Steppe
Steppe Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Object
Steppe is probably unlike any game you have ever played before. The object is to gain the most points by placing your tiles in "the steppe," which can be up to three levels high. The higher you place your tiles, the more points they are worth.
During the game, players jockey for position and lay patterns of tiles in the lower levels that will enable them to place large tiles in the upper levels, where they are worth more points. Players can use the white tiles to prevent their opponents from getting points.
There are a few rules to learn (where to place tiles, how to complete a level, how to use white tiles, etc.), some special situations to look for, a little strategy to pick up, and you're ready to play.
Components
- The board: 25 yellow spaces arranged in a 5 x 5 grid, with the board's surface divided into three levels.
- Tiles for each player: 15 "ones," 5 "fives," 3 "tens," and 3 "whites."
Rules of Play
One player is the red player and uses the red tiles; the other player is the blue player and uses the blue tiles. Each player also receives three white tiles.
Red goes first. Players then alternate turns (except when a new level is started—see "Placing Tiles").
All play takes place on the 25 yellow spaces on the board.
To Play
To start the game, place the unclaimed white tile on the center space of the playing board. Red then begins play.
Players alternate playing one tile at a time. If a player can place a tile, he must—a player cannot voluntarily pass his turn. If one player cannot place tiles, the other player must continue to place tiles until the level is filled or until he can no longer place tiles.
A player's turn is over when he takes his fingers off the tile he played.
Placing Tiles
Tiles are placed in the first level until it is completed. Once the first level is completed, players can place tiles in the second level. Likewise, tiles cannot be placed in the third level until the second level is completed.
A level is completed when either all the spaces in that level are filled, or neither player can place a tile (including white tiles) in that level.
The player who places the last tile in one level gets to place the first tile in the next level.
Tiles placed in the first level are worth their face values (1, 5, or 10). Tiles placed in the second level are worth two times their face values. Tiles placed in the third level are worth three times their face values.
A player can place a tile on any yellow space, any white tile, or any tile of his color. Thus the blue player can place a tile on any of the yellow spaces in the first level, or on any white or blue tiles in the second and third levels.
Blue Tile Placement
The printed diagram for the blue player shows where each tile may rest:
- A "10" tile: its two ends must rest on blue or white; its middle section may rest on any tile.
- A "5" tile: both ends must rest on blue or white.
- A "1" tile: it must rest on blue or white.
A "10" tile covers three spaces on the board. The two ends of a "10" tile must rest on either a yellow space, a white tile, or a tile of the player's color. The middle section of the "10" tile can cover anything, even a tile of the other color (this is a great strategy—if you cover up your opponent's tiles, he has fewer places to lay his tiles).
A "5" tile covers two spaces. It must rest on either a yellow space, a white tile, or a tile of the same color as the "5" tile. Thus you cannot use a "5" tile to cover up your opponent's tile.
A "1" tile covers one space. It can only be placed on a yellow space, a white tile, or on a tile of the same color.
Red Tile Placement
The printed diagram for the red player shows where each tile may rest:
- A "10" tile: its two ends must rest on red or white; its middle section may rest on any tile.
- A "5" tile: both ends must rest on red or white.
- A "1" tile: it must rest on red or white.
White Tiles
White tiles are neutral (kind of like wild cards). They may be placed on top of any tile and may have any tile placed on top of them. While they have no value (they are worth zero points), they can be used to recover surface area or to block a space the other player might have used.
Winning the Game
A game ends when neither player can place a tile, or when all the tiles have been placed. Each player then totals up the points for his tiles (multiplying those in the second level by two and those in the third level by three). The player with the highest point total is the winner.
Strategy
The object of Steppe is to accumulate the most points by placing the larger tiles in the upper levels where they are worth more. You also want to keep your opponent from placing his large tiles.
The first level is the foundation for the second and third levels. Here you want to place tiles into patterns that will enable you to place large tiles in the upper levels. Thus if you want to place a "5" tile in the second level, you must place two of your tiles (or one of your tiles and a white tile, or two white tiles) together in the first level. The first level sets up the second level, which sets up the third level, so you should try to set up solidly in the first level or you'll be in trouble by the time you get to the third level.
A big part of setting up for an upper level is getting to go first on that level. This means placing the last tile in the preceding level.
At the start of the game, red goes first and there are 24 spaces to be filled in the first level. Thus, if both players place only "1" tiles, the blue player will get to place the last tile and will go first in the second level. To prevent this, the red player might want to place a "5" tile (to take up two spaces). If the blue player doesn't counter by playing a "5" tile of his own, the red player will get to go first in the second level. So even though "5" tiles played in the first level don't count for many points, usually both players end up playing one or two "5" tiles as they jockey for the right to start the second level.
On the second level, each player tries to complete his planned pattern and to disrupt the other player's pattern. This is a good time to use the white tiles. If one player has a string of three tiles in the first level (so he can place a "10" on top of them in the second level), the other player can place a white tile on top of the middle tile in the string to prevent the "10" from being placed.
Transcriber's note: the printed booklet also contains a sample game, a turn-by-turn walkthrough using a numbered-space notation, which is not transcribed here. The cover and copyright page credits are omitted.