BASKETmind Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Getting Started
  • Game Length
  • Starting the Game
• Zone of Control
• Turns
• Actions
  • 1. Move
  • 2. Pass
  • 3. Shoot
  • 4. Block
  • 5. Rebound
  • 6. Activate
• Summary & Examples
  • Example A
  • Example B
  • Example C
  • Example D
  • Example E
  • Example F
• The Special Players
  • Components
  • Playing Modes

Components

Below is a list of the BASKETmind pieces and a brief description of how they are used:

• The Players. There are two teams, Red and Blue, with 5 players each (we will refer to them as 1-5R and 1-5B) with three different heights: the guards (1) are height 1, the forwards (2-3) are height 2, and the centers (4-5) are height 3. You and your opponent are the coaches.

  [Player token artwork: Red 1-5 and Blue 1-5, the base players.]

  For each player, the number of circles on the left indicates the circles he can move, the symbol on the right the die he uses to shoot (■=d6, ▲=d8), and the small ball the "Guard ability" (see Pass action).

• The Ball. The orange cylinder represents the ball. It will be attached to a player on the board, until he decides to pass or shoot.

• The Dice. The coaches share two dice: a d6 used for shots, rebounds and player activation; and a d8 used for shots, blocks and steals. However, only shots and rebounds require die roll.

• The Discs and Frames. Each coach has a turn disc and two hollow frames, that he moves on the score panel.

• The Score panel. Every turn, the attacker and the defender teams take actions. The score panel has two zones, one for the turns, in which the attacker will move his disc in order to control the flow of time and his ball possession, and another for the score, in which he will move his hollow square frames of units and/or tens of points after a good shot.

• The Court. The board displays one half of a basketball court. It is divided in circles, that allow players to be placed and moved. Players cannot share the same circle, nor end their move on circles outside the lines or on the basket circle (except for a , see action).

Getting Started

Choose one team and place the board across the table, with each coach on one side. Place the score panel along the board behind the basket, with the score digits towards the board, and let the gray discs at hand on the opposite side.

Game Length

The score panel has 50 turns (5 rows of 10). The length of a game is up to you, you can choose 50 turns for a quick game, in which luck will play a more important role, or 4 "quarters" of 50 turns each for a regular game, in which luck should be more evenly distributed. But since fouls are not accumulated, in principle you can choose to play any number of "quarters".

Starting the Game

The team with the ball is the attacker, the other team is the defender. Before starting the game roll the d6, the higher roller begins as attacker. He places 4 of his players anywhere on the court, but at least 2 circles away from the key (9 darker circles around the basket), and his fifth player with the ball on one of the circles of the middle court area (hatched ones):

[Diagram: attacker placement.]

The defender places his 5 players on any available circle at least 2 circles away from the middle court area:

[Diagram: defender placement.]

and activates one of them (see Activate action). The game starts!

This setup procedure will be followed after each change of possession, the attacker being the team that got the ball.

Zone of Control

In the following, the area of 7 circles around each player, the one he is in plus the 6 surrounding circles, will be called the player's Zone of Control (ZoC):

[Diagram: a player's ZoC, circles numbered 1-7.]

For reasons we will see in the Block and Activate actions, the ZoC circles are numbered from 1-7, going clockwise around the player from the top and ending on the player's circle (a reminder is printed behind the backboard).

Turns

At the start of the game, place the attacker turn disc to the left of the first box (empty clock) in the score panel. Every turn, the attacker may:

• Move one player.
• Take one Ball action.

Both are optional and, if both are taken, they can be taken in any order (even pass during move, for example). Then the defender may:

• Move one player.
• Activate one player.

Only the move is optional. The turn ends with the activation of the defender player or a shot (independently of the result). When either of these happens, move the turn disc to the next box. The tenth box of one row is followed by the first box of the row below:

[Diagram: score panel, example position.]

The last possession ended at turn 32, and the present one of Blue is taking 6 turns. Red is winning 20-18.

The game ends when the attacker's turn disc moves to the last box. The attacker has a ball possession limit of 10 turns: at the end of the tenth turn his attack is over. When ball possession changes, leave the previous attacker disc in place and move the new attacker one from that position, in order to have a clear control of the possession limit.

If possession changes before the turn ends (traveling, block, interception, steal) do not advance the turn disc. Possession can change several times during the same turn!

Actions

The different actions that can be taken in BASKETmind are Move (both teams), Pass and Shoot (Ball actions, attacker), Block and Activate (defender), and Rebound (both teams after a missed shot). Let us have a closer look.

