Kogworks Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Contents
• Object of the Game
• Game Setup
• The Game
• Blocking
• The Double Block
• Strategies

Contents

• 15 x blue cogwheels
• 15 x red cogwheels
• 1 x Top Cogwheel (gold)
• 1 x game disk featuring 55 pegs
• 1 x game book

Object of the Game

Two ways to win.

Turn the Top cogwheel, by creating a linked path from your base wheel to the top wheel (fig. 1). The first player to successfully create such a path WINS.

It's that simple, but beware: after each move, you MUST be able to turn your base wheel freely (either independently or through all the linkages). If not, you must make a different move.

If your opponent is able to block you such that after your move, your base wheel is still not able to turn, he/she WINS (fig. 2). Fig. 2 shows a double block: the Blue player has successfully blocked the Red player. Even if the Red player moves one of his/her cogs, he/she will still be blocked.

Game Setup

• The MeCaniX game disk consists of a triangular array of pegs, onto which the cogwheels are to be placed.
• Each player is assigned one base wheel and all fourteen cogwheels in his/her chosen colour (Red or Blue).
• Before play may commence, the Top Wheel (Gold) is placed at the apex of the game board.
• Each player now places his/her base wheel in the designated pegs as shown (the two bottom corners of the board).
• The base wheel must be in position at all times during a game and cannot be moved by either player.

The Game

• The object of MeCaniX is to turn the top cogwheel (gold), by creating a linked path from your base wheel to the top wheel. Or to block your opponent's cog wheels such that even after their move, they are unable to turn their base wheel.
• A toss of a coin may determine who will start the game.
• The players take turns to place one wheel at a time on any available peg, anywhere on the board. Or alternatively, move one of their wheels already on the board to another vacant peg on the board.

A first move by player RED may be as shown in fig. 3.

It is now BLUE's turn. BLUE may open the same way as RED, but may alternatively try to block his/her opponent's progress, by placing a wheel as in fig. 4.

• After every move made, the player should be able to rotate his/her base wheel freely, either independently by itself or through all the linkages. If the wheel cannot be turned, the player has to make a different move. Remember that if after a move, the player is still not able to rotate their base wheel, that player loses!

In the picture shown (fig. 4), RED can now no longer turn his/her base wheel, because it is part of a triangular formation, which can never be turned.

Since it is a game requirement that after every move made, you MUST be able to turn your base wheel, RED is forced to move his/her first wheel to another location, perhaps as in fig. 5.

RED has now advanced somewhat toward the top wheel and can freely turn his/her base wheel (and at the same time make all three cogs turn).

• Each player is allowed only one action per move.
• In any move, players may introduce a fresh cogwheel into the game (provided they have not already done so). Or alternatively, players may choose to move one of their cogwheels already on the board to another spot on the board. This is imperative when a player is blocked in such a way that his/her base wheel no longer turns.
• Players are not allowed to move their opponent's pieces to a different location at any time in the game.
• However, players are allowed to link through their opponent's cogwheels. In fact, it is highly likely that during the course of the game, turning a base wheel of one colour will turn several linked cogwheels (including some of the opponent's wheels and perhaps even his/her base wheel). This is permitted even while turning the top wheel.
• The first player that is able to create a path to the top wheel such that a turn of his/her base wheel also turns the top wheel WINS!

A game in progress could look like the sample game shown in fig. 6.

It is now BLUE's turn. The threat to BLUE is that RED will now place a cog on the peg as indicated in fig. 7 and then be able to rotate the whole string of cogs, straight up to the top wheel. He/she would then win the game.

BLUE could counter this move by placing a cog on the peg as indicated in fig. 8 and thus force RED to move a RED cog (the one nearest his/her base wheel).

• As explained, if a player is able to block his/her opponent's cogwheels such that even after the opponent's move, he/she cannot turn his/her base wheel, the player WINS! Typically this will involve a double block (explained in greater detail below).

Blocking

Any triangular formation will not allow the cogs to turn and forms an effective block.

No player is allowed to create a triangular formation in his/her own colour only (see fig. 9).

No player is allowed to block any of the corner cogs (the base wheels and the top wheel) by two of his/her own colour (see fig. 9).

The Double Block

To win a game by blocking, you will use a double block. See fig. 10.

BLUE has successfully attacked RED's base wheel and RED is now blocked by the formation in the highlighted area. No matter which of his/her RED cogs he/she now moves, the block remains and RED cannot undo it to make his/her base wheel turn.

BLUE will therefore become the winner of this game.

Strategies

1. The game requires you to try to think a few steps ahead. Be on the alert for placements of new cogs by your opponent, which could create a block for you and therefore force you to take a certain action.
2. Watch out for the moving of any of your opponent's cogs, located in a block, which may suddenly open up the block and create a path to the top cog.
3. Also watch out for the permissible locations for any of your cogs. Any triangular formation in your own colour is not allowed and will therefore exclude several positions on the board.
4. Try to create a double block for your opponent, such that he/she can only eliminate one of them in a turn. In doing so, you will ensure a win.
5. Similarly, be careful about any multiple blocks on the board. Sometimes several of these blocks could be connected to your base wheel by just a single move which will then make you lose the game.