Skirrid
Skirrid Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
How to Play
- Each player has 18 SKIRRID shapes.
- Play starts from the centre square of the board.
- A score is the total of numbers covered by a shape.
- Play is alternate and shapes must be placed face to face touching any shape already played – but not diagonally.
- The "2" and "3" marked on some shapes multiply only the number they cover.
- Players may use any of their shapes to BLOCK an opponent (blocking is explained in the rules).
- The winner is the player with the highest score when all 36 shapes have been played.
The Rules
This SKIRRID set is designed for two (2) or four (4) players but may also be played by three (3), five (5) or six (6) players.
There are two sets of eighteen shapes with each SKIRRID game. Each set contains three of each different shape. The shapes are shown in Fig.1.
The Game for Two Players
Each player has eighteen (18) shapes either black or white. White starts by placing any shape on or across the centre square. Play now continues as alternatively each player places a shape on the playing board adjacent (but not diagonally adjacent) to ANY shape already placed. A score is the total of all the numbers covered by any one shape, and when all thirty-six (36) shapes have been played, the winner is the player with the highest score. Keep account of each player's score by noting it down after each turn or using the scoring platform provided.
The "2"s and "3"s marked on the shapes multiply only the number that they cover on the playing board. They do NOT multiply the total score made by that shape. The numbered shapes may be playing board with the numbers facing the top, bottom or either edge of the board.
A player must play within the Inner Area (white squares) until he or she has scored 75.
A player may "BLOCK" an opponent by placing a shape upside down. This means that for one turn only an opponent may not in any way play adjacent to that "blocking" shape. If however the opponent can play off an unblocked shape and at the same time happens to touch the blocked shape DIAGONALLY – this is permitted. Players may if they wish follow a block with further block as their next move. A blocking shape scores half its total. This should be rounded down, thus a blocking shape scoring 13 when halved would be 6. Blocking is not permitted on the first move of the game.
NOTE: Scoring should be done openly and at all times players must be permitted to have sight of an opponent's remaining shapes.
Dice
SKIRRID may be played using a dice – this increases the chance element. The Rules remain the same but the players must now roll a dice in order to select the shape. The shapes are represented as shown in Fig. 1.
Nearing the end of the game when most of the shapes have been played, a dice roll may not represent the player's available shapes – in this case the player missed that turn. The game ends when any one player has placed ALL his or her shapes.
The Game for Four Players (Played in Pairs)
All Rules remain the same as for the game for two players but with the following refinements:
- Each pair receives eighteen (18) shapes as per the game for two players. These are divided in the following manner:
- Player 1 receives 1 Gun (unmarked), 1 Gun (marked 2), 1 Door (marked 3), 1 Snake (unmarked), 1 Snake (marked 2), 1 Quoin (marked 3), 1 Rod (unmarked), 1 Rod (marked 2), 1 Eye (marked 3).
- The partner receives the remaining shapes – 1 Gun (marked 3), 1 Door (unmarked), 1 Door (marked 2), 1 Snake (marked 3), 1 Quoin (unmarked), 1 Quoin (marked 2), 1 Rod (marked 3), 1 Eye (unmarked), 1 Eye (marked 2).
- There should be no consulting between pairs during the game.
- There is no Arena play (players do not have to score 75 before leaving the Arena).
- The Blocking shape remains in power for one turn only and a player is permitted to play adjacent to his PARTNER'S blocking shape.
- Partners should sit opposite each other.
- The game ends when all players have played their shapes.
The Game for Four Players (Played Individually)
The game is the same as for four players playing in pairs EXCEPT for the "Blocking" procedure – see heading "BLOCKING" below.
The Game for Three Players
This game is the same as for two EXCEPT all players receive twelve (12) shapes, that is two of each. All shapes count as UNMARKED – no doubling or tripling.
The Game for Five or Six Players
Each player receives one (1) of each shape. All shapes count as UNMARKED (no doubling or tripling). There is no Arena play (players do not have to score 75 before leaving the Arena).
Blocking
In the games for 3, 4 (playing individually), 5 and 6 players the Blocking shape remains in power until the Blocking player receives his or her next turn. In the Arena players may not follow a Blocking move with a further Block on the next turn.
Suggestions and Advice for New SKIRRID Players
A good average score is between 400-500.
Although there are only thirty-six moves in a SKIRRID game, the players should normally reach out to most of the high-scoring corners and edges of the board, where a single shape (the door, marked with a "3") can score 100 points. At least three of the four corners should normally be covered.
Try not to use up shapes marked with a "2" or "3" too early in the game. These will prove more valuable towards the outside of the board.
"Blocking" is an important part of the game – do not underestimate its importance.
The total of the numbers in any one quarter of the board are equal. Thus if an opponent starts to "block" towards say the two "25"s in the top left hand side of the board, a player may be able to counteract this by playing without blocking in one of the other quarters.
As the game progresses keep a careful eye on your opponents remaining shapes and endeavour to work out his ability or otherwise to fit his shapes into advantageous positions.
The duration of the game will often depend on the standard achieved by the players. Children will complete the game in a period of 20 minutes or so, while experienced players may well occupy themselves for up to an hour and a half.
Figure 1: The Shapes
The shapes are shown in Figure 1 of the source. Each shape is listed below against the die face that selects it when the game is played with a die (see Dice above).
| Die | Shape |
|---|---|
| 1 | The eye (a single square) |
| 2 | The rod (a straight line of two squares) |
| 3 | The quoin (three squares forming an L) |
| 4 | The snake (four squares in an S/Z step) |
| 5 | The door (five squares forming a U shape with a gap in the centre of the bottom row) |
| 6 | The gun (six squares: a row of four, with one square above the second square and one square below the third) |