Don't Miss the Boat!
Don't Miss the Boat! Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Introduction
In this fascinating game of ever changing situations, each player tries to get five of his eight men into his boat. Every time a player gets a man into his boat he changes the docking positions of all the boats, so that all players find themselves in new situations.
Object
The object of the game is to be the first player to get five of his eight men into his boat.
Equipment
The equipment consists of 32 playing pieces referred to as "men," four boats and a playing board.
Preparation
Each player selects eight men and a boat of the same color. If only two are playing, one uses Red and one uses Blue. Each player places five of his men in his "Start," and the other three men on the circles of his color in the playing area. His boat is placed on the boat-shaped space of his color. The docks are the last four spaces on the playing area next to the boat-shaped spaces. One player is chosen to go first.
Moves of the Men
A player may move a man one square at a time in any direction, forward, backwards, sideways, or on the diagonal. He may jump a man over one or more of his own or his opponents' men in any direction provided that his man is adjacent to the man to be jumped and there is a vacant space directly beyond each man jumped. Men jumped over are not removed from the board. Each player may either move one space or jump over one or more men on each turn. He may not move and jump on the same turn, but must do one or the other. A player is never compelled to jump, but if he does jump he is not required to jump as far as he can.
Play
The "PLAY" heading is faded in the scan; it is supplied here from the printed heading position above this paragraph.
The starting player may move one of his men that is already in the playing area, or he may jump a man from his Start space, over one or more of his own men, in any one of the directions indicated by the arrows on the diagram. For example: The player using the red men in the diagram may move one of his men one square to square X, or he may jump a man from his Start to square C. These are only two of the many possible moves available to him. After the starting player has completed his turn the other players follow, in turn, in a clockwise direction. Each player tries to move his men to one or more of the docks as quickly as possible, so that they will be in position to move or jump into his boat, whenever it is alongside the dock which they have reached.
A player, on his turn, may move one of his men which has reached the dock, into any place in his boat whenever it is alongside. A player may also jump one of his men over another man occupying one of the two center spaces of the dock, directly into his boat. A man cannot make a diagonal jump into the boat. The placing or jumping of a man into a boat constitutes a turn, and a player is not entitled to move any other piece on that turn. Only one man may be placed in a boat on any one turn. A player does not have to move one of his men into his boat on his turn unless he wishes, even though his man and his boat are at the same dock.
Board diagram (described, not reproduced): a cross-shaped playing area of squares around a central space, with a circular track bearing a boat-shaped space for each color (Yellow, Red, Blue and Green boats, each beside its color's "Start" area), circles for each color's men, and arrows showing the permitted directions of movement from each Start. Squares labelled X and C are referred to in the example above.
Moving the Boats
Whenever a player places a man in his boat, he must then move every boat, in a clockwise direction, to the next dock.
Winning the Game
The first player to get five of his men into his boat is the winner of the game.