Pentagame
Pentagame Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Choose your figures
Every player has five figures. There is one team of figures per player in the box. You have a blue, a red, a white, a green and a yellow figure. They start at the five corners of the board matching their colour.
They want to reach the big stops in the middle, where they move out.
Setup
Put your figures on the big corners at the ring matching their body colours: your white figure on the white corner at the ring, your blue figure on the blue corner at the ring, etc.
Put the black blocks on the five crossings in the middle of the board.
Park the grey blocks in the middle for later.
Objective
White figures want to go to the white crossing in the centre, blue ones to the blue crossing, etc. The destination is always the big coloured stop in the middle pentagon opposite the starting point.
Move three pieces to their destinations to win.
The Rules
Move any of your figures on the star or the ring in any direction as far as you please.
You can turn at any free corner or crossing without stopping.
Never jump—neither over blocks, nor over any figures.
But you may move onto an occupied stop:
If you thereby beat a black block, place it on a free stop of your choice.
If you thereby move onto a stop with another figure, swap position with it.
You may swap the positions of two of your own figures.
If you move onto a stop with multiple figures, choose one to swap with.
Do not make the very same move twice in immediate succession.
A figure that has reached its destination is removed. Put it into the centre of the board. Then take one of the grey blocks and put it on a free stop of your choice.
If you beat such a grey block, take it from the board again.
If you run out of grey blocks, re-position one that is already in the game.
If another player has moved you to your goal, you must move out once it is your turn.
The last round gets played out.
Illustrated rules summary
The illustrated sheet restates the rules above in pictures, with these additional points in its text:
- Choose pieces: Everyone has pieces of one shape. One has rabbits, one cats etc. Pentagame is for 2, 3 or 4 players.
- Setup your pieces: All pieces start at the rim, on the corner of their colour.
- Setup blocks: Put black blocks on the crossings. They are neutral. Save grey blocks for later; park them in the centre.
- Winning condition: All white pieces travel to white, blue to blue etc. At their goals they leave the game. Three out wins.
- Any direction: You can move in any direction, on the ring and on the star.
- Turn at free nodes: Turn at free corners without stopping. Ways can be long!
- Move but don't jump: You can move as far as you want, as long as the path is free. But: you cannot jump!
- Replace blocks: You can hit a black block. You then relocate it on an empty space.
- Swap neighbours: On a free path, you can swap two neighbouring pieces (at least one of which must be yours). You can turn corners in such a move, too.
- Move out: When you reach a goal, you move out (or into the centre). For this you place a grey block on a free stop. If you beat a grey block, it leaves the game again.
- Score: The game ends in the round in which a player gets three pieces to their goals. This round is usually played out.
Special cases
- When moving to a corner with multiple pieces, swap with one of them.
- When you get to set both a grey and a black block, say 'abrakadabra'.
- You are not allowed to try the exact same move twice.
- When one of your pieces was brought to its goal by someone else, then you must move that piece out when it is your turn and you set a grey block. You do not gain an extra move.
- If you need more grey blocks than there are, re-position one.
Tips
- The white rabbit begins the game.
- Left and right are not the same.
- Swapping with foreign pieces is a waste of time.
- It is also possible to be nice.
- To remain silent is a virtue.
- Own pieces are strong blocks.
- 'You are not allowed to try the exact same move twice' means: you can swap me and I can reverse that; then you have to do something else.
- Three players must play twice: clockwise, and anti-clockwise, for the game to be fair.
- Four players should form teams of two; those who sit opposite each other are a party. Who moves out 5 pieces together first wins.
- Five players may play like this: have each player command one colour instead of one shape, and two out wins.
- Park the grey blocks and collect pieces that have left the game in the centre to always keep a good overview.
Editorial notes: the source text has three typos, corrected here without changing the meaning: "Thre players" is printed as "Three players", "For players should form teams of two" is printed as "Four players should form teams of two" (the sheet's own team rule is for four players, two teams of two), and "move in and direction" is printed as "move in any direction". The "Score" and "Special cases" headings on the sheet are kept as printed.