Mandamina
Mandamina Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Contents
- 1 game board (the 7 x 7 grid inside the game box)
- 48 wooden marbles (8 colours with 6 marbles each)
- 1 score pad
- rules
In addition, you need a pen.
Aim
Work together to cluster all marbles on the board without speaking, taking as few turns as possible.
Setup
Distribute the wooden marbles on the game board randomly. Make sure that no two marbles of the same colour are orthogonally next to each other (see pic. 1). Leave the middle empty.
Pic 1. An example of a random layout at the start of the game.
Game Play
One player takes the score pad and a pen. Their task while playing is to cross out one circle after each move.
Take turns to move wooden marbles on the game board one at a time to organize the marbles by colour. The marbles are clustered when all marbles of a colour are orthogonally adjacent to each other. The placement of each colour cluster is free - as long as all marbles of a certain colour are adjacent to each other.
Do bear in mind that you are not allowed to communicate your plans or to indicate unambiguously what you want someone else to do. In effect, you may not speak at all during the game.
The player who last remained silent while listening to someone else may start.
On your turn, pick any marble on the board and put it on the empty spot (there is always one empty spot on the board).
The score keeper crosses out a number circle on the score pad, starting from the smallest number.
The next player clockwise takes their turn and moves any marble to the empty spot. The scorekeeper records another turn on the pad. The scorekeeper must remember to record all turns played.
You are allowed to move any marble until the end of the game.
The game ends immediately when all marbles are organized in clusters by colour.
Pic 2. All eight colours are organized into clusters but there are only seven different shapes as the pale blue and dark blue clusters form the same shape.
Scoring
Scoring is based on the shapes of the colour clusters on the board, the position of the empty spot and the number of turns played. The players are allowed to talk when scoring, but with hushed tones.
- Each different shape of the colour clusters: 5 points each
- The middle spot is empty: 5 points
- Number of turns: The marker checks the counter pad to see how many turns were played.
The total score is the number of turns played subtracted from the sum of the cluster shape points and the middle spot points.
If the final score is one or more, congratulations are in order: you have won!
Example, see pic. 2:
- 7 different colour cluster shapes: +35 p.
- Middle spot empty: +5 p. Sum: 40 p.
- Turns played 38: -38 p.
Final score: 2 p.
Difficulty
To adjust the difficulty, change the number of points given for each different colour cluster shape:
- easy: each different cluster = 6 points
- normal: each different cluster = 5 points
- difficult: each different cluster = 4 points
Single-player
In a single-player game, the player marks their own turns on the pad and tries to minimize the number of turns played, in order to beat their own best.
A Simpler Game
Play following the rules in Setup and Game Play but instead of scoring, simply strive to cluster the marbles by colour before move number 45.