Wind River
Wind River Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
1 Game Material
- Gameboard
- 4 x 7 Tipis
- 36 Buffaloes
- 40 Resources
2 Game Preparation
The board is placed in the middle of the table. Players choose a colour and take the tipis of their colour and one resource. The remaining resources are placed next to the gameboard for later use.
The buffaloes are placed in the first three rows on gameboard as indicated by the symbols. Playing with four players, the entire game board is used. But playing with only three players, the fields with the lighter shade are not used (and may not be entered during the entire game). Thus, 36 buffaloes are used for the four player game, but only 30 when playing with three people.
3 Game Start
The start player is randomly determined. He places one of his tipis on any arbitrary field on the gameboard (he may in fact not place it on one of the lighter shaded fields in a three player game). The other players follow clockwise. Then all players put a second tipi on a different field in the same way.
Although later in the game more than one tipi may reside on a field, this may not be the case during game setup. Players may only insert their tipis on fields which are not occupied by another tipi yet - may this be of the own colour or not.
4 Object of the Game
Players move both the buffaloes and their Indian tribe over the gameboard. Unfortunately the herd will not behave exactly as you like, as the other players move the buffaloes as well. You may always negotiate the behaviour of the herd with other players, but agreements are not binding if another player happens to "forget" what he has promised ...
Buffaloes never turn back. They continue their move to the other side of the gameboard. And when they move beyond the gameboard into the open plains, they are out of the game.
Players need buffaloes to support their tipis. As long as the tipis are amongst buffaloes, they are supplied. Players may earn extra resources to maintain unsupplied tipis, but at the end the tipis will have to follow the buffaloes off the gameboard - or will be lost if they fall unsupported.
The player having most tipis at the end of the game wins.
5 Game Turn
Starting with the startplayer and following clockwise, players perform their move. In your turn, you
- move the buffaloes,
- supply your tipis
and choose one of the following extra activities:
- move a tipi,
- earn resources,
- place a new tipi, or
- move a buffalo.
5.1 Moving Buffaloes
Move as many buffaloes as you have tipis on the gameboard (tipis which have left the gameboard already do not count). You may not move a buffalo more than one field. Buffaloes move straight or cross towards the other side of the gameboard, they may not be moved backwards. No more than five buffaloes may be in one field at any time. Moving the buffaloes is mandatory, you may not skip a move.
If you move a buffalo into the open plains (from one of the fields in the last row on the gameboard), it is taken out of the game. Buffaloes may not leave to the left or right side, only at the opposite side of the gameboard. And buffaloes may not be placed on a lighter shaded field in games with three players.
5.2 Supplying Tipis
Tipis are supplied if there are at least as many buffaloes than tipis on the same field. If there are less buffaloes than tipis, you have to pay one resource for each of your unsupplied tipis, while tipis from other players on the same field count first.
Example 1: There are two buffaloes, one of your tipis and three tipis from other players on one field after you moved the buffaloes. The buffaloes are allocated to the tipis of the other players (you wouldn't leave someone else unsupplied, wouldn't you?). You pay one resource from your personal stock to supply your tipi. The others pay nothing - they will have to supply their tipis in their turns. Of course you wouldn't have to spend a resource if there would be at least four buffaloes in that field.
You look whether all of your tipis are supplied and pay resources for your unsupplied tipis. If you cannot support all tipis, the unsupplied tipis are taken from the gameboard. You may not voluntarily leave a tipi unsupplied if you still have resources in stock. And you may not borrow resources from other players.
Example 2: You have two unsupplied tipis and one resource in your personal stock. You pay the resource for one of the two tipis (which one is your choice) and put the unsupplied tipi back to the unused tipis in front of you. You may insert it again later in the game.
Unused tipis shall not be mixed up with tipis which followed the buffaloes into the open plains at the end of the gameboard (see 5.3.1)!
5.3 Extra Activities
You perform one of the four possible extra activities. You may not do nothing at all.
5.3.1 Moving a Tipi
Move one of your tipis to any adjacent field. Like buffaloes, tipis may not be moved on the lighter shaded fields in games with three players. And they may only leave the gameboard only at the side where the buffaloes may leave it.
If the field a tipi has moved to is occupied by tipis from other players, all players who have tipis in that field (including you) have to pay one resource (into the public stock aside the gameboard). If any of the other players has no resources, he does not have to pay. But you may not enter an occupied field if you cannot pay the resource (payment is mandatory for the entering player). No payment required if you move a tipi to a field which is occupied by your tipis only.
Example: Moving a Tipi You move your tipi on a field which is already occupied with two tipis of player A and one tipi of player B. Players A, B and you have to pay one resource. But as player B has no resources, he pays nothing. Note that Player A only pays one resource although there are two of his tipis on the field!
If you move your tipi into the open plains (that means, from one of the fields in the last row), it remains in the free space at the end of the gameboard. It will count for victory at the end of the game. Do not put it back to the unused tipis in front of you!
5.3.2 Earning Resources
You count the number of buffaloes in all fields where only you have tipis. You take the number of buffaloes minus the number of tipis in those areas and that's the number of food blocks you take. You do not get resources in areas which contain other tipis beside your own. You may not have more than ten resources in your personal stock.
Example: Earning Resources You have seven resources already and may earn four more. But you take only three, as you may not exceed the limit of ten resources.
Note that the buffaloes are not removed from the gameboard if you earn resources!
5.3.3 Inserting a Tipi
Pay three resources and place a new tipi in any area where only you have already one or more tipis. You may not insert a tipi in areas where other players have tipis as well, or where you do not have a tipi already.
5.3.4 Moving an extra Buffalo
You may move one extra buffalo. The same rules apply as in 5.1. Note that this is after you had to support your tipis - you may not use the extra buffalo move to support an unsupplied tipi. But you may move one of the buffaloes you moved in 5.1 already.
6 End of the Game
The game ends when no tipis are left in the game - they have either entered the open plains at the end of the gameboard, or have to be taken out of the game due to lack of resources. The player with most tipis in the open plains wins the game. In case of a tie, the player with most remaining resources wins.