Snit Smashing Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• About the Snits
• About the Snandergrab
• Outline of the Game
• Prepare for Play
• Sequence of Play
  • I. The First Run to the Snandergrab
    • 1. Write Bolotomus Intentions
    • 2. Move Snits
    • 3. Reveal Secret Orders
    • 4. Is the Run Over Yet?
    • 5. Reproduction
  • II. The First Run to the Sea
  • III. The Second Run to the Snandergrab
  • IV. The Second (and Final) Run to the Sea
• The Winner!

Components

The components used in Snit Smashing are:

• Two-sided gameboard. The Snit Smashing side depicts a bit of the sea and the sandy beach where all the action takes place.
• Snits (21 per color, 84 in all).
• 4 Smashes (one per color).
• The large Snandergrab.
• The Bolotomus Primus token.
• Two six-sided dice.

You'll also need pencil and paper for each player.

About the Snits

Each Snit counter has a name and number. The number is the Snit's Speed, which may range from 4 to 7. This is the number of hexes it may move on the map in a single bound.

Some Snit counters also have a badge (a hammer or lightning icon), which is not used in this game.

About the Snandergrab

The Snandergrab is an inscrutable living thing, which appeared on this world long before there were Snits . . . or even Bolotomi. Though incapable of movement on its own, this wonderful creature is intimately involved in the life cycle of the Snits. You will note from its peculiar shape that it occupies seven hexes on the playing area. At the start of each Run (from or to the sea), the center of the Snandergrab is placed in Hex D10.

Outline of the Game

Each player assumes two roles. On the one hand, you play the part of a bored Bolotomus, smashing Snits on the beach and keeping score. On the other hand, you control the destiny of a clan of Snits, struggling for survival in a pointlessly hostile world.

As a Bolotomus, you attempt to smash the Snits belonging to the other Bolotomi. As the Snits, you are striving to make it to the Snandergrab, reproduce, and get back to the sea alive. There will be two winners of the game. The Bolotomus who smashes the most Snits achieves a Bolotomus victory. The clan of Snits with the most surviving Snits achieves a Snit victory. If one player manages to win both victories, it's a Grand Slam.

A game of Snit Smashing consists of four phases:

1. A run from the sea to the Snandergrab (six bounds, or turns), followed by reproduction.
2. A run from the Snandergrab to the Sea (survival is all that matters here).
3. A second run from the sea to the Snandergrab (six bounds), followed by reproduction.
4. A final run to the sea (after which the winners congratulate one another).

An important thing to remember: It is possible for a Bolotomus to smash his own Snits. This will, of course, kill them, but these Snits do not count for keeping score. A Bolotomus only scores points for smashing Snits belonging to the other players.

Prepare for Play

1. Unfold the map to the Snit Smashing side and lay it flat on the table. It depicts a bit of the sea and the sandy beach where all the action takes place.
2. Each player selects a set of 21 Snits and the SMASH! of the same color. Place the Smash face up in front of you. Turn all your Snits face down and mix them up.
3. All players roll the dice. The high roller becomes the Bolotomus Primus. Place the Bolotomus Primus token in front of that player.
4. Place the Snandergrab (the funny-shaped brown thing with eyes) on the shaded area of the map, so its center is in hex D10. Note that this is the only time the Snandergrab may be placed in such a manner that part of it extends off the playing area.
5. Each player now draws four of his Snits and puts them face up, in the starting hex for his clan. This is the sea hex with the Snit in the appropriate color. These four are your parent Snit (who has run to the Snandergrab once, reproduced, survived, and returned to the sea) and his three offspring. Your face-up Snits are called "Active."

All your remaining Snits are kept face down, near the playing area. You will draw additional Snits from this pool if any of your Active Snits make it to the Snandergrab.

6. Every player will need a pen or pencil and a piece of paper, to write orders.

Sequence of Play

I. The First Run to the Snandergrab

Beside the map is a track marked "Bound." Put a marker (whatever's handy) in the "1" box. This shows that it is the First Bound.

1. Write Bolotomus Intentions

All players write down what their Bolotomus will do, and then fold the paper over and keep it secret. As the Bolotomus, you have two choices: Smash or Move.

The Smash of a Bolotomus covers three adjoining hexagons with a common center. Examples: C6, C7, D7 or G4, G5, F5. A Smash must be completely in the field of play. You may Smash partially or completely on the Snandergrab (because it might be moved by another Bolotomus).

(The booklet shows a diagram of Legal and Illegal Smash placements.)

As an alternative, a Bolotomus may Move the Snandergrab. To indicate a move, simply write the word "move" followed by the center hex of the Snandergrab's destination. Example: Move to E3. The Snandergrab may never be moved to a place where any of it extends out of the field of play (it started on D10, but that is the only time the Snandergrab is allowed to extend off the map). Likewise, no part of the Snandergrab may be in the blue Sea hexes.

2. Move Snits

Once all Bolotomi have folded their secret orders, it is time for the Snits to move. Starting with the Bolotomus Primus, and proceeding in a clockwise order, each player moves one of his face-up Snits out of the sea toward the Snandergrab. Snit movement continues, in order, until all players have moved all of their Active Snits.

Snits may move any number of hexes, up to their Speed. Every Snit must leave the sea on the first turn, and may not return to the sea during this run. Once out of the sea, a Snit is not required to move (but it ought to.) Movement may not be saved for a later turn.

