Gauss

Gauss Rulebook

Table of Contents

Introduction
Material
Setup
Rules
Scoring
Game End
- Examples

Introduction

In GAUSS, each player has a set of fifteen discs: ten in their color and five in the opposite color. Player take turns placing a disc on the board.

Like the poles of a magnet, discs of opposite color are attracted to each other whereas discs of the same color are repelled.

Each time 4 or more discs of your color get connected you score points. The player with the highest score at the end of the game wins.

Material

A GAUSS board.
15 red discs and 15 blue discs.
Carrying case.

Setup

Each player has an allocated color (red or blue). Randomly determine the starting player. Place the board in the middle of the playing surface so that the colored areas match the player's colors.

The board has, on the blue side, the GAIN area for blue and the RISK area for blue; on the red side, the RISK area for red and the GAIN area for red.

The large colored areas are called 'GAIN areas' and the large gray areas are called 'RISK areas'.

Players take 10 discs of their color and 5 discs of the opponent's color and place them before them so they can be easily seen by both players during the game.

Rules

Players take alternate turns.

On their turn, players must do the following in order:

Place a disc on any empty gray hexagon of the board. This is the 'trigger' disc. Placing a disc on a 'VOID' hexagon (outer ring) is not allowed.
The trigger placement affects the nearest disc on every of the 6 directions. Move the affected discs according to the following rules.

a. Repulsion: The nearest disc of the same color as the 'trigger' on every of the 6 directions is pushed away until it reaches another disc or lands in a VOID space. Then the pushed disc stops.

Example: Red trigger (T) placement affects 3 red discs. 2 of them are repelled until they reach a VOID space or another disc, and the 3rd (marked with 'X') doesn't move, as it was already on the border.

b. Attraction: The nearest disc of the opposing color as 'trigger' on every of the 6 directions is attracted by the 'trigger'.

Example: Red trigger (T) attracts 3 blue discs and 2 of them move until they reach the hexes adjacent to the 'trigger'. The 3rd ('X') doesn't move as it was already adjacent to the 'trigger'.

NOTE: discs on VOID spaces are also affected by repulsion and attraction.

Scoring

If, after moving all the affected discs, a group of 4 or more adjacent discs of the same color has been created, that color scores points. Note that players may score even if it's not their turn!

Move every disc of that group that it's on a gray space to the 'GAIN' area of the same color.

Move every disc of that group that's on a VOID space to the 'RISK' area of the corresponding player.

Example: A group of 5 red discs has been created. Move the discs on VOID spaces to the red's RISK area, and the discs on gray spaces to the red's GAIN area.

Game End

When players run out of discs, the game ends.

To calculate you score, do the following:

Count the discs on your GAIN area. This is your positive score.
Compare the number of discs on VOID spaces.

a. If there are more discs of your color on VOID spaces than you opponent's, then count the discs on your RISK area and subtract this number from your positive score to get you final score.

b. If not, your positive score is your final score.

The player with the highest score is the winner.

In case of a tie, the player with fewer discs on VOID spaces is the winner.

If the tie persists, the player with fewer discs on the RISK area is the winner.

If, again, the tie persist, then both players win.

Examples

Example 1:

	RED	BLUE
GAIN	8	9
RISK	3	2
VOID	2	2
Positive score	8	9
Final score	8	9

VOID 2=2. BLUE wins.

Example 2:

	RED	BLUE
GAIN	8	9
RISK	3	1
VOID	2	3
Positive score	8	9
Final score	8	9-1=8

VOID 2<3; BLUE substracts 1. TIE. VOID: 2 vs 3 (2<3); RED wins.

Example 3:

	RED	BLUE
GAIN	8	8
RISK	3	2
VOID	2	2
Positive score	8	8
Final score	8	8

VOID 2=2. TIE. VOID: 2, 2: TIE. RISK: 3>2; BLUE WINS.