Kluster Duo
Kluster Duo Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Setup
Place the string as desired on any flat, horizontal surface.
Divide the 12 spinner magnets equally between the players.
How to play
The first player to get rid of their magnets wins the game.
The player who finished the last game with the most magnets starts playing. In case of a tie, or if it is the first game, the smallest player (in height) goes first.
Players then take turns going clockwise.
On their turn, a player must place one of their magnets so that it touches the playing surface inside the area bounded by the string.
However, if magnets touch each other or move out of the area during a player's turn (even if they didn't touch the magnets directly), that player collects all of those magnets and their turn ends immediately, even if they haven't been able to place a magnet yet.
A player cannot touch the magnets already placed, but they can move the string as they please during their turn (and therefore move, indirectly, the magnets touching it), as long as it remains flat on the playing surface and that magnets do not stick together in the process.
A player can also use the magnetism of the magnets in their hand to try to move those that are on the playing surface. But be careful, if magnets touch each other, they collect them!
The players take turns until one of them has placed their last magnet.
Elimination Mode (3+ players)
The magnets are not divided among the players. All magnets are passed to the player whose turn it is, who must choose and place one magnet. Then it's the next player's turn, and so on.
If magnets stick together or leave the area during a player's turn, that player is eliminated. The last remaining player wins.
Solo Game
To play Kluster alone, follow the normal rules. However, you are only allowed 2 failures. Every occasion you pick up magnets is a failure.
The goal is to place as many magnets as possible in the area. Placing all the magnets is a total victory!
Expert Mode
For even more competitive games, you can apply the following rules:
If, after placing a magnet, a player still has more magnets in hand than the next player, they can choose (but do not have to) play again to place another magnet. A player can thus place several magnets in succession, as long as they have strictly more magnets than the next player. However, if their turn ends because magnets stick together or move out of the area, a player cannot place any more magnets this turn.
Kluster+
To bring together even more players, it is possible to combine several Kluster boxes. The maximum number of players is then equal to the sum of the players allowed by all the combined games.
The usual rules apply, with the following modifications:
During setup, all strings are placed on the playing surface one after the other. Each string placed after the first must overlap at least one of the strings already on the playing surface.
All magnets are grouped together and distributed so that all players have the same number of magnets. The remaining magnets are placed on the playing surface during setup, each as close as possible to the center of a different string, without touching.
A magnet is considered to be in the playing area if it is inside at least one string. During their turn, a player may manipulate all strings following the usual rules, but must avoid separating one string from the others. If this happens, the player must move the string before ending their turn so that it overlaps another string. At the end of a player's turn, each string must cross at least one other string.