Hashi
Hashi Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Contents
4 wipeable boards, 18 cards, 4 pens
As the game progresses, you enter numbers (from 1-6) on the islands on your board – only one number can be on each island. You connect the islands with bridges. Only neighbouring islands can be connected with one or two bridges (never more!) – the bridges are drawn along the dotted line (vertically or horizontally without deviating). Once exactly the same number of bridges leave an island as the number on it, this island is finished and is clearly and visibly circled – no more bridges may leave this island from now on. Points can only be scored with finished islands!
Example: Linus enters the number 3 in one of his islands. It connects the island to a neighbouring island by drawing a bridge. Island finished! With a clear circle round it! The number of bridges (3) equals the number (3) entered. No more bridges can leave from it.
Setting Up the Game
Every player gets one board and a pen. Everyone plays with the same side of the board. For the first games we recommend side A. Side B is a bit more difficult and should be used later.
Note: Each side has 18 islands in total. 4 islands have a red flag, 3 islands a blue flag. At the bottom of the board there is an info bar where all 18 cards are illustrated. The points scored are entered above the info bar during the game.
Each player enters the number 3 or 4 (can be chosen freely) in any island without a flag. Afterwards, each person passes the board to the person sitting to their left. From now on, everyone plays with the board they are given for the rest of the game! As a result, everyone has a slightly different starting position.
The 18 cards are shuffled well. A card is drawn at random and placed in the box unseen. It must not be looked at under any circumstances. The remaining 17 cards are placed in the centre of the table as a face-down draw pile.
Playing the Game
Any player reveals the top card of the draw pile and places it next to the pile face up. All players now play at the same time and carry out the following two actions, action a first, then action b.
Important: If a player does not want to perform an action (or even both of them), they can leave it (or them both) out completely. Ideally, they should announce this out loud and clearly.
Example: The face-up card shows the number 5 and 3 bridges.
Action a) Each player enters the number indicated on the card into a (still free) island of their choice. The player can choose the island freely, with the following restriction, which is extremely important and must be observed without fail:
- The player can always enter the number into a (still free) island without a flag regardless of whether bridges already lead to this island or not.
- The player can only enter the number into a (still free) island with a flag if at least one bridge already leads to this island.
Example: Since there are no bridges in the very first round, the 5 can only be entered in an island without a flag. Tim chooses the island at the top. Hint: the 4 was entered by the person sitting on his right when setting up the game.
Action (b) The player draws as many bridges on their board as shown on the card. Every bridge must always start with an island that already has a number. The bridge is drawn along the dotted line – continuously to the neighbouring island. If the player has to draw several bridges, they can choose to split them up to one or more islands (with a number on).
Important: You are not allowed to draw fewer bridges than indicated – either draw all bridges or leave out action b completely!
Example: Tim draws a bridge to the island with the number 4 and two bridges to the island with the number 5.
Once all players have completed action b), any player can draw the next card from the draw pile and place it face up on top of the previous card. The game continues this way until all 17 cards in the draw pile have been revealed and played accordingly. Then the scores are added up.
Note: If you want, you can cross out the card that has been drawn at the bottom of your board on the info bar, then you will know which cards are still to come. You are not allowed to look through the completed pile.
Rules for Correct Bridge Construction
- Very important: Bridges must never cross.
- If a player has built a bridge between two islands along the dotted line, they may build a second bridge in the same round or at any later time (simply draw it parallel to it).
- It is not allowed to draw a bridge between two islands if there is not a number in either of the two islands.
- The finished islands do not necessarily have to be connected to other finished islands. Ultimately, a linked network of all islands does not have to be created. So it is allowed to link two islands together here, and then a few there, and so on.
- If a certain number of bridges leads to an island without a number, a smaller number than the number of bridges it has may not be entered into this island. If, for example, 3 bridges already lead to a certain island, then at least a 3 must be entered here.
- Under no circumstances may more than 6 bridges lead to an island, as the highest number on the cards is 6.
Note: If someone has made a mistake against the rules when entering a number or drawing a bridge (e.g. more bridges lead to an island than allowed), the following generally applies: If the mistake is noticed during the next round at the latest and it can be corrected without any consequences, it is allowed. If the mistake is noticed later, it remains entered as it is. The island concerned, which is against the rules, cannot be completed afterwards under any circumstances (ideally it should be visibly crossed out) and no points can be scored with this island. It is strongly recommended that you check carefully after each round that no mistakes have been made anywhere.
Victory Points and End of Game
Each player has the opportunity to earn victory points once during the course of the game in each of the following three categories:
- Red flags (9/5): The player who has finished all 4 islands with red flags (i.e. circled) first, gets 9 points. The islands do not have to be connected to each other. If more than one player manages to do this in the same round, all these players score 9 points. All players who succeed in doing this in a subsequent round score 5 points.
- Blue flags (7/3): The player who has finished all 3 islands with blue flags (i.e. circled) first, gets 7 points. The islands do not have to be connected to each other. If more than one player manages to do this in the same round, all these players score 7 points. All players who succeed in doing this in a subsequent round score 3 points.
- Six connected islands (8/4): The player who has somehow connected 6 finished islands by bridges so that there is not an unfinished island in between first, scores 8 points. If more than one player manages to do this in the same round, all these players score 8 points. All players who succeed in doing this in a subsequent round score 4 points.
Example: Linus was the first player to connect 6 finished islands to each other without having an unfinished island in between and enters 8 points for this.
The victory points are entered straight away and announced loudly and clearly. Once the higher point score has been awarded in a particular category, all other players cross it out on their board.
After the last of the 17 cards in the draw pile has been revealed and played, each player scores 2 points for each finished island. Whoever has the highest total number of points is the winner. In the event of a tie, there are several winners.
Example: Sarah has finished 15 islands and scores 30 points for this. Together with the 9 victory points she scored during the game (5 points for the red flag islands and 4 points for six connected islands) she scored a total of 39 points.
Solo Version
The described rules remain completely the same. You only have to take the following changes into account.
The solo player places the 17 cards in three separate draw piles in front of them: 1st stack = 7 cards, 2nd stack = 5 cards and 3rd stack = 5 cards. To score the full 7 points for the blue flag score, the player has to have finished the 3 blue flag islands after the 7th card (1st stack gone) at the latest. If they do not manage to do this, they can only score 3 points for the blue flag islands during the rest of the game. To score the full 9 points for the red flag score and the full 8 points for the "6 finished islands connected" score, the player has to have managed this after the 12th card (2nd stack gone) at the latest. If they do not manage to do this, they can only score 5 points for the red flag islands or 4 points for the "6 finished islands connected".
The total points scored show the player how good they are as a bridge builder and island connector:
| Points | Rank |
|---|---|
| Up to 40 | Minion |
| 41/42 | Dogsbody |
| 43/44 | Bamboo binder |
| 45/46 | Screw tightener |
| 47/48 | Concrete pourer |
| 49/50 | Project manager |
| 51 | Master bridge builder |
| 52 | Professional planner |
| 54 | Statics expert |
| 56 | Ace architect |
| 58 | Construction genius |
| 60 | Island god |