Stacking Limit. This is very important. Only one Snit may occupy each hex at the end of the Bound. This does hold true even for the hexes under the Bolotomus, so only seven Snits can possibly reach safety on any one turn! However, it is legal to move through a hex occupied by another Snit.

Hint: Turn each of your Snits sideways or upside-down as you move it, so you will be able to tell which ones have moved.

Strategy: Hopefully, each Bolotomus will remember where he is smashing, and will not move his own Snits into these spaces (although this does happen, and everyone else laughs). It is the intent of the designer that you not look at your orders after you fold them, but if you find yourself smashing your own Snits too often, you may create a house rule to let players check their own orders while they are moving.

It is often a good tactic to stay near another player's Snits to avoid being smashed. Another sneaky strategy is to move your Snits all around, but not into, the area of your Smash, thus tempting rival Snits to their doom.

3. Reveal Secret Orders

After the Snits have moved, it's time for the Bolotomi to reveal their orders. Starting with the Bolotomus Primus, and in clockwise order, each player reveals the location of his Smash or Move. If a Smash was ordered, the player puts his Smash counter on the map to show where he struck.

Priorities: Each Smash instantly kills any Snits it hits, so if two or more Bolotomi Smash the same hex or hexes, the first one to Smash gets the kill(s).

If more than one Bolotomus moves the Snandergrab, the last one to read his orders places the Snandergrab.

The Protection of the Snandergrab: After all orders are read and the Snandergrab is moved, any Snit who is under any of the seven hexes of the Snandergrab has achieved nirvana and is immune to smashes that may fall there. These Snits are taken off the map and placed, face up, in front of the owning player (they will reproduce at the end of Bound 6).

The NO NO. If a Bolotomus moves the Snandergrab so that it ends on top of his own Snits, those Snits are NOT protected by the Snandergrab. (In their scurry for safety, they overshot). Instead, they are placed on top of the Snandergrab, and may be the victims of any smashes that fall on them.

Garbled or Inaccurate Orders: If a player writes an order than nobody, including himself, can read, nothing happens (no smash, no move). If the orders for a smash do not describe three adjoining hexes, no smash occurs!

Keeping Score: Any Snits smashed by their owners are out of play and returned to the game box. Smashed Snits belonging to an opponent are kept as trophies, face up in front of the scoring player, for all to see and admire (or lament).

4. Is the Run Over Yet?

The Run to the Snandergrab consists of a maximum of six bounds . . . each bound, players write orders, move and then smash Snits. If it is currently not the end of the sixth bound and there are still Active Snits running around on the playing area, the Bolotomus Primus moves the Bound marker to the next number, and passes the totem to the player on his left (who becomes the new BP). Now return to Step 1 (above).

If it is the end of the sixth bound, or all Active Snits are either dead or safely under the Snandergrab, it's time for REPRODUCTION! (Much rejoicing if you are a Snit.)

5. Reproduction

Any Active Snits who haven't made it to the Snandergrab by the end of Bound 6 are sportingly placed under the Snandergrab by the Bolotomi. However, life in the open is hard on a Snit. Place such Snits in a face-up area separate from those who reached safety on their own.

Players now randomly draw three face-down Snits from their pool for each surviving parent Snit. Place the new offspring underneath their parent. If you run out of face-down Snits, you're done reproducing (each player is limited to 21 total Snits). All living Snits will reproduce unless you're out of face-down Snits in your pool.

Any Snit that was placed under the Snandergrab at the end of Bound 6 by the mercy of the Bolotomi will still reproduce . . . but it immediately dies!

Once these fatalities have been tossed into the game box, it's time for the Run To The Sea. The BP re-sets the Bound marker to "1" and passes the BP totem to the player on his left.

II. The First Run to the Sea

This is played in the same manner as the run to the Snandergrab, with the following exceptions:

The Snandergrab is returned to its starting position. (You may remove the Snandergrab counter and pretend it's there, since the Snandergrab isn't moved during this phase of the game.)

All Snits start under the Snandergrab. Yes, this violates the stacking rules. Don't worry about it. Snits making their move from under the Snandergrab may count their movement from any hex of the Snandergrab. It doesn't matter exactly where they were underneath it.

In this phase of the game, the parent Snits, along with their offspring, are trying to get safely to the sea. Bolotomi may only write Smash orders . . . the Snandergrab may not be moved. A Smash may be written to fall partly on the Snandergrab; if so, it has no effect on any Snits remaining underneath.

Once a Snit moves into the Sea, it is safe, and is placed face-up in front of its owner. There is no reproduction in the sea – just survival.

Snits may lurk in safety under the Snandergrab for as long as they wish, but if a Snit does not make it back to the sea by the end of the sixth bound, it dries up and dies! Remove it from play.

III. The Second Run to the Snandergrab

This is done in a manner identical to the First Run to the Snandergrab, and ends in more reproduction.

IV. The Second (and Final) Run to the Sea

This is identical to the First Run to the Sea. When all the Snits have reached the sea (or dried up at the end of the sixth bound), the game is over.

The Winner!

All players now compare their totals. The player with the most living Snits has won the Snit victory. The Bolotomus who has killed the most rival Snits wins the Bolotomus victory.