1. Move

The guard can move 4 circles, the forwards can move 3, while the centers only move 2. If they have the ball, the ball moves with them and they cannot leave the court. A player can move over his team players or over smaller players of the other team, even with the ball, but cannot end his move: on top of another player, outside the lines, nor on the basket circle (except for a Slam Dunk, see Shoot action). An attacker player can end his move in the key only if the turn ends with a shot:

[Diagram: example moves.]

3R can only end his move in the key if he shoots after moving; 5R could end his move in the key if 3R shut.

Team Move. Every turn, the attacker or the defender can, instead of moving one player, move up to three players 1 circle each.

Traveling. The ball handler can keep the ball at the end of his turn, but will have to pass or shoot at the end of the next turn. If he does not, he commits traveling and his team's possession ends. He also commits traveling if none of his ZoC circles within the lines is accessible to the defender (not necessarily in one move).

2. Pass

The player with the ball can pass it to another player of his team. To do so, he moves the ball to any of his ZoC empty circles (not occupied by any other player, for the ball the player circle is "empty" too!), traces a straight line of circles towards any of the other player's ZoC empty circles, and puts the ball on the receiver circle:

[Diagram: pass lines.]

1R can only pass to 2R and 3R: he cannot trace a pass line towards 4R, and the circles of 5R's ZoC that would permit a pass line are not empty.

Guard ability. If the guard touches the ball during the turn, the attacker has one extra ball action: for example move+pass+pass, or pass+move+shoot. In addition, the guard can keep the ball during 2 turns in a row.

3. Shoot

A player with the ball can shoot. He can shoot from any of his ZoC empty circles but the circle behind the backboard. Once he places the ball for the shot, count the number of circles starting on the ball and ending on the basket circle: this is the minimum number he has to roll in order to score (if he cannot roll it he cannot shoot). A player shooting the ball from the basket circle scores with any roll!

If the player (not necessarily the ball) was beyond the 3-point arc, the basket is worth 3 points, if not it is worth 2 points. Before rolling for shot, though, the defender may try to block it...

Forward ability. The forwards roll the d8.

Slam Dunk. If the ball and player end the move on the basket circle, a basket is automatically scored: it cannot be blocked and no roll is needed. The dunk is not a shot, it is considered part of the move!

[Diagram: scoring circles and percentages.]

The number on each die represents the minimum that must be rolled to score, with the scoring percentage. 2R would score 3 points, as 1R and 3R. 5R would not need to roll, though the shot could be blocked (it is not a Slam Dunk). 3R could not shoot from his circle (he would need a 9).

4. Block

Before the attacker places the ball for the shot, the defender can move only one of his players towards the shooting player 1 circle less than his move ability: guard/forward/center may move 3/2/1 circles. Note that this extra move can only be used to block. Now, all the players that are the same height or bigger can try to block the shot (smaller players simply avoid the shot from the circle they are in).

To do so, first the attacker chooses from which circle of the ZoC he will shoot with the d8 (see Zone of Control definition) and covers it with his hand. Then the defenders place a gray disc on any circle of the shooting player's ZoC that is adjacent to them. If the defenders are bigger than the shooter, they can place one extra disc per difference in height. For example, a center blocking the guard could place 3 discs!

The attacker then shows the d8 and places the ball on the corresponding circle (if it is not allowed by the rules he loses the ball). If there is a block disc on this circle, the shot is blocked, ending the attacker possession. If not, roll the die for shot.

Foul. If one block disc was placed on the shooter circle and the shot was not blocked, the defender committed foul. If the attacker scored, he has in addition 1 free throw: roll the d6/d8, miss with a 1-2. If he missed the shot he has 2 free throws, or 3 if he was beyond the 3-point arc. Each free throw is worth 1 point.

[Diagram: blocked shot and foul examples.]

1B blocks the shooter circle but not the ball, so the shot proceeds and it will be followed by 1 extra free throw (or 3 if the shot misses). 3R cannot avoid the block (2B places 1 disc and 5B places 2, and he cannot shoot from behind the backboard) and loses possession. 3B misses his block and the shot proceeds normally.

5. Rebound

If the shot was not blocked, without foul, and missed, the centers can move towards the 5 circles surrounding the basket: first the defenders, if they did not try to block, and then the attackers.

Note that the shot ends the turn, the rebound decides who gets the ball for the next turn. There is no rebound procedure for a missed shot on the last turn of the game.

