on again by using another Jacquard.)

Stress Points

The introduction of the new automated Clacks exchanges has significantly reduced transmission times; however they do have a tendency to over-heat or break down during frequent use. Each Jacquard has a number of Green Cogs printed in the bottom left corner. This represents the amount of mechanical stress and tension that each Jacquard will place upon the gears and push rods within the Clacks Exchange if used. In Clacks we refer to that cost as Stress Points.

In a Competitive Game players are limited to spending only 5 Stress Points on each turn.

In the Cooperative Game, Stress Points are used to control how far the Post Office marker moves along the road to Genua after each player's turn.

How to Play Clacks

Competitive Game (2, 3 or 4 Players)

In a Clacks Competitive Game the players play as individuals, competing against each other to transmit the word shown on their Clacks Card first and win the game.

Set Up (Competitive Game)

Playing Board and Lamp Tiles. Set out the playing board and place the 16 Lamp tiles onto the Clacks Exchange panel in the centre of the board with the correct Lamp on, Lamp off sides face up as shown in diagram below. In a Clacks 'Competitive Game' only the Clacks Exchange section in the centre of the playing board is used. The Map Section of the playing board is not used in a Clacks Competitive Game.

Playing Pieces:

• Two players — Each player selects a Player Pawn and sets it on the Start Button nearest to them on the edge of the playing board. In a two-player game players should face each other across the playing board.
• Three players — Each player selects a Player Pawn and sets it on the Start Button nearest to them on the board. The player with no one sitting opposite them should take the Deep Dwarf Marker and place it in front of them. During the game the Deep Dwarf will follow that player around the board. Each time the player moves their Player Pawn the Deep Dwarf will move on to the Tower Selector Button that the Player Pawn has just left, always remaining one Tower behind. Players may not transmit from a Tower Selector Button which is occupied by the Deep Dwarf.
• Four players — Each player selects a Player Pawn and sets it on the Start Button nearest to them on the board.

Transmit Markers: Set the Transmit Markers in a pile beside the board.

Cards:

• Set the Operators Log and the Incident Report card decks to one side. (They are not required in a Competitive Game.)
• Deal each player one Clacks Card and set the remainder to one side. (The remaining Clacks Cards will not be used.) Each player sets their Clacks Card face-up in front of them displaying the word they must transmit.
• Deal each player one Fault Report card and set the remainder of the deck face down beside the board.
• Place the Jacquards into the bag and allow each player to draw 3 Jacquards from the bag.

Who Goes First?

The person with the Clacks word that comes first alphabetically will start the game.

Give the Clacks Alphabet Card to the starting player. This is passed to the next player in a clockwise direction at the start of their turn.

A Player's Turn

In a Clacks Competitive game each player takes the following actions on their turn.

1. Move to a Tower Selector Button
2. Play Jacquards (Players must always play at least one Jacquard on their turn)
3. Mark Clacks Card
4. Draw replacement Jacquards

Competitive Game — Player's Turn Explained

1. Moving to a Tower Selector Button

The Tower Selector Buttons are the Red (squares) or Green (circles) on Clacks Exchange panel in the centre of the playing board. If a player begins on Red Start Button they may only move onto the Red Tower Selector Buttons during the game. If a player begins on Green Start Button they may only move onto the Green Tower Selector Buttons during the game. Players must move their player pawn onto the Tower Selector Button in the centre of the 6 lamp tiles they are using to transmit a letter.

The First Round

At the start of each player's first turn they may move their Player Pawn from the Start Button onto any of the 6 Tower Selector Buttons on the Clacks Exchange that match their Start Button. This is a FREE action for this round and costs zero Stress Points.

Each Player has a Maximum of 5 Stress Points to spend per turn.

Following Rounds

• A Player must move to a different Tower Selector Button each time they want to transmit a new letter. (Exception – see below)
• When a player successfully transmits a letter their turn ends.
• Players cannot move diagonally between Tower Selector Buttons.
• Players may move through but cannot stop on any Tower Selector Button occupied by another player's pawn or by the Deep Dwarf marker.
• Moving between Tower Selector Buttons costs 1 Stress Point for each button moved onto or through on a turn.

