Malefiz Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Contents
• Setup
• Playing the Game
  • Hitting Pieces
  • Blocking Stones
  • Tactical Hints
• Ending the Game and Winning
• Fast Malefiz
  • Object of the Game

Contents

• 1 game board (printed on both sides: the original Malefiz game and a faster variant)
• 20 Malefiz pieces
• 11 blocking stones
• 1 die

Setup

The game board is placed in the middle of the table. Each player receives 5 pieces of one color and places them on the starting spaces of the matching color at the bottom edge of the board.

The 11 blocking stones are placed on the 11 red spaces. The die is set out within reach.

Playing the Game

The youngest player begins, and play then proceeds in turn order. The player on turn rolls the die and moves accordingly with one of his pieces. Moves are not made on the starting spaces.

The black spaces directly in front of the respective starting spaces count as space 1. This is where the pieces begin their race.

Pieces may be moved in any direction, and they may turn corners within a single move. Within the same turn, however, a piece may not be moved forward and then backward.

The rolled number must always be moved in full; no die points may be forfeited. If a player rolls a 6, he may not roll again. Own and opposing pieces may be jumped over. The jumped-over space is counted.

It can happen that no piece can move with the rolled number. In this case the player skips a turn. The player on turn decides when to bring which piece into play, and with which piece to move.

Hitting Pieces

Each space may hold only one piece. If a piece lands with an exact roll on a space already occupied by another piece, that piece is hit and returned to one of the starting spaces of its color. From there it can be brought back into play.

Blocking Stones

Blocking stones are obstacles that may not be jumped over. To remove one from the path, a piece must land with an exact roll on a space occupied by a blocking stone.

The player on turn takes the blocking stone and places it on any space of the board, except for the bottom row. Once a blocking stone has been moved, it may also be placed on black spaces.

Diagram caption: "A blocking stone can be moved with any die number between 1 and 4."

Tactical Hints

• By placing blocking stones skillfully, you can block opposing pieces as well as protect your own pieces.
• Blocking stones can be overcome more easily when several of your own pieces stand closely one behind another, because this raises the chance that the matching number is rolled (see the illustration).
• Opponents are best held up when they are blocked so that they can only advance with a roll of 1.
• If one of your own pieces comes near the goal, it is advisable to place several blocking stones behind it to protect it from being hit.

Ending the Game and Winning

The game ends as soon as a player has brought one of his pieces into the goal with an exact roll. That player is the winner.

Fast Malefiz

Play on the reverse side of the board, following the basic rules above, with the following exceptions:

1. Only 4 pieces per player are used.
2. Only 6 blocking stones are needed.
3. The blue spaces are resting spaces. Pieces on them are safe and may not be hit. Only one piece may stand on a resting space at a time. Blocking stones may not be placed on resting spaces either.
4. If a piece is hit in the village (the yellow oval in the upper third of the board), it is placed back in the forest (the small yellow oval roughly in the middle of the board) and starts again from there. It does not need to return to one of its starting spaces. Several pieces may stand in the forest at the same time.

Diagram labels: Village (Dorf), Forest (Wald), Resting space (Ruhefeld), Starting space (Startfeld).

Object of the Game

The first player to bring one of his pieces into the goal with an exact roll wins.