Orapa Mine Rulebook

Table of Contents

Components
Game Setup (2 players)
Game Play
Gem Colors
Game End
3+ Player Mode
Diamond Expansion
Blackbody Expansion
Credits

Components

2 Mine Boards, 2 Screens, 2 Sets of Gemstones (7 pieces each), Solution Sheet

Game Setup (2 players)

Players act as both the quiz master and the gem hunter. As a hunter, each player must locate the position and shape of gemstones arranged by the opponent and record these findings on their solution sheet.

Quiz Master Setup: Take 1 mine board, 1 gemstone set, and 1 screen to cover the mine board. In the basic version, use only 5 out of the 7 gemstone pieces (1 red, 1 yellow, 1 blue, and 2 white).

Placement: Arrange the pieces on the mine board according to the following rules:

a. Place gemstone pieces with the visible grid lines facing up b. Align the corners of pieces with the grid points on the board, ensuring the lines within each piece match the grid lines. (Pieces cannot be placed at an angle.) c. Pieces may touch the edge of the board, but cannot be placed outside the grid. d. The edges of two pieces cannot directly touch. Only the corners and lines within the board or between pieces may meet. e. No piece should be completely hidden behind other pieces when viewed from the board's edge.

The rulebook illustrates examples a–d as small diagrams of gemstone pieces placed on a mine-board grid, showing legal and illegal placements (an X marks an illegal placement, an O marks a legal one) for the rules above.

Hunter Setup: Prepare a solution sheet, pencil, and eraser.

When all preparations are complete, decide on the first player and take turns asking questions and responding to locate all gemstones on the opponent's mine board. The first player to correctly guess the position and configuration of all gemstones wins.

Game Play

On their turn, a hunter sends an ultrasonic wave (asks a question). The opponent observes their board and provides the exit point and color result of the wave. The solution sheet contains a 10 x 8 grid. The hunter selects one of the numbers (1–18) or letters (A–R) on the edge to send an ultrasonic wave. The wave travels in a straight line from the launch point and bounces off minerals at right angles or in horizontal and vertical directions before exiting the mine.

The opponent observes their board and provides (A) the exit point on the edge and (B) the color result of the wave. The hunter then records the response on their solution sheet.

Example: Jay asks, "If I fire the ultrasound from I, what color does it exit as?" Ella answers, "From position I, it exits back as Red." Leo asks, "If I fire the ultrasound from 15, what color does it exit as?" Ella answers, "From position 8, it exits as Light Purple."

The hunter may ask about the results of a previously sent ultrasonic wave again. In this case, they do not use their turn.

Alternative Questioning Method: During their turn, hunters can use their action to ask, "What is located at a specific position?" For example, they may ask, "What is at 4, E?" The possible answers could be, "Nothing is there," or "There is a white gem," and so on.

Gem Colors

In Orapa Mine, there are four gemstone colors (red, blue, yellow, white), and the ultrasonic beam is transparent. The beam changes color based on the gemstones it encounters:

a. When the beam hits a white gemstone, it turns white; red, it turns red; other colors cause similar changes. b. When the beam hits red and white, it turns pink; yellow and white turn it lemon; blue and white turn it sky blue. If the beam hits red, yellow, blue, and white, it turns gray. c. Occasionally, the beam may hit the same color multiple times. In these cases, only the first interaction with each color is counted in the response.

The rulebook illustrates these color-mixing rules with diagrams of gemstone pieces and the resulting beam colors: red + yellow = orange, red + blue = purple, blue + yellow = green, red + blue + yellow = black; red + white = pink, yellow + white = lemon, blue + white = sky blue, red + yellow + blue + white = gray, blue + yellow + white = "light" green; and further examples of yellow + white = lemon, red + blue = purple, blue + yellow + white = light green.

Game End

The first player to identify all gemstone positions and placements wins. A player may submit their solution sheet to the quiz master using their turn. If correct, they win; if incorrect, they immediately lose.

If the later-starting player gives the correct answer, they immediately win, and the game ends. If the first-starting player gives the correct answer, the later-starting player gets one last chance to answer. If their answer is incorrect, the first-starting player wins. If their answer is correct, the game ends in a draw. In the case of a draw, the game is played once more to determine the winner.

3+ Player Mode

Choose one player as the quiz master. The quiz master arranges the gemstones in the mine but does not participate in the competition. Except for the quiz master, players become hunters, taking turns asking questions and exploring. The quiz master provides results for questions. The quiz master's answer is shared with everyone. The first hunter to correctly guess all gemstone positions and placements wins. If players are unfamiliar with Orapa Mine, they may use an additional solution set for convenience.

In a game with 3 or more players, hunters may use their turn to submit an answer (once). Each hunter can make up to two attempts. If both attempts are incorrect, the player loses and is eliminated from the game. If all players fail both attempts, the exploration is unsuccessful.

The number of answer attempts can be adjusted according to the players' levels.

Diamond Expansion

Once players are familiar with the game, they may add a transparent gemstone piece for increased difficulty. The transparent gem reflects ultrasound waves like other gemstones but does not change the beam's color. When the beam hits other gemstones in addition to the transparent one, their colors are determined by the original rules.

Blackbody Expansion

For expert-level difficulty, players may add a black gemstone piece. It's convenient to arrange black jewelry with the pointed side facing upward like a mountain.

The black gemstone absorbs ultrasonic waves and does not reflect them. In this case, the quiz master responds with "The signal was absorbed" rather than providing an exit point or color. For questions asked using coordinates in an Alternative Questioning Method the response should also be "The signal was absorbed."

Example: Jay asks, "What is at (B, 3)?" Ella answers, "The signal was absorbed…"

Credits