Ta Yü Rulebook

Table of Contents

Contents
The Channel Tiles
Rules for 2 Players
Variant for 2 Players
Rules for 4 Players (Teams)
Rules for 3 Players
The Author
Credits

1 game board
112 channel tiles in a cloth bag

The Channel Tiles

There are 112 channel tiles. Each is printed with blue lines representing the banks of a simple channel. To understand the design of the channel tiles, mentally cut each one into three square portions placed end to end. The channel printed on the tiles always exits at three points. These points are always located in the middle of the outer side of one of the three virtual squares forming the tile. There are 28 different tiles, each represented 4 times.

Among these 28 different tiles:

12 have exits on three different sides of the tile, as in the example above. These tiles carry engraved rings on the back to distinguish them from the other tiles.
15 tiles have exits on two sides.
1 tile has all three of its exits on a single side.

Rules for 2 Players

Goal of the Game

Players place tiles on the board, matching up the channels shown on the tiles to form a continuous channel connecting the center of the board to the four shores (North, South, East, and West). One of the players plays North-South, the other plays East-West.

When a channel reaches a shore, it flows into the sea, forming an estuary. A player's score is the product of the number of estuaries on the two shores belonging to that player.

The player with the higher score wins the game.

Players must sit at the table at 90° to one another, not facing each other. For example, one player may sit at North (and so play North-South) while the other sits at West (and plays East-West). The players choose which of them starts.

Preparation

Shuffle the 112 tiles face down on the table, then stack them as shown into a block 7 tiles high, 2 wide, and 8 long. The block must be arranged so that the side marked "A" faces the game board.

Playing the Game

The first player begins.

On their turn, a player carries out the following actions:

The player draws a tile from the block. The tile must be taken from the top of one of the two tile stacks closest to the board. Note that the closest stacks will not always be the same distance from the edge of the board as each other.
The player must place the tile they drew on the game board. The tile must be placed face up and in such a way that it covers exactly three empty spaces on the board.
The first tile must be placed covering the center space. The first tile may be placed in any orientation chosen by the first player, as long as one third of the tile covers the center space. When placing subsequent tiles, the following rules must be observed:
- The channel of a new tile must be connected to the channel already on the board and must not block the existing channel.
- A tile may be placed so that an empty side, or a side with a channel opening, touches a side.
- A tile may not be placed so that it extends beyond the edge of the board.

Apart from these restrictions, players are free to place tiles as they wish.

Here are some examples of allowed and forbidden tile placements:

Diagram: examples labeled "Allowed" and "Forbidden".

Once a player has placed the tile they drew, their turn is over. It is now the other player's turn, drawing and placing a tile. The players continue in this way, taking turns.

End of the Game

The game ends when a player draws a tile they cannot place on the board. When a player draws such a tile, they show it to their opponent, and if both agree that it cannot be played, the game stops. If the opponent finds a spot for the tile, it must be played (in that spot or another) and the game continues normally (without penalty). If neither player has yet scored any points, the players may agree, in order not to end the game prematurely, to set this tile aside and draw another one. In all other cases, the tile is set aside and the score is recorded.

Scoring

Count the estuaries on each shore. Each one is worth 1 point, except opposite three special spaces (marked with a wavy line and a dot) on each shore, which are worth 2 points each. Estuaries that do not reach the shore are not counted. Players then multiply together the totals of the two shores belonging to their side. The player with the higher product wins the game.

Scoring Example

Player A: 4 in North, 5 in South, i.e. 4 x 5 = 20. Player B: 4 in West, 7 in East, i.e. 4 x 7 = 28. Player B (East-West) wins.

Note: a player who scores points on only one of their two shores will score zero points, since a number multiplied by zero gives a product close to zero.

A Few Tactical Elements

Remember that tiles with rings engraved on their backs have exits on three sides. Knowing this informs you about the two tiles when you choose to draw one rather than the other. So, you can sometimes choose between a tile with exits on three sides or another with exits on only one or two sides.

When you place a tile, you will often have the opportunity to choose between advancing your channel or hindering your opponent's. Steering the channel away from your opponent's shores will often be more advantageous than adding channels to your own shore.

Variant for 2 Players

All the rules are the same as in the standard game with the following modifications: before the game begins, each player draws a tile from the block and stands it up in front of them, hidden from their opponent. On their turn, a player draws a tile from the block and stands it up hidden next to their other tile. The player may then place either of the two tiles on the board (their free choice). After placing their tile, they keep the other one hidden in front of them. It is then the opponent's turn to play. Otherwise, the rules are unchanged. This way, players will have a choice between two tiles on every turn.

Rules for 4 Players (Teams)

Players form two teams however they agree. Members of a team sit facing each other, on either side of the board. One team plays North-South and the other plays East-West. Setup is identical to the rules for two players. A first player is chosen at random and begins the game as in the two-player rules. The other players follow clockwise, player after player, alternating between the teams.

Members of a team may not communicate with one another. If this happens, they lose their turn and the tile is passed to the next player (from the opposing team), who then places it as if they had drawn it themselves. The winning team is the one that obtains the higher product of the scores of its two shores, as in the two-player game.

Rules for 3 Players

To play Ta Yü with three players, it is preferable to have some experience with the two- or four-player game. When playing with three, two of the players will play as in the normal two-player game (one North-South and the other East-West). The third plays the role of the flood, trying to block the other two players by preventing them from building estuaries on their shores. The three-player game begins with a bidding phase to determine who will play the role of the flood.

The bids represent the score that the flood player must prevent the other two players from achieving. For example, when a player bids 20, they declare that none of the other players will score 20 points or more in the game. The flood player wins if they succeed in preventing the other two players from scoring 20 points. If one player (or both) scores 20 points or more, whichever of the two scored the most points is the winner. Thus, the lower the bid, the harder the wager is to fulfill.

A player is chosen at random to begin the bidding. This player announces their first bid. The other players follow clockwise, making a lower bid or passing. The player who makes the final, lowest bid becomes the flood player. This player must play "destructively" so that no opponent manages to score higher than their bid.

Once the bidding is finished, the game proceeds as in the standard two-player game. One of the normal players is chosen at random to begin; they choose their positions (North-South and East-West) and the game begins.

Play proceeds clockwise. All players must check the score of both sides during the game. If one of them reaches or exceeds the flood player's bid, the flood player may no longer play tiles, since they can no longer win. The other players continue as in the two-player game. There is no other change to the rules.

The Author

Niek Neuwahl was born in 1944. He lives with his wife in Italy. An architect and management consultant, he is also an inspired game designer who has already published several games. His greatest success is the jury prize of the "Spiel des Jahres" for the most beautiful game of the year. He prefers strategic games for two players.

Credits

Development: TM-Spiele Illustration: Grafik Studio Krüger: Claus Stephan Graphic design: Thilo Rick/Anke Pohl Photo: Dirk Hoffmann

The author and the publisher thank the many testers for their comments and suggestions.