Penki
Penki Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 28 wooden tiles, each with 2 cavities
- 56 playing pieces in 3 colours (24 per player, plus joker pieces)
- 1 fabric bag
Setup
Assign a colour to each player. Joker pieces may be used to replace either colour. All playing pieces are placed in the bag.
Taking turns, each player draws 2 pieces from the bag and places them immediately in front of them as a pair. Players continue drawing and placing pieces in this way until each player has 14 pairs in front of them. If both players agree, they may also draw more than 2 pieces from the bag at a time and place them in pairs at random. This reduces setup time.
To begin, place one wooden tile in the centre of the table. Its longest side represents the base line. The remaining 27 wooden tiles form the common supply.
Goal of the Game
Form an unbroken row of at least 5 of your own playing pieces (PENKI in Lithuanian: "five"). The row may be vertical, horizontal or diagonal. Joker pieces may be included in the row.
If placing a pair of pieces completes a winning row for both players at the same time, the player who did not play on that last turn wins the game. The game may also end in a draw.
Course of Play
Players take turns. It is not permitted to pass your turn.
On your turn, you must do one of the following:
- connect a new wooden tile, or
- place a pair of playing pieces in one wooden tile.
Connecting a New Wooden Tile
New tiles must always be connected to the existing play area. In addition, the following rules must be observed (see the illustration on the back of the rules page):
- The player must connect the wooden tile horizontally or vertically, so that the cavities are perfectly aligned.
- There must never be a gap or an empty tile between the new tile and the base line.
- Always watch the base line: no tile may be placed below it, or protrude beyond it. The maximum width of the play area may not exceed 9 cavities.
Placing a Pair of Playing Pieces in a Wooden Tile
The player takes one of the pairs of playing pieces in front of them and places these two pieces into the cavities of one of the wooden tiles within the play area.
If, with this move, the player fills the last two free cavities in the entire play area, they must immediately connect a new wooden tile, observing the placement rules. This is the only case that allows a player to place playing pieces and a tile in the same turn.
Author's Tactical Tip
Because players may not pass their turn to avoid placing playing pieces, pay attention towards the end of the game not to find yourself holding only playing pieces of your opponent's colour. Otherwise you may be forced to complete a row that gives your opponent the victory.
Illegal Placements
The tiles shaded in a light colour have not been connected correctly (illustration on the back of the rules page):
- The tiles have to be connected to one another in a straight line.
- There is a gap between the tile and the baseline. This gap first needs to be filled.
- The tile below this tile has not yet been filled with playing pieces; therefore, you may not connect any tile here.
- The maximum width of 9 recesses has been exceeded.
- The tile protrudes below the defined baseline.