Bulp!
Bulp! Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Aim of the game
The goal of the game is to carry the water from the spring of Bulp to your village and do it before other players. In order to reach this, each player has to construct its own pipeline and can sabotage the other's pipelines by deviating them from their path or breaking them.
Game preparation
Each player receives 6 cards and a card with 4 outlets (the spring of Bulp) is placed in the centre of the table.
The players agree as they wish the distance between the spring and the villages, and then each player chooses his spring's starting outlet and places his village at the agreed distance from his starting outlet.
The distance between the spring and a village is measured with the gaming cards. (Diagram: two villages are placed at 3 cards of distance from the spring, in one case with 3 cards placed in correspondence of the short side and in the other in correspondence of the long side; both are at the same distance from the spring according to the game mechanics.)
It is possible to place more than one spring (when playing with 5-8 players two game boxes have to be used) or to place obstacles on the gaming table. The players will have to place their pipeline cards in order to avoid obstacles and reach their villages.
Game Sequence
During a game turn the following actions take place:
- The player takes a card from the deck.
- If the player wants, he can play a card from his hand and place it wherever he wants (in contact with another pipeline, of course).
- If the player wants, he can discard a card from his hand and place a cap on one of his pipelines.
- The player's turn is finished and the next player (clockwise) begins his turn.
(Diagram: "How to put the cards to obtain the same distance".)
Card's type and Caps
The Pipeline cards are used to build up the full pipeline. They are used during each player's turn. Those cards have to be placed on the gaming table in order to have one of the played card's outlets match one of the outlets of the cards already present on the table.
It is possible to leave open outlets, without connected pipelines; those open outlets can be closed with the caps.
The Breaking cards can be played only "ON" a pipeline card, and they will interrupt the flowing of water. The breaking cards can be played only on a pipeline card with the same shape of pipeline. For example, you can play a breaking card showing a broken elbow pipe only on a pipeline card showing an elbow pipe.
It is possible to play breaking cards on other players' pipelines but also on your own pipeline.
A broken pipeline can be repaired only using another pipeline card compatible with the breaking card.
(Diagram: "the breaking card can be played over a pipeline card".)
The Caps can be used on the open outlets of the player's own pipeline (not on other players' pipelines). They cannot be used to repair broken pipes. Once an open outlet has been closed with a cap it is no longer possible to use it to connect new cards.
(Diagram: "you can use the pipeline cards also to repair a damaged pipeline part".)
Positioning Rules
- All the cards have to be placed in the same direction as the first one (spring) and cannot be rotated 90°.
- The Pipeline cards can be placed close to any other card connecting two outlets. If the played card has other outlets, it is not relevant how their disposition will be. If an outlet is closed by a cap it is not possible to use it to connect another card.
- A breaking card can be played only on a pipeline card with the same shape of the pipeline.
- A pipeline card can be used to repair a broken pipeline; its shape has to be compatible with the shape of the broken pipeline. A card A is compatible with a card B if all the outlets of card B are matched by the ones of card A.
- A player can place caps on all the outlets of his own pipeline, not on other players' pipelines. Once a cap has been placed it cannot be removed.
- Each player has to have at least one open outlet coming from the spring. It is not possible to place a card in such a way that this rule will not be respected.
- Each player has to have a way to reach his village. It is not possible to place a card in such a way that this rule will not be respected.
(Diagram: "YES" and "NO" examples of card placement.)
End of the Game
The game ends when a player builds up a pipeline that connects the spring to a village, his own village or even a village of another player. The game ends even if the pipeline has broken parts or open outlets.
The game also ends at the end of the turn of the player who takes the last card from the deck.
(Diagram: "broken" and "outlet" markers on a pipeline.)
Points Calculation
A. Simple Score: This is the easiest way to calculate points. Each player counts how many cards are missing to reach his village, starting from the closest open outlet of his pipeline. Then each player adds to the number of cards one point for each open outlet or broken card on the pipeline. The player with the lowest score wins. In case of a standoff, the scores are recalculated without taking into account the open outlets and broken cards. In case of a further standoff, the players with more cards in their hands win.
(Diagram: "missing".)
B. Elimination Score: This is a little bit more complicated way to calculate the score, but it adds more fun to the game. When using this option while calculating the score, each player has to remove one card of his pipeline for each broken card or open outlet. The players have to remove the cards starting from the closest to their village and then following the pipeline up to the spring. While removing the cards, the shortest path to the spring has to be followed, removing side pipelines. If there are parts in common with other players, these parts are not to be removed. At the end of this process, the player with the lower number of cards to complete the connection of his pipeline with his village will win.
In case of a standoff, the players with more cards on the table will win; in case of a further standoff, the player with more cards left in his hand will win.
This system could lead to the victory of a player whose pipeline goes all around his village due to the actions of other players, because this scoring system will remove the other players' cards. That is why this system will add fun to the final part of the game.
(Diagram: "1 missing card + 1 broken part + 1 open outlet = 3 points".)
(Diagram: "1 broken part + 1 open outlet: you have to remove 2 cards. After this 1 card is missing to complete the pipeline".)
Ambiguous Pipelines
Sometimes it can happen that some pipelines move in a zone between two players, and therefore the ownership of the pipeline itself is ambiguous. It is very important to know who is the owner of a pipeline, both for the calculation of the score and for placing caps.
A pipeline belongs to the player who first started it. During the game the ownership of the pipeline can change; in particular, a pipeline belongs to the player who has his village closest to the final card of the pipeline.
As a rule, each player has to have at least one open outlet on one of his pipelines. Therefore, if a change in the ownership of a line would break this rule, the ownership of the line remains with the original owner.
Of course, it is possible to gift a really bad pipeline (lots of open outlets and breaks) to another player just by placing cards that bring the last card of that pipeline to his village. So be aware, someone could "donate" you a really unwanted gift.
Additional information
Visit the publisher's website www.giochix.it for the FAQ concerning the game and the tutorials in Flash format.