Momentum
Momentum Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- A MOMENTUM board (7x7, 7x9, 9x9)
- 12 red counters, 12 blue counters, 8 green counters, 6 white counters, 6 gray counters, 6 black counters.
- A carrying case
- This rulebook
Setup
Players (red and blue) select a game board size and both players start with their own set of counters in reserve. Refer to the following chart. The board is empty at the start of play.
| Board size | 7x7 | 7x9 | 9x9 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Counters per player | 8 | 10 | 12 |
Rules
Players decide who will go first. With the exception of the pie rule, see below, players alternate dropping counters onto empty cells. The last counter of each line of one or more counters radiating outward from the dropped counter is pushed exactly one cell directly away from the dropped counter. The momentum of the dropped counter radiates in all eight directions (orthogonally and diagonally). However, if there is no counter adjacent to the dropped counter in a given direction, no counters will be pushed away in that direction. The momentum pushes any last counter, regardless of color, away from the dropped counter. Counters that are pushed off the board are returned to their owner's reserve to be dropped again later.
Example: A blue counter will be dropped onto 'X'. The blue counter 'pushes' some counters away 1 space. 3 counters are returned to their owners. (Illustrated by diagrams in the original.)
The Pie Rule
On the second player's first turn only, the second player may either drop a counter or replace the first player's dropped counter with one of his or her own. The replaced counter is returned to the first player. The second player may not do both. In either case, play continues with players alternating turns dropping counters.
Game End
The first player to have all his or her counters on the board at the end of his or her turn, after all momentum is resolved, wins the game.
Tip: It is easy to lose track of how many opponent counters are on the board at the start of your turn; the counts go up and down often. Therefore, a player should announce last counter if he or she has only one counter left in reserve.
Variations
3rd Player (green)
Momentum can be played as a three-player game. Player turns pass clockwise to the left. In the three player game, a player must prevent an immediate win by his opponent directly to his or her left and is not obligated to block the player to his or her right. The pie rule does not apply to the three-player game.
| Board size | 7x7 | 7x9 | 9x9 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Counters per player | 6 | 7 | 8 |
Thud, Boing, Whoosh!
The board can be made more challenging by adding cushions, bumpers and holes to symmetric or randomly selected cells before the game starts. Counters can not be dropped on these special cells. It is recommended not to use more than 6 'special' counters at the same time.
Cushions (black counters) adjacent to the last counter of a connected line of counters absorb the momentum so that the last counter does not move outward.
Bumpers (gray counters) adjacent to the last counter reflect momentum back in the opposite direction. Two balls may end up moving in the same direction, one due to the reflected momentum and a second due to normal momentum effects. Dropped counters are never moved by reflected momentum. This eliminates problems as to where to move the dropped counter if two or more bumpers would cause the dropped counter to move. If the dropped counter completes a contiguous line of counters between two bumpers, there is no effect; all counter stay where they are.
Holes (white counters) are a way of creating an irregular game board. Counters moving into a hole are returned to their owner just as if they fell off the edge of the board. For a 9x9 board, it is highly recommended to place a hole in the center square.