Exception - If a player does not transmit a letter on their turn; they may remain on that Tower Selector Button for their next turn and may transmit a letter from that Tower if they wish.

2. Playing Jacquards

Once a player has moved to a new Tower Selector Button they may spend the 'remainder' of their Stress Points to play one or more Jacquards from their hand to create the required Letter Pattern needed to transmit the next letter on their Clacks Card.

To play a Jacquard a Player should place the card face up in front of them and turn over the corresponding Lamp tiles on the board. Once a Jacquard has been played it should be placed into the discard pile.

3. Mark Clacks Card

If a player has successfully created the required letter pattern to transmit their next letter, they should cover the transmitted letter on their Clacks Card with a Transmit Marker.

4. Draw Replacement Jacquards

At the end of their turn a player must discard any Jacquards they have used on that turn to a discard pile and then draw replacements (up to a maximum of holding three Jacquards in their hand) from the Bag.

Once the last Jacquard has been drawn, all Jacquards in the discard pile should be placed back into the bag and play continues as before.

Fault Report Cards

There are many minor malfunctions that can and often do happen when operating Clacks Towers. The Fault Report Cards in a Clacks 'Competitive Game' are used to represent those Faults. A description and the effects of each fault is printed on the Fault Cards.

Gaining Additional Fault Report Cards

Each player begins a Clacks Competitive Game with one Fault Report Card.

During the game if a player draws a Jacquard marked with a Fault stamp from the bag, they must lift the top Fault Report Card from deck. There is no limit on how many Fault Report Cards a player may hold.

Players should not draw additional Fault Report Cards for any Fault Stamps on the 3 Jacquards they receive at the very beginning of the game.

Fault Cards Can Be Played at Any Time During the Game.

Players may use them to help themselves on their own turn or to hinder an opponent during theirs. Once a Fault Report Card has been played it should be returned face down to the bottom of the Fault Report Card deck.

Winning

The winner is the first person to successfully transmit all the letters of the word shown on their Clacks Card in the correct order.

Unless they are sabotaged! (See Last Letter Sabotage)

Last Letter Sabotage

The stakes are high. There are only a few places left on the team that will race against the Ankh-Morpork Post Office and claim glory for the Grand Trunk. Some trainees are willing to do whatever it takes to get on that team.

When a player successfully transmits their Final Letter, the player whose turn it is immediately next, gets 'one chance' to Sabotage that player's message and force them to re-transmit their final letter.

• Sabotage can only be attempted immediately after a player has successfully transmitted their final letter.
• Only the next player in line may attempt to Sabotage a message.
• A player may only be sabotaged once in a game.

How to Sabotage

To sabotage a message a player must use the Jacquards currently in their hand, or play a Fault Card, to turn off all six lamps in the Clacks Tower the previous player has just used to create their Final Letter. (i.e. the six lamp tiles surrounding the Tower Selector Button where the previous player's pawn is sitting). Normal limit of 5 Stress Points per turn applies.

A Successful Sabotage.

If a player's sabotage attempt succeeds, then the previous player must remove the final Transmit Marker from their Clacks Card and play continues. On their next turn they must move to a different Tower Selector Button and attempt to re-send their Final Letter.

If the sabotaging player has remaining Jacquards and Stress Points to spend following a successful sabotage, they can continue their turn.

A Failed Sabotage.

If a Last Letter Sabotage attempt fails, the game ends and the player who has transmitted their Final Letter wins!

Competitive Game — Optional Rules

Clacks Express - Timed Competitive Game

Congratulations, you have passed Stage One of the Clacks Operators basic Training Programme. You now know how to run a Clacks Exchange but with the upcoming race against the Postal Service looming, the Grand Trunk Company are hiring only the fastest operators. Can you work under pressure? Do you have the speed they need?

