Element (2008)
Element (2008) Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
BASIC PLAY, RULES GUIDE
The way the game is played is that you set the board, then each player takes turns at rolling all four Element Dice, then picking up Element stones, determined by the dice roll, then strategically placing them on the board and moving their Sorcerer. The objective is to capture and surround the enemy Sorcerer, so that he/she is not able to move to an empty square on the board. You do this by strategically placing the Element stones around the enemy Sorcerer, using the various properties of each of the Element stones.
STARTING
Choose your Sorcerer King or Queen and place it on the Sorcerer starting point on your side of the board. It is marked with the Element Sorcerer Logo.
Set up the board by placing matching Element stones on each of the Element icons on the board. This is the starting position for the great Sorcerer battle on the Element board.
Board diagram: the Element Board Starting Position is shown on the printed rules guide, with the Element Sorcerer Logos marked in the centre of the board.
Decide who goes first. That player rolls the four dice, which are marked with four symbols, representing the four Elements: Fire, Wind, Earth, and Water.
On each dice, there is also a side with the Element Type logo and a side with the Element seal. Whatever is rolled is what Elements each player picks up on their turn, from the four bags of coloured stones.
- Red Stone – Fire
- Clear Stone – Wind
- Brown Stone – Earth
- Blue Stone – Water
If the Element Type logo is rolled, the Sorcerer can move an extra step. If the Element seal is rolled, you can choose which Element stone you want for that dice.
Example; if your dice roll is this:
- Pick up 1 Fire stone.
- Pick up 1 Wind stone.
- Pick up any one stone.
- Move the Sorcerer an extra step.
PLAYING
After rolling the dice, you pick up Element stones that match the dice from the Element trays. You'll place these Element stones on the game board to do two things: protect your Sorcerer and surround the enemy Sorcerer.
On your turn, you can place your stones on any empty square or replace existing stones, according to their natural properties.
If you roll one or more Element Type logos, just add one or more spaces to the Sorcerer's movement.
You're not required to move your Sorcerer on your turn. You can choose to move your Sorcerer one space, to any open square, at any point during your turn. If you also rolled one or more Element Type logos, you can choose to move the Sorcerer one space for each logo rolled.
In addition, you can use any Wind stone(s) on the board to enhance your Sorcerer's movement (see Wind). Of course, if you are pursued, you'll want to move to more open battle space to avoid capture.
If you replace Elements on the board during your turn, they are returned to the Element trays. All stones earned on a roll must be played on that turn. You can't save them.
Each Element stone has different natural properties and your quest for a victorious battle depends on you understanding the power and property of each Element. In the natural world:
- Fire consumes air when it burns, so a Fire Element stone can replace a Wind Element stone.
- Wind can destroy great land masses during a storm, so a Wind Element stone can replace an Earth Element stone.
- Earth can replace a body of Water during an earthquake or landslide, so an Earth Element stone can replace a Water Element stone.
- Water puts out Fire, so a Water Element stone can replace a Fire Element stone.
WINNING
The game is won the instant the enemy Sorcerer is surrounded with the Element stones, effectively capturing him/her. At that point, you have won the great Sorcerer battle. See picture 1.
Understanding how the stones are placed and how they affect each other is vitally important to playing Element, so please read the Element Properties on the next page carefully, to fully understand how the stones are used in battle.
This is your quick guide to understand how one Element is able to replace and defeat another Element on the board.
(Diagram: Fire → Wind → Earth → Water.)
Element Properties
When you've rolled the dice and picked your Element stones on your turn, you will place them on the board to surround the enemy Sorcerer. You can use your stones to replace Element stones that are already on the board, according to the Element Properties. Or you can just place your Element stones on empty squares, to surround the enemy Sorcerer, or to defend your Sorcerer.
Fire
A Fire grows and spreads the larger it gets. If a Fire stone is placed directly next to another Fire stone (not diagonally), a "free" Fire stone is placed on the other side of it, as long as there is an open space for the new Fire stone. If a placed Fire stone connects two or more walls, then a "free" stone is then placed at the other end of each connected wall. If that "free" Fire stone also ends up making a connection to another Fire wall, no new Fire stone is earned for that connection. You can place a Fire stone in such a way that the "free" Fire stone on the other side of the Fire wall replaces a Wind stone. See picture 5.
Wind
Of all the Elements used, Wind has the most defensive capabilities. It is also the only Element that can be used diagonally on the board. If your Sorcerer is next to a Wind stone, or is able to move next to a Wind stone, the Sorcerer may "jump" that stone and land directly on the other side of it, if that space is empty. If the space on which the Sorcerer lands is next to another Wind stone, it may be jumped as well, kind of like checkers. The Sorcerer can jump several Wind stones that are lined up in a row, as long as that row is straight – vertically, horizontally or diagonally. The Sorcerer must exit the jump in the same direction as it was begun. The Sorcerer can move one space, then "catch" one or more Wind stones to float away. Or vice versa, for example: jump one or more Wind stones, then move one space in any direction, then catch one or more Wind stones for further flight, all on the same turn. See picture 2.