Center ability. Only them can fight for rebounds. Other players, even closer to the basket, cannot fight for the ball after a missed shot.

Roll the d6, the ball rebounds outside the court on a 1 (circle behind the basket) and towards any of the other 5 circles clockwise on a 2-6. If the ball falls on one attacker, or is closer to him, his team re-starts possession: replace the turn disc on the score panel with the opponent's disc, in order to show that a new 10-turn possession begins. Otherwise the possession ends.

[Diagram: rebound example.]

2R misses his shot by rolling a 3 (he needed at least a 5), and the centers move for rebound, Blue ones first. 5R does not move because he cannot reach a favorable position. The rebound (d6 roll) would go out of bounds on a 1, to 4B on a 2-3, to 4R on a 4, to 5B on a 5, and to either 4B or 5B on a 6. 5B could have moved 1 circle to block the shot, but then he could not have moved for rebound.

6. Activate

Every turn, the defender can move one of his players (or do a Team Move, see Move action) and then activate one of them. To do so, choose a number from 1-5 with the d6 and cover it with your hand. If the attacker, during his next turn, makes the ball go consecutively through 2 adjacent circles of the activated player's ZoC, show the d6 and you get possession of the ball!

Note that you cannot intercept shots, the ball is "flying" to the basket.

[Diagram: activation and interception examples.]

If all the Blue players above are activated (during the game only one can be): the pass of 1R is intercepted by 1B; 3R goes with the ball through only 1 circle of 2B's ZoC; 5B steals the ball from 2R; and 5R goes through 2 adjacent circles of 4B's ZoC, but not consecutively.

Press. If after the Move action the defender has at least one player adjacent to the ball handler, he can try to steal the ball before activating his player. Proceed similarly to the Block action. First, let the ball handler choose one of his ZoC empty circles within the lines with the d8 and cover it with his hand. Then place on those circles as many discs as adjacent players you have, and ask the attacker to show the d8 and place the ball on the corresponding circle.

If the ball is on one circle you marked (or not allowed by the rules), you steal it and recover possession; if not, you activate one of the players that have not tried to steal the ball and your turn ends. However, if you do not steal the ball but you place one disc on the player circle, you committed technical foul: the attacker has 2 free throws and starts a new possession.

[Diagram: press example.]

1B has chosen 1R's circle (1/3 chance), who has kept the ball there: he steals the ball. 4B has not guessed the ball circle (1/6 chance) nor has committed foul, so 2R can begin his turn knowing that 4B is not activated! 2-3-5B have not guessed the ball circle (3/4 chance) and have committed technical foul.

In the worst case, you will have a 1/6 chance of stealing (all the ZoC is inside the court and there is no other adjacent player), but if the handler is surrounded by other players and/or close to the edge of the court your chance will be higher! Just remember that the players trying to steal the ball may commit technical foul and cannot be activated...

Summary & Examples

The three different player types have both limitations and advantages. You should use them at their best:

• Guard. He can move 4 circles, and can only block the move/shot of the other team's guard. He shoots worse than the forwards, and his shot can be blocked by any player. However, on the attack, he can keep the ball 2 turns in order to leave the other players look for good shooting positions, and then assist them with his pass ability. When your opponent's guard has the ball, think twice which player you activate!
• Forwards. They move 3 circles and can block the move/shot of the three smaller opponent's players. But they are best at shooting. If you want some 3-point baskets, try to keep a line of pass open to your two forwads, your opponent will hardly block them both.
• Centers. The big guys, they only move 2 circles but can block any other player and fight for rebounds. They should not move far away from the basket.

At this point, you should check that you have understood how the game works by playing some sample turns, ignoring the activation of defense players. BASKETmind is a game with few rules, but they combine in many ways and during the first games you might forget some things:

• The structure of the turn is very simple, move and/or ball action of the attacker (both optional), move (optional) and activation of the defender.
• Before activating his player, the defender can try to steal the ball.
• The attacker's turn disc only advances when the defender activates a player or the attacker shoots.
• When possession ends, whatever the reason (shot, tenth turn, traveling, block, interception, steal), you must repeat the setup procedure described on the first pages, first the attacker and then the defender.
• At the start of a possession, you must leave the turn disc of the previous attacker in place and move that of the new attacker from there, in order to control the length of the new possession. After an offensive rebound (only possibility to repeat possession), the attacker must replace his own turn disc with the defender's in order to make clear that a new 10-turn possession begins.
• The dunk is not a shot, it is part of the move.