Beginning a Timed Competitive Game

Once the set-up is complete and all players are ready to play, the 'Transmission Timer' is turned over and placed in front of the first player to begin their turn. The player now has only 60 seconds to transmit a letter before the Transmission Timer is empty. If a player fails to transmit a letter before the Transmission Timer runs out, their turn ends. If they fail to play a Jacquard before the time ends, they must discard one Jacquard from their hand and 'do not' draw a replacement Jacquard on that turn.

At the end of each player's turn (once they have completed their actions and have drawn new Jacquards as required) the player should re-set the Transmission Timer then turn it over and place it in front of the next player to begin that player's turn.

Long Message - Extended Competitive Game

Deal each player 'two' Clacks Cards each at the beginning of a game.

Players must transmit the letters of both words and, in addition must transmit the Clacks signal for 'Space' in between the two words and the Clacks signal for 'End' after the second word to complete their message and win the game. The Clacks patterns for 'Space' and 'End' are shown on the Clacks Alphabet Card.

This rule can be applied to either a Competitive Game, or a Timed Competitive Game.

Quick Game - No Sabotage Rules

The standard Clacks Competitive game rules apply but there is no Last Letter Sabotage allowed.

The first player to complete their message Wins at the end of that round. (Once all players have completed their turn) - If more than one player completes their message on the same round, the winner is the one who spent the lowest number of Stress Points on their last Turn.

If players have spent the same number of Stress Point on their last turn then the person who's word comes first alphabetically is declared the winner.

Co-operative Game (2, 3 or 4 Players) — The Race to Genua

In the Discworld novel 'Going Postal' a race takes place between the Ankh-Morpork Post Office and the Grand Trunk Semaphore Company's Clacks system to prove which is the fastest and most reliable messaging service on the Discworld. The two rival services raced.

A Clacks Cooperative Game recreates the race from Ankh-Morpork to the city of Genua. Players need to work together as a team to transmit their message before the Postal Service reaches Genua in order to win the race.

Objectives

• Work as a team to get your message to Genua before the Post Office.
• Use as few Stress Points as possible as each Stress Point spent will move the Post Office one step closer to Genua.

Set Up (Co-operative Game)

Playing Board and Lamp Tiles. Set out the playing board and place the 16 Lamp tiles onto the Clacks Exchange panel in the centre of the board with the correct Lamp on and Lamp off sides face-up as shown in the diagram. In a Cooperative Game both the Clacks Exchange and the map sections of the playing board will be in use.

Post Office Marker. Place the Post Office Marker on to the start position (Ankh-Morpork) shown on the playing board.

Clacks Tower Pieces. Set the 12 Clacks Tower Pieces in a pile beside the playing board.

Transmit Markers. Set 12 Transmit Markers in a pile beside the board. Players do not use a Player Pawn in the Cooperative Game.

Cards:

• Shuffle the Clacks Cards and deal two cards face-up beside the board, leaving enough space between them to place a Transmit Marker.

• Shuffle the Incident Report Cards and deal 'two' cards 'face-down', side by side above the playing board. Set the remaining cards to one side.

  Select one of each of the following Jacquards. Place one 'face-up' on top of each of the two Incident Report Cards. Then place the remainder of the Jacquards into the Cloth Bag.

• Shuffle the Operator's Log Cards and deal two cards face-down, side by side above the playing board. Set the remaining cards to one side.

  Draw two Jacquards from the bag. Without looking at their patterns place one face-down on top of each of the two Operator's Log Cards.

  Take the Fault Report Cards and set them to one side. They are not required in a Clacks Cooperative Game.

  Set the 'Transmission Timer' to one side. It is not required in a Clacks Cooperative Game.

Which Route?

There are two routes that the players may choose to use in a Co-operative game.

There are twelve Clacks Tower locations marked on each route (The city of Genua is counted as the final Clacks Tower location for each Route). Each time the players successfully transmit a letter they 'light up' the next tower along the route by placing another Tower Marker onto the board, showing the Clacks message's progress towards the finish.

