Quartex
Quartex Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Contents
- 55 double-sided tiles
- 40 tokens (10 in each of the 4 shape colours)
- 5 shields
- 1 draw bag
- 1 instruction booklet
Object of the Game
Players take it in turns to place a tile and try to complete the shapes. When they do this they get a token.
But be careful! Sometimes less is more. At the end of the game, each coloured token is assigned as many points as there are remaining tokens with the same colour. Only players who use tactics to place their tiles and collect the 'right' tokens can win in the end!
Setup
- Pile the tokens according to colour where everyone can see them. These four piles are the stock pile.
- Each player takes a shield and places it in front of them.
- Place all of the tiles in the draw bag.
Depending on the number of players, some tiles may need to be removed from the draw bag and left out of the game (this is so that each player can draw the same number of tiles). Place these tiles at the side where everyone can see them.
| No. players | 2-3 | 4 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tiles to remove | 1 | 3 | 0 |
- Each player now draws five tiles from the draw bag and places these behind their shield.
The youngest player goes first.
Turn Sequence
There are four steps to each player's turn:
- Place a tile. If the player can't place a tile, see "Special Case: What happens when a player can't place any tiles".
- Take a matching token for each shape completed.
- Draw a new tile from the draw bag to make your set up to 5.
- Pass the draw bag to the next player.
Now it is the next player's turn. The game is played clockwise.
Coloured Tiles
On each of the unique tiles are coloured symbols on each corner. The tiles are not identical on both sides, they have the mirror image on the reverse side. Altogether there are four different symbols which appear in different combinations on each of the tiles.
When three tiles with the same symbols on their corners are placed together and then a fourth correct tile is added, the symbols create the following shapes: purple = X, blue = star, red = diamond, yellow = circle.
Placing a Tile
The player whose turn it is selects one of their tiles from behind their shield. They place the tile down so that it touches the side of at least one of the tiles currently in play. All the symbols on the corners of the tiles must match exactly.
Example:
Tile A doesn't fit!
The blue star symbol (1) at the bottom left corner does match. However, symbols 2 and 3 do not fully match the tile.
The tile can be flipped to position B so that the blue star symbol (1) and the yellow circle (4) now match.
Note: All tiles have the mirror image on the reverse side!
Completing a Shape
If when a player lays a tile and they add the fourth and last symbol, the shape is considered complete. The player whose turn it is then claims a token for this shape and places it in front of their shield so that all the players can see it.
Example:
When a player places tile C into the space, it completes a blue star. The tile must also match up with the other corners (1, 2 and 3) to fit the shapes on the surrounding tiles. The player now claims a blue token.
Note: It is possible that a player is able to complete 2, 3 or even 4 shapes during their turn. The player claims a token for each completed shape.
Example:
When a player places tile D into the space, 3 shapes are completed (red rings). The player then claims a purple, blue and a red token.
If there are no more tokens available in the right colour from the stock pile, the player is unable to claim a token.
What Happens If a Player Can't Place Any Tiles?
It may be that at some point in the game a player is unable to play any of their tiles. If this happens, the player whose turn it is shows their opponents the tiles behind their shield.
- If one of the player's opponents finds a suitable space for one of the tiles, the opponent can choose to point this out to the player. The tile must then be placed in this position. The turn continues as normal and the player collects any tokens for completed shapes.
- If none of the player's opponents find a suitable place for one of the tiles, the player draws 5 new tiles from the draw bag and puts them behind their shield. The player sets the old tiles aside and starts their turn using the new ones. In the rare instance that the player still cannot play, he shows the tiles again to the other players and can again take 5 new tiles and sets the previous ones aside with the other 5 unplayable tiles. The player repeats this process until a tile can be played (A) or until there are no more tiles in the bag (B).
- A: If the player can place a tile, he puts the unplayable tiles, which were set aside, back into the bag before replenishing his tiles back to 5.
- B: If the player is unable to place a tile and there are no more tiles left in the bag, the player is eliminated. The player's tiles that were set aside are put back in the bag and the player then draws another 5 tiles. At the end of the game, the player's 5 remaining tiles are each given a minus point.
Note: if the player was unable to place a tile and needs to draw 5 tiles from the bag, but there are not enough tiles in the bag, the player only draws the number of tiles that are remaining. Otherwise, the above possibilities A and B are applicable.
Elimination
Once a player is eliminated, they are unable to participate in the game anymore, even if they may have had the opportunity to do so after an opponent's turn. However, the player still receives points but each tile that has not been played must be given a minus point.
End of the Game
Once there are no more tiles left in the draw bag, the game continues until all players are either eliminated or have played the remainder of their tiles.
Scoring
Tokens are scored differently. Each token that a player has received represents as many points as there are tokens in the stock pile in that same colour. It is also important that players who were eliminated from the game before it ended are deducted one point for each of their remaining tiles.
Example: The following tokens are in the stock pile: Purple: 3, Blue: 0, Yellow: 6, Red: 2.
The tokens are then scored as follows:
- Purple: 3 points per token
- Blue: 0 points per token
- Yellow: 6 points per token
- Red: 2 points per token
The end score is the total number of token points.
Example: Player A has the following tokens and tiles at the end of the game: Purple: 2, Blue: 6, Yellow: 0, Red: 2, Tiles: 3 (the three tiles shown are the player's remaining tiles).
This means that the player has:
- Purple: 2 x 3 points = 6 points
- Blue: 6 x 0 points = 0 points
- Yellow: 0 x 6 points = 0 points
- Red: 2 x 2 points = 4 points
- Tiles: 3 x -1 points = -3 points
End total: 6 + 0 + 0 + 4 - 3 = 7 points
Who Wins?
The player who has the highest total score at the end of the game wins!
Tactical Alternative
The tactical alternative is only recommended for experienced Quartex players!
A maximum of 8 tiles may be placed in a row either vertically or horizontally. All possible spaces are counted. This means that the tiles create an 8x8 frame. Frames of 9x9 or 10x10 can also be created if agreed upon before the start of the game.