Earth
Three or more Earth stones that are directly next to each other, in any formation (not diagonally), become a "fortress" and cannot be replaced by Wind stones for the remainder of the game. If an Earth stone is connected diagonally to a Fortress, then it can still be replaced by a Wind stone. See picture 3.
Water
Walls of water have the unique ability to move on the board. When a Water stone is placed directly next to one or more Water stones (not diagonally), that wall will become a river and move forward, or flow, by the same number of spaces that the wall on the board was, before you placed the new Water stone.
For example: if you add a Water stone to a straight line of 3 Water stones, you may then move that river 3 spaces forward, in the direction of the newly placed Water stone. Place the Water stone on the board, then flow the whole river forward 3 spaces. The river can change direction, left or right, either by your choice or if it runs into an obstacle, such as the edge of the board, the Sorcerers or other stones. If the river encounters one or more Fire stones in its path, they are replaced.
If the river is unable to flow by the number of spaces allowed, it will just stop. This happens if the river cannot turn left or right as it runs into the edge of the board, the Sorcerers or other stones. It cannot flow backwards. It doesn't matter which player built the river in the first place; each player can use it and flow it, as they wish. See picture 4.
Element Play Examples
The Sorcerer cannot enter the jump horizontally and come out diagonally, as indicated by the red arrow. It always has to make the jump straight across one or more Wind stones, before changing direction.
In this position, the Sorcerer is completely surrounded and the game is over. If one of the stones surrounding the enemy Sorcerer was a Wind stone that leads to an open space, then he still gets another turn. See 2.
Here, the Sorcerer is completely surrounded too, but by jumping the two Wind stones next to it and then continuing to jump Wind stones, all on the same turn, the Sorcerer is able to swiftly float away and evade capture. Notice that the Sorcerer also takes one step (3) on the board, in order to continue floating with the Wind. One step comes with each turn. All 4 jumps are made on the same turn.
The 3 Earth stones that are directly connected form a "Fortress"; they cannot be replaced by either player for the rest of the game. The Earth stone that is connected diagonally is not part of the Fortress and can be replaced by a Wind stone (indicated by the arrow).
When the end of the river has an "L" or "T" shape, you can only flow the stones that are directly behind the newly placed Water stone.
Placing a new Water stone next to the existing wall of 3 Water stones causes it to become a river and flow 3 spaces in the direction of the placed stone. As the river hits the edge of the board, you can choose to turn left or right and it continues to flow. In this example, you chose to flow river 1 but you could also have chosen to flow river 2, as the placed stones created a connection to both walls of Water.
This is what the board looks like after river 1 flowed 3 spaces, after hitting the edge of the board then making a left. Also notice that the Fire stone that was lying in the path of the water got replaced, as Water defeats Fire. You could also have chosen to turn river 1 right before hitting the edge of the board.
Let's say that on your turn, you rolled 1 Fire stone, 1 Element Seal and 2 Element Type logos. The roll would look like this.
On this roll, you'd pick up 1 Fire stone for the first dice and you'd choose another Fire stone for the second dice, since you're free to choose stones when you roll the Element Seal. With the 2 Fire stones, you'll be able to win by placing the 2 Fire stones like this (see next picture). You ignore the 2 Element Type dice, because you're about to win and don't need to move your Sorcerer.
Place the two Fire stones here. The first Fire stone is placed directly next to two different Fire stones, one above it and one to the right of it, causing the Fire to spread in both directions.
The Fire spreads to the other side of the existing stones, to completely surround the enemy Sorcerer and end the battle. Notice that the Wind stones were consumed by the spreading Fire stone. At this point, the game is over, as the enemy Sorcerer is captured.
Points to Remember
Element is a highly strategic game which requires that you play a few times, to get familiar with the various strengths and weaknesses of different strategies, just like other classic games like Chess, Backgammon, Checkers, etc.
- All stones placed on the board are usable by both players.
- Sorcerers cannot jump each other or any Element except for the Wind stones. Sorcerers can be used to block and trap each other.
- The effect of each stone played takes place individually, regardless of colour. You can play one stone, have its natural effect take place on the board, then play another stone (on the same turn) and have the second stone affect the first one. For example, you could use an Earth stone to remove a Water stone, then use a Wind stone to remove the Earth stone you just played, in order to help your Sorcerer escape.
Editorial Notes
The printed guide contains spelling slips ("Sourcerer", "conection", "horizontaly", "Windstone", "stonescauses", "laying"). These are corrected in this transcription to "Sorcerer", "connection", "horizontally", "Wind stone", "stones cause", and "lying". The picture numbers (1–5) refer to the diagrams on the printed guide, which are not reproduced here.