Players should agree which route to take before they begin.

The Easy Route

The Easy Route moves anti-clockwise from Ankh-Morpork, through the Forest of Skund, across the hills of Zlobenia, over the mountains to Borgravia and on to Genua. There are 12 Clacks Towers and 38 steps on the Post Office track.

The Hard Route

The Hard Route goes clockwise from Ankh-Morpork up across Sto Plains and into the Ramtop Mountains before turning to head through Uberwald towards the finish in Genua. There are 12 Clacks Towers and only 34 steps on the Post Office track.

Who Goes First?

The Player Sitting nearest to the Start Position at Ankh-Morpork will go first.

Beginning the Co-operative Game

• Each player draws one Jacquard from the bag.
• The Starting Player then draws one additional Jacquard from the bag and takes the Clacks Alphabet card.
• Play will move in a clockwise direction.
• The Clacks Alphabet Card is passed to each player on their turn.

A Player's Turn

In a Clacks Co-operative game each player takes the following actions on their turn.

1. Play Jacquards
2. Update Clacks Cards & Playing Board (if they have transmitted a letter on that turn).
3. Discard used Jacquard/s and pass a Jacquard to the next player.
4. Draw a replacement Jacquard.

Co-operative Game — Player's Turn Explained

1. Play Jacquards

On their turn a player may play one or both of the Jacquards in their hand to try and make the Letter Pattern on the playing board that matches the required letter on their Clacks Card.

Players must play at least one Jacquard on their turn.

There is no limit to how many Stress Points a player may spend on their turn in a Cooperative Clacks Game, however every Stress Point spent moves the Post Office one step closer to Genua.

2. Update Clacks Cards and Playing Board

If a player matches the correct Letter Pattern to transmit the next letter of the message, the player should:

• Cover up the corresponding letter on the Clacks Card using a Transmit Marker.
• Place a Clacks Tower piece on the next Tower Location marked on the map along their chosen route.
• Move the Post Office Marker one step along the Post Office Track for every Stress Point spent on that turn.

If a player has not matched the correct letter pattern to transmit the next letter of the message, the player should:

• Move the Post Office Marker one step along the Post Office Track for each Stress Point spent.

3. Discard Used Jacquard/s and Pass a Jacquard to the Next Player

Played Jacquards are placed on the discard pile.

If the player has used only one Jacquard on their turn they must pass the remaining Jacquard in their hand to the next player on their left.

If they have played both Jacquards from their hand they must draw one Jacquard from the bag and pass it to the player on their left.

4. Draw Replacement Jacquard

A player ends their turn by drawing one new Jacquard from the bag and adding it to their hand.

A player should always end their turn with one Jacquard in their hand, unless otherwise instructed by an Incident Report Card. Fault Report symbols are ignored in a Cooperative Race game.

Swapping a Jacquard

If a player decides that cannot use one of the Jacquards in their hand they can choose to either:

Swap it for either one of the face-up Jacquards on top of the two Incident Report Cards that are set out above the playing Board.

or

Swap it for one of the face down Jacquards on top of the Operator's Log Cards that are set out above the playing Board.

To do so they must discard the unwanted Jacquard from their hand, then pick up the chosen Jacquard and the Incident Report Card or Operator's Log Card below it and do the following:

• Immediately read out and apply the effects of the Incident Report Card or Operators Log Card that was underneath the chosen Jacquard.

• Play the Jacquard they have just lifted on that turn. They can also play the remaining Jacquard in their hand on the same turn.

  Players may swap only one Jacquard on a turn.

The Cost of Swapping a Jacquard

If a player chooses swap a Jacquard on top of an Incident Report Card it will cost:

• the Stress Points shown on the Jacquard they lifted.
• any additional penalties listed on the Incident Report Card.

If a player chooses to lift a Jacquard on top of an Operator's Log Card it will cost:

• one Stress Point for lifting it.
• the amount or Stress Points shown on the Jacquard they lift.
• any additional penalties listed on the Operators Log Card.

