Convert
Convert Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Basic Game
Convert the board to your color & try to score rows of four squares.
Game Items Needed: Game board, all blocks, score card and tokens.
Play
- Players select a set of blocks to play, white or black. Choose first player randomly.
- Players alternate turns, selecting a piece from their supply, and placing it in play using basic building rules.
- If a player can't place a piece, their turn is skipped, and the opponent gets 1 more play. If there are no moves left for either player, move into final scoring.
Scoring
When a player places a piece that completes a row of four squares, they score one point. If a piece completes two or more rows, score all accordingly. Mark each point on the scoreboard using your color token.
Note: Pieces do not have to be on the same level to score, as rows are observed from above. Also, remember that the color of the board counts as its given color, and can be used to score rows.
- Only score the rows where at least one square was converted to the opposing color.
- Do not score a stack of four of the same color. Do not score diagonally.
[Diagram: scoreboard track numbered 1 to 4 for scoring points.]
Final Scoring
From above, count how many squares each color has and add it to that color's total.
Winning
The player with the most points after final scoring is the winner. In the case of a tie, the player with the most squares of their color on the top most layer is the winner.
1st Puzzle: Race!
Game Items Needed: All blocks.
Play
Each player chooses a color set of blocks, and races to build the following shape first:
[Diagram: a solid shape 4 levels high, with a footprint of 2 squares by 4 squares.]
2nd & 3rd Puzzles: Create The Shape!
Game Items Needed: All blocks.
Play
Using the blocks, create the following shapes:
- A: [Diagram: a multi-level block structure built from tan and black blocks.]
- B: [Diagram: a flat, one-level slab built from tan and black blocks.]
4th Puzzle: Blackout!
Game Items Needed: Game board, all blocks.
Play
Convert all of the squares from black to white.
- After setup (see image), alternate playing white then black pieces.
- When playing a black piece, it must cover at least one white square.
- During play it IS possible to run out of black pieces. If this happens, play the rest of your white pieces.
Setup
[Diagrams 1 to 4: four starting arrangements of black and white blocks on the board, as shown on the printed page.]
1st Game Variant: Think INSIDE the box!
Game Items Needed: Game board, all blocks. Optional: Game Box
Play
Don't build on the 5th level! If you do, you LOSE!
- Players select to play as either white or black. Choose first player randomly.
- Using the basic building rules, place one of your blocks on the board. Try to keep all portions of your block BELOW the 5th level. Note: If using the game box, the 5th level is above the box line.
- If any portion of a block is on the 5th level, that player loses!
[Diagram: a structure labelled "4 levels high. Don't go outside the lines!"]
Variant
Community Pool: You may use ANY piece on your turn. Do not select a color to play at the beginning of the game.
2nd Game Variant: Control Towers
While the base game of Convert plays from a birds eye view, the game "Control Towers" plays from a side view.
Game Items Needed: Game board, all blocks, score card and tokens.
Objective
Gain control of each scoring square (the 12 perimeter squares) by having the most layers of your color in that square's tower.
Terms
Tower - A stack of blocks in one of the 12 perimeter squares
Play
Using basic building rules, take turns choosing one of your pieces and place it on the board. If you cannot play a piece, your turn is skipped! If no one can play a piece, proceed into scoring.
Controlling
In one of the perimeter squares, count the number of layers owned by black or white, as seen from the side. The player with the most layers of their color controls that tower in that square.
Scoring
- In this game, only the 12 perimeter squares are scored.
- Controlled towers are worth 1 point each. Ties for control are worth zero.
- The player with the most points wins!
- If there is a tie, the player with the most coverage on the entire board wins.
[Diagram: the 12 red squares are the perimeter squares. They are the scoring squares on the board in the game "Control Towers". Three towers are labelled: Tower A "Black Controls This Tower", Tower B "White Controls This Tower", and Tower C "TIE! No Player Controls This Tower".]
3rd Game Variant: The Change-Up
As your score changes, so will your choice of blocks!
Game Items Needed: Game board, All blocks, score card and tokens.
Objective
Score rows of 4 squares with the color block you are currently playing. Be careful, as the color blocks you can play will change!
Playing
Determine the color block you will be playing. The color you MUST choose is the color of the square your token is covering on the scoreboard. On your first turn, this is the same color as your token.
Every time a piece creates a row of 4 squares, score it accordingly, as each piece is worth a different amount of points. (see Scoring).
Example 1: The player with the black scoring token is on a white square on the scoreboard, therefore they will select a white piece from the pile of pieces and play it.
Example 2: The player with the black scoring token scores 1 point, moving their token to a black square. The next piece they play must be black.
If it is your turn to play a piece, and that color has run out of pieces, lose one point, and play the other color. If no more moves remain, the game is over.
Example 3: The player with the black scoring token realizes that no more white blocks remain! They must lose one point, but now may play a black piece.
Scoring
Each piece is worth a different amount of points. This is based on the piece's "footprint", or how many squares the piece covers. Each row you create will score the piece! For example, if you score 2 rows with a piece that has a footprint of 3 squares, you will score 6 points!
Examples of "footprints": [Diagrams: four piece shapes, labelled 1, 3, "Also 3", and 4 squares.]
Note: Do NOT score your squares at the end of the game, as in the base game.
How to put it back in the box
First, select all pieces of the same color, and follow the steps below.
[Diagram: "Place the board into the box", showing the board with its checkered pattern.]
The steps are shown as numbered pictures only (1 to 10), each showing which block to add and where it goes. Step 1 places a single block on the board, and the steps build the blocks up in layers, with step 10 showing the final layer of the stack.
Then, select all pieces of the other color, and repeat steps 1-10.
(If more clarifications are needed, visit us on the web at www.convertmonthly.com)