Nile (1967) Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Object of the Game
• Number of Players
• Equipment
• Players Win Points By
• Players Lose Points By
• The Game Is Ended When Any of the Following Occurs
• Now Let's Play
• Strategy
• Inability to Play
• How to Place the Tiles
• Scoring
• Universal Tiles
  • How to Cross the Line with a Universal Tile
• Encirclements
• Important Information on the Game of Nile

Object of the Game

The object of Nile is to outscore your opponent through the skillful placement of tiles to form a continuous line across the board. Strategy, skill and luck-of-the-draw determine the path of the line as each player competes for high score. The winner is the player who has the highest total score at the end of the game.

Number of Players

Two, three or four players.

Equipment

• One set of NILE tiles (104 tiles, plus 4 spare blank tiles)
• NILE playing board
• NILE Instruction Booklet
• NILE score pad
• Four NILE tile racks

Players Win Points By

1. Placing tiles on top of green or blue bonus squares.
2. Adding point values of all tiles played during each turn.
3. Playing five tiles during a turn.

Players Lose Points By

1. Placing tiles on top of red penalty squares.
2. Being unable to play any tiles during a turn.
3. Holding unplayed tiles at the end of the game.

The Game Is Ended When Any of the Following Occurs

1. The Nile line ends at a dot in the Blue Finish Zone.
2. All Nile Tiles have been played.
3. When no player is able to add a Nile Tile to the Line, after two consecutive turns.

Now Let's Play

Turn all tiles face down, and shuffle them thoroughly. Each player draws three Nile Tiles. The player with the highest total starts the game. Turn back all Nile Tiles and reshuffle. Each player draws five new tiles and places them in his rack.

The first player starts the game by placing a Nile Tile on the starting square of the board with its line touching the "Start" dot. The first tile played must be one of the following which can both touch the starting dot and advance (Illustration 1).

[Illustration 1: five tile faces, shown in the booklet as the tiles that may start the game.]

The following tiles may not be used to start the game. (Illustration 2).

[Illustration 2: four tile faces, shown in the booklet as the tiles that may not start the game.]

If the first player does not have a tile which can touch the start dot and advance, he forfeits his turn, and the play passes to the player on his left.

The player who starts the game by placing a tile correctly on "start" may stop after placing one tile, since a player is not obligated to play more than one tile per turn. If he chooses, he may continue to add tiles to the end of the play line as long as they are placed according to the proper method of placing tiles. The more tiles he adds to the play line during his turn the higher his score gets, so it is wise to play as many tiles as possible.

If a player is able to add all of his five tiles to the end of the playing line on the board during his turn he receives a bonus of twenty points.

If a player places one of his tiles on top of a green square in the course of extending the play line he wins the bonus shown on the green square and adds it to his score.

Players should not place a tile on top of a red penalty square unless forced to do so. Red penalty squares impose penalty points which must be deducted from the scores of players covering them with a tile.

When a player has finished playing he totals his score on the score pad supplied. He then draws from the pile the same number of tiles he played during his turn, thus having a total of five tiles to play during his next turn. The play passes to the player on his left, and the play continues as each player in turn adds tiles to the end of the playing line to advance it over the board.

Strategy

If a player is not able to cover a green bonus square during his turn it is good strategy to try to lead the play line directly to the side of a red square or area (Illustration #3) or directly into the corner of a red square (Illustration #4) and stop there. Any tile the next player is able to place correctly will have to be placed on top of the red square and penalize that player the value shown.

Inability to Play

In any situation where a player does not have a tile which will properly connect with the end of the play line during his turn, he is unable to play. He must show all his tiles to the other players. If another player sees a playable tile it must be played. If there is no challenge the player whose tiles are unplayable totals their point value, deducts that amount from his score, and then returns all five tiles to the pile face down. He immediately draws five new tiles which he places in his rack. He does not play them until his next turn, the play passing to the player on his left.

How to Place the Tiles

There are nine different types of Nile Tiles, each of which bears a line used in extending the play line across the board and a number denoting its point value for scoring. (Illustrations of all tiles are shown on the playing board). Two types of tiles have lines going from a side to a side. Two types of tiles have lines going from a corner to a corner. Four types of tiles have lines going from a side to a corner. The remaining type of tile is a Universal Tile which has lines connecting to all the sides and corners. Universal tiles may be used to substitute for any of the other tiles, and they may be used to cross the line on the board.