Incident Report Cards

Incident Report Cards contain details of external events, beyond the operator's control which generally tend to have a negative effect of the operation of a Clacks Tower.

Operator's Log Cards

Operator's Log cards contain details of minor, everyday occurrences that can happen on your shift as a Clacks Operator. Some of these can benefit the Clacks Operators; others may have a less helpful outcome.

Winning (Co-operative Game)

To win the game the players must complete their message by transmitting all the letters in the correct order, including the 'Space' and the 'End' signals then place the final Clacks Tower Piece on the finish at Genua before the Post Office marker has reached the city.

If the Post Office and the Clacks Message arrive at Genua on the same turn, the race is considered a WIN for the Postal Service and the players lose.

Co-operative Game — Optional Rules

Long Distance Transmission.

In a standard Cooperative Game players are considered to be operating together in a Clacks Exchange where they can discuss tactics with each other and each may advise other players as to which Jacquards to play where in order to transmit a letter.

A Long Distance Cooperative Game is played as if the players are all in separate Towers along the route with no way to communicate with other operators, except via the Clacks Lamps.

Players must keep their Jacquards face down in front of them until played. Players cannot communicate verbally to offer assistance to the other players on their turn.

This rule can be used to make either the Easy or the Hard routes 'even more' challenging.

Clacks - Night Shift

The day shift has had the towers running flat-out all day to cope with the usual pre-Hogswatch rush.

Players start a night shift knowing that they will be working in Clacks Towers that are already over-heating and are likely to be even less reliable than usual.

Shuffle the Fault Report Cards and place the deck face down beside the playing board. If a player draws a Jacquard marked with a Fault Stamp the player must lift a Fault Report Card from the deck.

The Fault Report Card should be read out immediately and any effects on the card applied before the next player takes their turn.

Solitaire Game. (1 player)

So you feel like you can take on the Ankh-Morpork Post Office in a race to Genua single-handed?

A Solitaire game can be played using the Clacks 'Cooperative Game' rules.

• Shuffle the Clacks Cards and deal two cards, face-up in front of you, leaving enough space between them to place a Transmit Marker.

• Draw two Jacquards from the bag and place them face up in front of you.

  You are now ready to begin.

  Discard each Jacquard as it is played and draw a replacement from the bag each time.

  Normal Cooperative rules on Stress Points, Clacks Towers, moving the Post Office, and changing Jacquards apply.

To win a solitaire game you must complete the Clacks message, including transmitting the 'Space' and the 'End' signals, and place the final Clacks Tower Piece on Genua, before the Post Office marker has reached the city.

For Younger Players

Junior Race Game (2 Players)

This is an introduction for younger children to Clacks, to teach them the basics of the game. Younger players can use this simplified Race Game to learn to recognise the Letter Patterns. They will also learn how to use combinations of different Jacquards to create the letters they need.

The two players will race from Ankh-Morpork to Genua. One player will move along the twelve Clacks Tower locations on the EASY route. The other will use the twelve Clacks Towers locations along the HARD route.

Set Up

• Set the Incident Report and Operator's Log Cards to one side. They are not required in this game.
• Shuffle the Fault Report Cards and set the deck face down beside the board.
• Each child selects a different coloured Player Pawn and sets it on the start position on the Playing board at Ankh-Morpork.
• Deal 2 Clacks Cards to each child, which they place face-up in front of them.
• Give each child 12 Transmit Markers.
• Deal each child 4 Jacquards.

Who Goes First?

The child with the first word alphabetically begins the game.

How to Play

All basic rules apply with the following additions & amendments.

• No Stress Point Limits - In a Junior Game each player can play as many Jacquards from their hand as they wish. (Normal rules on Transmitting a Letter apply)
• Players do not have to move to a different tower to transmit their next letter.
• At the end of each turn players should discard any used Jacquards and draw back up to a total of four jacquards in their hand.
• Once a player completes the word shown on their first Clacks Card, they must transmit a Space signal (shown on the Clacks Alphabet Card) before beginning to transmit the word shown on their second Clacks Card.
• To complete the message a player must send the End signal (shown on the Clacks Alphabet Card) after they have transmitted the last letter of the word on their second Clacks Card.

