Partán Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• The Partán System
• Game Board
  • Dice Square (Die icon)
  • Retreat Square (Star icon)
  • Repeat Square (Circle icon)
  • Death Square (Octagon icon)
• Game Mechanics
• Counts
• Order of the Steps to Follow in Plays
• Rules

The Partán System

Squares are adjoining when they share a side or one of their corners. When we move a piece, once in the destination "Square" and from it, it repels the pieces occupying adjoining "Squares" and displaces them one "Square" in the opposite direction.

If a piece is repelled from a side of its "Square", we move it across the opposite side to the next "Square"; if it is repelled from a corner of its "Square", we move it across the opposite corner to the next "Square". The piece arrangements in Fig. 1 and 2 cannot occur in a game; they illustrate how to move the pieces that are repelled.

Fig. 1 - The piece in the centre, darker, repels the eight that occupy the adjoining "Squares" (four on the sides and four on the corners).

Fig. 2 - We move the adjoining pieces one "Square" in the opposite direction from the one that repels them. If the movement is correct, there is always one free "Square" between the piece that repels and the one that is repelled and displaced.

Displaced pieces, once in their destination "Square", equally repel other pieces they find in adjoining "Squares".

Fig. 3 - Turn of the player of the green "Street". They roll three points with their die and will move the piece from "Square" 25 of their "Street" to "Square" 28.

Fig. 4 - Once in "Square" 28, it repels the piece on "Square" 20 of the black "Street" and displaces it to 12 of the red "Street"; this piece in turn repels the piece on "Square" 2 of the white "Street" and displaces it, expelling it from the "Street Track".

Fig. 5 and 6 - A piece repels and displaces all the pieces occupying "Squares" adjoining the one it has just occupied. The displaced pieces likewise repel and displace others in a chain. At the end of a turn there must be no pieces occupying adjoining "Squares".

Game Board

On the board we find "Start Zones", "Arrival Zones" and a "Central Circle". The "Streets" depart from the "Start Zones", from "Square" 1, and run around the board describing a circle up to "Square" 36, which connects with its corresponding "Arrival Zone". The set of "Streets" forms the "Street Track". The "Streets" are divided into 36 "Squares"; some have only the number (for counting), others also display different icons. There are four types of "Squares" with icons:

Dice Square (Die icon)

Numbers.- 1, 4, 8, 14, 23 and the "Arrival Zone".

Function.- Pieces falling on a "Dice Square" jump, without respecting Barriers, to the next "Dice Square" of the "Street"; if that one is occupied, to the next, and so on. The "Arrival Zone" is considered free.

Retreat Square (Star icon)

Numbers.- 11, 22 and 33.

Function.- When a piece falls on a "Retreat Square" it jumps, without respecting Barriers, to the previous "Retreat Square" of the "Street"; if that one is occupied, it stays. Number 11 does not make pieces retreat.

Repeat Square (Circle icon)

Numbers.- 6 and 31.

Function.- For each piece that falls on a "Repeat Square", at the end of their turn the player rolls their die again and repeats their turn. It does not matter whether the piece stays on the "Square" or is later displaced during the play; the turn is repeated for falling on any "Repeat Square".

Death Square (Octagon icon)

Numbers.- 9, 18, 27 and 36.

Function.- When a piece falls on a "Death Square", without repelling pieces, it goes to the "Central Circle" and is eliminated.

Game Mechanics

The aim is to bring pieces from the "Start Zone" to the "Arrival Zone". A die is used for this, and a piece advances as many "Squares" as points obtained on the die roll. Play proceeds in turns following the direction of the clock hands (clockwise).

Each player chooses a colour, takes the corresponding die and places eight pieces in their "Start Zone". Everyone rolls their die and the one who gets the most points begins, breaking ties if necessary.

For each die roll, or when we have to make a count (see below), we can only move with the pieces that are in the "Start Zone" and the "Street" of our colour.

The player who gets five or more pieces in their "Arrival Zone" and has no pieces in their "Start Zone" wins the game.

Counts

By count we may advance a piece of our "Street" or "Start Zone", always being obliged to bring out a piece if there is no Barrier that prevents it. The player whose turn it is has the right to a count for:

Expel. When a repelled piece, on being displaced, leaves the "Street Track", we say it is expelled and it goes to the "Start Zone" of the player whose turn it is. For each expelled piece, five is counted.

Eliminate. Pieces that fall on any "Death Square" go to the "Central Circle" and are eliminated from the game. For each eliminated piece, your own or another's (it makes no difference), five is counted.

Put in. When a piece enters an "Arrival Zone" we say we have put a piece in. Pieces enter the "Arrival Zones" after passing "Square" 36, without needing an exact roll. We also put a piece in if it jumps from "Dice Square" number 23 or earlier because the latter was occupied (see the function of the "Dice Squares").

A piece that is repelled and displaced may fall on a "Dice Square" of another "Street" and, consequently, be put in an "Arrival Zone" other than that of the player whose turn it is. The right to the count always belongs to the player whose turn it is, regardless of the colour of the "Arrival Zone" where the piece is put in. For each piece put in, ten is counted.

During a turn we can obtain the right to several counts. Counts are not cumulative in a single piece movement; they can be made with the pieces and in the order desired, but always one by one, taking into account after each movement whether there is something to repel, jump, repeat, and whether there is a right to new counts.

Order of the Steps to Follow in Plays

To play Partán correctly, a hierarchical order of actions and movements must always be followed: 1st Roll, 2nd Move, 3rd Repel, 4th Jump, 5th Count and 6th Repeat.

A piece cannot jump if there is a piece pending to repel. A count cannot be made if there is a piece pending to repel or jump. A turn cannot be repeated if there is a piece pending to repel, jump, or counts to be made.

Steps 3rd, 4th and 5th involve moving a piece; therefore, after doing so we again consider points 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th, and so on until there is no piece left to move.

At the end of a turn there must be no pieces occupying adjoining "Squares", nor on the "Death Squares", nor on "Dice Squares" number 1. If from a previous play we find pieces in these circumstances, proceed as follows, without right to a count:

Pieces occupying adjoining "Squares" or "Dice Squares" number 1 go to the "Start Zones" of the colour of the "Square" they occupy. Pieces occupying "Death Squares" go to the "Central Circle".

Rules

1. For each die roll or count it is always compulsory to bring out a piece if there is no Barrier that prevents it.
2. A "Square" can only hold one piece.
3. An occupied "Square" is a Barrier that prevents other pieces from passing.
4. Jumps between "Dice Squares" or between "Retreat Squares" do not respect Barriers.
5. From "Death Squares" pieces are not repelled.
6. An "Arrival Zone" is entered without needing an exact roll.
7. Pieces expelled from the "Street Track" go to the "Start Zone" of the player whose turn it is.
8. Counts are not cumulative in a single movement.
9. If a player, when their turn comes or when they have the right to a count, has no piece in their "Start Zone" or on their "Street", they will take a piece from the "Central Circle"; if there is none, they will take it from their "Arrival Zone"; and if there is none there either, they pass the turn and lose their count. If there is a piece, they place it in their "Start Zone", roll their die and move or make their count.