Forma
Forma Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Spielmaterial
1 game board (Spielplan), 4 × 22 placement pieces (Legeformen) in 4 different colours, 4 × 35 marker stones (Markierungssteine) in 4 different colours, 25 grey obstacle stones (Hindernissteine), 1 white obstacle tower (Hindernisturm).
Spielgedanke
It is the goal to place these very differently shaped formations on the game board with a sure eye so that as many victory points as possible are collected. An exciting contest that forces the player to keep an overview of constantly changing, often bizarrely looking arrangements of geometric shapes.
Vorbereitung
Each player chooses the placement pieces and marker stones of one colour and lays them out openly in front of himself, also visible to the other players. With 4 players, each participant receives placement pieces and marker stones of one colour. With 2 players, each player receives placement pieces and marker stones in two different colours, i.e. 2 × 22 placement pieces and 2 × 35 marker stones. In this case the two colours of each player are treated as one colour: he handles his placement pieces as if they were of only one colour.
Spielbeginn
It is decided by lot who begins the game. The player who starts first separates the grey obstacle stones and distributes them (not all of the stones have to be used) and the white obstacle tower freely on the squares of the game board. The obstacle tower may not be placed against the edge of the game board. Obstacle stones and the obstacle tower may not touch one another. He then opens the game by placing one placement piece on the squares of the game board. Placement pieces may be laid down either with their front side or with their back side on the board.
Spielverlauf
The other players then each in turn likewise place one placement piece on the game board. All players may decide freely which placement pieces they want to place on which squares of the game board. Each player may, however, choose the placement piece that fits into the free squares only by sight from his supply, i.e. he must weigh with a sure eye which form fits where. He may therefore not try out the placement pieces already on the game board to see whether and where they could fit. A placement piece once taken into the hand must be placed on the game board in a direct move. Choosing a different place while placing is not allowed. If the placement piece does not fit the intended squares of the game board, the player may take another placement piece from his supply, but must set aside the wrong piece and may not use it again in the further course of the game. If he again chooses wrongly the second time, he must likewise remove this placement piece from the game and sits out (setzt aus).
When choosing his placement pieces, the player should also watch the placement pieces of his fellow players that have not yet been placed, so that he does not "hand over" to them an involuntary advantage.
The aim of the game (Ziel des Spieles) is to collect as many victory points (Gewinnpunkte) as possible by placing the pieces skilfully and with a plan.
Punktwertung
Victory points are scored as follows.
Note: the printed rules refer to illustrations Abb. 1–5, which are not reproduced in the scanned source; the figure references are kept as printed.
- For each placement piece on the game board: 1 to 5 points. Each placement piece consists of one or more (unmarked) squares. The number of squares determines the point value of the individual placement piece. For example, whoever places a piece consisting of four squares on the game board is credited with four points (Abb. 1).
A set of placement pieces of one colour consists of 2 pieces with one square, 1 piece with 2 squares, 2 pieces with 3 squares each, 5 pieces with 4 squares each and 12 pieces with 5 squares each, and is worth 90 points in total.
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For enclosing a free board square: 10 points. The player can enclose a free square of the game board on all four sides with his placement pieces. If the player closes one or more open sides of a square that is otherwise enclosed by placement pieces of other players and/or obstacle stones and/or the edge of the board, this square also counts as enclosed by him (Abb. 2). The player occupies the squares he has enclosed with the marker stones of his colour. In the best case a player can enclose several squares with one placement piece; however, the enclosed squares may not border one another. Obstacle stones and a free square may be enclosed adjoining one another.
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For enclosing an obstacle stone: 10 points. Obstacle stones count as enclosed when they are surrounded on all four sides by placement pieces and/or marker stones of one colour, or on 2 or 3 sides by placement pieces of one colour and on the 3rd or 4th side by the edge of the board (Abb. 3). The player of this colour then also occupies the obstacle stones with his marker stones. (In a game with 2 players, the placement pieces of the individual player count as one colour.)
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For building a bridge: 50 points. A bridge is formed when a player has used his placement pieces to create a continuous connection from one edge of the game board to the opposite edge, not interrupted by obstacle stones or by placement pieces of other colours (Abb. 4). The placement pieces must touch one another along their sides; a connection only at the corners of the placement pieces is not sufficient. The player's own marker stones lying on the game board or on the obstacle stones may also be included in building the bridge. In this case they count as placement pieces. If a player manages to form several north-south bridges (or east-west bridges) with placement pieces of one colour (in a game with 2 players, the placement pieces of the individual player count as one colour), these bridges may not share a single coloured square. A north-south bridge and an east-west bridge with placement pieces of one colour may share one single coloured square.
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For enclosing the obstacle tower: 50 points. The obstacle tower counts as enclosed when a player encloses its last open side(s). The other sides of the tower may be enclosed by placement pieces and/or marker stones of other colours.
Spielende
The game ends when all squares of the game board are occupied, or when no player any longer has a placement piece that fits into the remaining free squares of the game board.
Abrechnung
The total point value of one set of placement pieces is 90 points. For the final count it is therefore best to first count one's minus points (the values of the placement pieces that were set aside and the ones left over) and subtract these from 90, or from 180 with two players. In this way one obtains in the simplest manner the victory points scored for the placement pieces placed on the game board, and then only needs to count and evaluate one's marker stones and bridges of one's colour and, if applicable, the tower.
Gewinner
The player with the highest number of points has won the game.