A Player's Turn

In a Clacks Junior Race game each player takes the following actions on their turn.

1. Play Jacquards
2. Update Clacks Cards & Playing Board
3. Discard used Jacquard/s.
4. Draw a replacement Jacquard.

At the End of a Player's Turn

If a player has matched the correct Letter Pattern to transmit the next letter of the message, the player should:

• cover up the corresponding letter on the Clacks Card using a Transmit Marker;
• move their Player Pawn to the next Tower Location on their chosen route.

If a player has not matched the correct Letter Pattern to transmit the next letter of the message, the player should:

• discard any used Jacquards and draw replacement tokens from the bag.

Fault Reports

When a player lands on one of the named towers on the playing board (marked as Tower 3, Tower 6 and Tower 9 on each route) the player must lift a Fault Report Card from the deck, read it out loud and apply the effects of the card immediately.

Winning

The first player to move their Player Pawn onto Genua is the winner.

Rules Summary for Clacks Competitive Game (2, 3 or 4 Players)

Objective – Transmit the word shown on your Clacks card by using Jacquards to switch the lamp tiles on or off in order to create the correct letter patterns to be the first to send your Clacks message.

Set up the board and place the 16 Lamp Tiles on the Clacks Exchange as shown on Page 5.

Two or four player game - Each player selects a Player Pawn and sets it on the Start Button nearest to them on the edge of the playing board. In a two player game players should face each other across the playing board.

Three player game - Each player selects a Player Pawn and sets it on the Start Button nearest to them on the edge of the playing board. The player with no player opposite them should also take a Deep Dwarf Marker.

During the game the Deep Dwarf will follow that player around the board. Each time the player moves their Player Pawn the Deep Dwarf will move on to the Tower Selector Button that the Player Pawn has just left, always remaining one Tower behind.

Players may not transmit from a Tower Selector Button which is occupied by the Deep Dwarf.

• Deal each player one Clacks Card face up and set the remainder to one side as they are not required.
• Deal each player one Fault Report Card face down and set the remainder of the deck face down 'beside the board'.
• Place the Jacquards into the bag and allow each player to draw 3 Jacquards from the bag.
• The person with the Clacks word that comes first alphabetically takes the Alphabet Card and starts the game.
• Each player can spend up to 5 Stress Points on their turn. The Stress points are marked on the bottom of each Jacquard.

On their first turn a player can move their pawn onto any Tower Selector Button that matches the colour of their Start Button. This first move is FREE. Each time they move after that from one Tower Button to another Tower Button it will cost them 1 Stress Point for each Tower they move onto or through.

Each Player Takes the Following Actions on Their Turn.

1. Move their Player Pawn. Players may not transmit two consecutive letters from the same Tower and must move to a new tower to transmit each letter. If a player fails to transmit a letter on their turn, they may remain on the Same Tower and try to transmit the letter from the same Tower Button on their next turn.
2. Play Jacquards from their hand to turns lamps on or off to match the next letter pattern shown on their Clacks Card. (Players must always play at least one Jacquard on their turn and don't exceed five Stress Points including those used to move between Tower Buttons.
3. If they have successfully matched the next required letter pattern shown on their Clacks Card; the player should cover the transmitted letter on their Clacks Card with a Transmit Marker.
4. Discard used Jacquards and draw a replacement Jacquard for each from the bag.
5. Pass the Alphabet Card to the next player in a clockwise direction.

Full explanations of a Players Turn is shown on page 6 of this booklet.

After their first turn, if a player draws a Jacquard marked with a Fault Stamp from the bag (see page 7), they must lift the top Fault Report Card from deck. There is no limit on how many Fault Report Cards a player may hold. Fault Cards can be played at anytime during the game.

The winner is the first person to successfully transmit all the letters of the word shown on their Clacks Card in the correct order.