Balanx
Balanx Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Object of the Game
The first player to move all of his/her marbles across the board (i.e. from the opposite corner into the finishing corner on the player's side of the board) is the winner.
Preparation
The players sit opposite each other. The board is placed in such a way that it can be tilted towards both players.
The 2 steel ball bearings are placed in the smaller grooves at the left and right-hand of the board.
The players draw for their color. Next, each player places the marbles of his/her color in the opposite corner of the board, i.e. the corner at the far side (see illustration).
White begins.
Important: most strategic games are played in the direction of the opponent. This isn't the case with BALANX; in this game a player moves pieces toward him/herself. Therefore it is advised always to check if BALANX is set up so that the players start playing with marbles placed at the far side of the board.
Moving the Marbles
The players take turns moving one of their marbles. First a player must push down the board so that it is tilted toward his/her side. It is important not to forget this, since the marbles assume different positions, depending on which side of the board is pushed down. This means that the players have to play with marbles that are constantly changing position (which is what the game is all about).
To make a move, a player has two possibilities:
- A marble can jump over one or more other marbles. One may jump over marbles of both colors, to the left, to the right, forwards and backwards. It is not allowed to jump diagonally, nor to jump over a free space.
- If a player decides not to jump, he/she may move a marble one groove to the left or to the right, provided, of course, that there is a free space. It is not allowed to move a marble diagonally, and neither forwards, nor backwards (i.e. to go forward or backward one must always "jump" over at least one other marble!)
The End of a Game
The first player to get all of his/her marbles into the right-hand corner on his/her side of the board is the winner. The marbles have to finish up in exactly the same position as the opponent's marbles at the start of the game (see illustration). (Be careful! As described below under Remark 3 there is a second way to win the game - or rather to lose it!)
Remarks
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Most grooves can hold 2 marbles. When a player moves a marble into an empty groove, then it may very well happen that it will roll one space in the player's direction. This is allowed; it is not considered as a diagonal move.
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It is not allowed to use the grooves reserved for the ball bearings. The ball bearings are neutral; they are merely weights for the tilting mechanism. It can happen, though, that the ball bearings are not sufficient to hold one side of the board down. In this case the player has to hold it down him/herself. (It is an indication that the player is behind - which doesn't mean that he/she cannot catch up any more.)
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A player is not allowed to block the opponent in the ending stage of the game by keeping one or more of his/her marbles in the starting area. Therefore, after having made a first move, a player has to take care that there is always at least one free space in his/her starting area (i.e. the corner where the opponent has to finish). When there is no empty space left, then, too, the game is lost. The opponent is the winner since all the spaces in his/her finishing corner are occupied, even though he/she is not the one occupying them all him/herself. This can be tricky!