Laniakea
Laniakea Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Game Materials
- 20 x 25 cm gameboard made from solid beechwood, treated with protective oils
- 28 wooden tiles (5 x 2.5 cm): 12 with a turtle depicted on one half, 5 with a turtle depicted on each half, 11 blank
- 2 x 8 disks in blue and in yellow
For 2 players, ages 8+, 30-40 minutes.
Set-up and General Remarks About the Game
Place the gameboard between the players so that the rows remain open on the left and on the right.
Lay out the rectangular wooden tiles to form the playing area. Each tile counts as 2 spaces, which are either printed (turtles) or blank (beach).
There are the following different tiles:
- 5 tiles with 2 turtles (a)
- 12 tiles with 1 turtle and 1 beach space (b)
- 11 tiles with 2 beach spaces (c).
Note about (b): Tiles that show 1 turtle may be freely rotated by 180 degrees before you slide them in.
Illus. 1: Turtle spaces may not be entered.
Players select 25 tiles and put 24 of them anywhere on the gameboard, always with the turtles facing up. You should make sure that each row contains at least one tile with two beach spaces (c). The 25th tile will be needed for sliding it in after the first movement action. The remaining tiles are put back into the box.
If you play with children, we advise you to play with no more than 4 of the tiles with 2 turtles (a). The more beach spaces are used, the easier the game is - since only these spaces may be entered.
Each player chooses one color and puts the 8 disks in his starting area.
Illus. 2: The playing area with a possible starting set-up. Each row should contain at least one of the wooden tiles with two beach spaces (c). (Diagram labels: the starting area of Player A is the destination area of Player B, and vice versa; the row next to each player's starting area is that player's 1st row; 1 tile is needed for sliding in.)
Object of the Game
The first player to reach the opposite side of the board with 5 of his disks wins.
This Is How the Game Is Played
In order to cross the beach with the turtles, you may use only the beach spaces (see illus. 1, green check mark). You may not enter a space with a turtle on it.
Players alternate turns. The player who last had his feet in the sand begins the game.
The active player has 2 actions; they need to be carried out in the given order: Action 1: Move disk(s) + Action 2: Slide in a tile.
Action 1: Move Disk(s)
On your turn, you have to move either one disk twice or two disks once. Principally, you may move in the following directions: forward, backward or sideways; also back into the starting area. However, a disk may not wind up back on the same space at the end of your turn. The moving range of a single disk always is 1 space. The starting area of each player is considered one big space. You may move a disk from your starting area onto any beach space in the first row; on a subsequent move of the same disk, it may also enter the second row.
If a target space is already occupied, the disks are stacked up, up to 3 disks, regardless of whether the disks belong to you or to the other player.
A sideways move may go beyond the playing area; but after that move, the disk is put back into the appropriate starting area and will start again from scratch. Nevertheless, this can lead to a more favorable playing position. If the active player still has a second move left, he may carry it out.
Movement of stacked-up disks
A stack always needs to be broken down from top to bottom. Only the disk that is currently on top may move on; the disks underneath it stay in place.
Moving range:
- The top piece of a 2-disk stack always moves 2 spaces.
- The top piece of a 3-disk stack always moves 3 spaces.
In such a case, the disk may be moved only in a straight line. On a move over 2 or 3 spaces, you may jump over turtles, beach spaces, single disks or also over other stacks (these stacks must not be higher than the stack the disk just came from).
Moving from one stack to another is allowed, as long as the maximum height of 3 disks is observed.
Sideways jumps from stacks may also go beyond the playing area; the disk is put back into the starting area. Leftover steps due to a stack height go to waste. If a second move is still available, you can make that move.
Jumps into the destination or starting area are handled accordingly: Leftover steps due to a stack height go to waste; you may still make a second move.
Action 2: Slide in a Tile
After you have made your moves, you have to slide the spare wooden tile into the row where the last move ended. You decide the side from which you want to slide the tile in. Tiles with one turtle may be rotated in any way.
The tile that slides out at the other side goes to the other player, for his turn. When a tile is slid in, if disks are on the tile that slides out on the other side, these disks are put back into the starting area and will start again from scratch. This applies also to your own disks.
If you reach the destination space on your second move, you may slide the wooden tile into a row of your choice.
Action 2: Slide in a Tile is forfeited if, on your second move,
- you move back into your starting area, or
- you go sideways beyond the playing area and land in your starting area again.
In these cases, the tile goes to the other player.
Illus. 3A: On his previous move, Blue rushed ahead with one disk; on his next move, he would be able to take this disk off the 2-disk stack, jump over 2 spaces and reach the destination area. Now it is Yellow's move. To prevent Blue's success, Yellow places one of his disks in the second row (2 single moves with the same disk), which lets him shift this row by sliding in the spare tile at the end of his turn.
Illus. 3B: By sliding in the spare tile, Yellow shifts the row so that the stack with the blue disk and the yellow disk is shoved off the playing area. Both disks are put back in the respective starting areas and start again from scratch. For Yellow, this is a minor loss, since another disk has also been relocated by this move and is now in a more favorable position.
End of the Game
The game ends as soon as one player has brought 5 disks into his destination area. In rare cases, it can occur that one player renders his opponent immobile. In this case, the game ends immediately and the player who can no longer move loses.