Simple rules govern the placement of the tiles.

1. When a player places a tile on the board to continue the play line from the side of a tile already on the board, he places his tile side to side with the tile he is joining. Their lines connect as in the following examples (Illustration #5).

2. When a player places a tile to continue the line from the corner of a tile on the board, he places his tile corner to corner with the tile on the board, and the lines join as in the following examples (Illustration #6).

Tiles whose lines join at their corners may not be placed side to side which causes their lines to form sharp angles where they join. (Illustration #7 shows several examples.)

3. The line must always stop where there is enough space on the board to add at least one tile to its end. Illustrations #8 and #9 show examples of what may not be done. In #8 the line is ended against the corner of a tile on the board and illustration #9 shows the line being improperly ended against the side of another tile on the board.

4. The Line must not be ended at a corner where the lines of two previously placed tiles join (Illustration #10).

5. The line may touch the border of the playing area only at the starting dot and at any dot on the opposite side of the board in the Blue Finish Area. Any other contact between the end of the line and a border is not permitted.

Scoring

Players total their scores on the score pad at the completion of each turn. The player with the highest score at the end of the game is the winner. Negative, as well as positive, scores can result during the game.

Add these points to your score:

1. Point value of all tiles played during a turn.
2. Point value of green squares covered.
3. Point value of blue squares covered.
4. 20 point bonus if all five tiles are played during one turn.

Subtract these points from your score:

1. Point value of red squares covered.
2. If no tiles are played during a turn, deduct total point value of all five tiles.
3. Point value of any unplayed tiles held, after game is ended.

Universal Tiles

Four Universal Tiles are supplied with the game. They are all-purpose tiles which can be used:

1. To represent any one of the other eight tiles.
2. To cross over the line on the board.

When a player uses a Universal tile to represent another tile he must state which of the other tiles it represents. In the case where a player has no other playable tile to continue the line during his turn, he must use his universal tile if he has one.

How to Cross the Line with a Universal Tile

As the line advances across the board a player may want to cross the line for strategic purposes, or he may be forced into a position where he must either cross the line or lose points. A player may cross the line during his turn only if he has a Universal Tile to act as "crossroad." To cross the line the player needs at least two tiles. The first one he uses to lead him directly to the point at which he wants to cross. (Illustration #11 shows the line being led to the side of a tile where the crossing is planned and illustration #12 shows the line being led to the corner of a tile where a crossing is planned). The tile forming the part of the line being crossed is removed and put back into the pile. Then the Universal Tile is fitted into the empty place as in Illustrations #13 and #14 and the crossing is completed. The player may stop there and stipulate which of the other tiles the Universal Tile represents, or he may continue to play, adding one or more tiles to continue The Line on the other side of the crossing.

Encirclements

If a player has a Universal tile he may want to form an encirclement to force the next player or players into a situation where they are unable to play any tiles unless they also have a Universal tile.

The following example shows how a player might circle the line around on itself, leaving one empty space on the board (Illustration #15). The next player, to get out of the encirclement, would have to own a Universal tile and cross the line as shown in Illustration #16. If he does not have a Universal Tile he takes the penalties outlined in "Inability to Play" and the turn passes to the left. If no other player has a Universal Tile the play comes back to the player who set up the encirclement, and he uses his Universal Tile to cross the line.

Important Information on the Game of Nile

1. No tile may be placed on top of another tile.
2. Tiles may be turned in only for the following reasons: a) Inability to play (where all tiles are returned to the pile) b) Crossing the Line (where the tile being crossed is returned to the pile)
3. All tiles must be placed on squares on the board with their sides in line with the black grid lines.
4. Placing one or more tiles in the "U" shaped penalty areas incurs the penalty (printed in black) once only.
5. Once a player has placed a tile on a Blue square in the finish zone he must terminate the game by ending the play line at a dot in the Blue Finish Zone. The line may not be lead out of the Blue Finish Zone once it has been led into it.
6. Only one, single continuous line may be formed in playing Nile.