Some examples of play at the end of a possession follow, in order to display how the different actions work together.

Example A

[Diagram: three board positions, Example A.]

1R passes the ball to 3R during his move, avoiding the activation of 1B (the guard ability would allow 3R to shoot in this same turn, but he keeps the ball). 2B follows him and is activated, in order to avoid a slam dunk of 3R... but the ball goes from 3R to 1R to 2R (extra ball action due to guard ability), and 2R moves unopposed towards the basket: slam dunk!

Example B

[Diagram: three board positions, Example B.]

2R passes the ball to 1R, avoiding the activation of 1B. Blue makes a Team Move, moving 1B, 3B and 4B 1 circle each, and keeps activating 1B... but 3R moves behind the baseline towards the basket while 1R assists him: slam dunk! (If 1R had assisted 3R one circle before the basket, an activation of 4B would have intercepted the pass)

Example C

[Diagram: three board positions, Example C.]

1R escapes from the activation of 1B and passes the ball to 2R. 1B follows him and 3B is activated. Red makes a Team Move: 4R prepares for a possible rebound and 3R screens a good shooting possition for 2R, a 3-point shot from only 5 circles to the basket that cannot be blocked! (If 5B moves 1 circle to block, 2R can shoot from the lower circle; if 3B moves 2 circles to block, 2R can shoot from the upper circle)

Example D

[Diagram: three board positions, Example D.]

1B puts pressure on 1R and is activated. Red is cornered and the path towards the basket seems closed for 3R... but he moves around 5B and, once he is back into the court, is assisted by 1R and ends his move: slam dunk! (3R could not have moved along this path, outside the court, if he had received the ball in his 1st or 2nd circle)

Example E

[Diagram: three board positions, Example E.]

1R advances, followed by 1B at a given distance, almost provoking him to go towards the basket... which he does! But 4B moves 1 circle to block (3 discs), and 2B and 5B complete the block on all the empty 1R's ZoC circles: he cannot even shoot! (A better end move would be moving 5R to the circle between 4B and the basket and assist him there, for a very easy shot)

Example F

[Diagram: three board positions, Example F.]

Red makes a Team Move, trying to open the defense, and 1B follows covering the apparently more threatening side, since 4R and 2R are closely defended... But 1R combines with 4R, runs to the basket, and gets the ball back: slam dunk!

And remember that you can find the answer to any question or doubt about the game at the BGG game's page, http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/106969.

The Special Players

Have you get used to the basic players? Their variants will raise new challenges: a better shooting guard and center, that will force you to watch the perimeter even more; a faster forward and center, that will reach the basket more easily; a shooting guard, that will create more pass lines...

Components

In BASKETmind the coaches must combine on the court the characteristics of the different player types in order to optimize the scoring probability. In the base game there were two teams, Red and Blue, with 5 players each: the guards (1) of height 1, the forwards (2-3) of height 2, and the centers (4-5) of height 3.

We suggest to play at least the first games with the basic players, since having only three different player types will make assimilating the rules and game-play easier. But if you want to add a bit more depth to the game, this expansion introduces an improved variant of the 5 players:

[Player token artwork: Red and Blue variant players 1-5. The per-player stats are printed on the tokens as graphics and are not reproduced as text here; see the expansion sheet.]

As in the base game, the number of circles on the left indicates the circles he can move, the symbol on the right the die he uses to shoot (■=d6, ▲=d8), and the small ball the "Guard ability" (gives one extra ball action). They are easily distinguished by their underlined number.

The improvement affects only one characteristic: move, shot or ball ability. The ball abilities of the guard and the variant forward 2 are not cumulative: even if both are involved during your turn, you have only one extra ball action.

Playing Modes

Each player can replace only his corresponding basic player: you always need to have one number each from 1-5! We suggest two playing modes to introduce them:

• Better Teams. If you want to simulate a better team, you can allow a given number of variant players for one of the teams: for example, Argentina may use 2 variant players, Spain may use 3, USA all 5, etc.

  In this way you can also make the game more balanced against a beginner. Allowing from 1-5 variant players provides for a very wide range of balance between two players of different levels.

• Draft Game. If both players have a similar level, you can choose to improve both teams for a higher variety. Before the game, agree on how many variant players can be chosen, and choose them secretly behind your hand.

Remember that you can find the answer to any question or doubt about the game or this expansion at the BGG game's page, http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/106969.