Headache
Headache Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Contents
- 1 Plastic playing board
- 16 "Men"; 4 each of 4 colors
Object
To capture your opponent's Men (Cones).
Before the Game Starts
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To "Pop" a Number: Press down the "POP-O-MATIC" cube shaker and release. If either die does not land flat, pop again.
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Turns: Players take turns clockwise. At each turn, a player must make one "Pop" and one Move. Each time a red spot on the cube shows up, the player is entitled to a bonus "Pop" and Move.
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To Capture Opponent's Men: The game starts with Single Men.
In the course of the game players try to capture opponent's Men. You capture a Man by landing your Man on top of it. A Man with one or more captives under him becomes a "Stack".
Note: A "Stack" always belongs to the player whose Man is on top of it.
(Figure: "Single Man" shown as one cone; "Stacks" shown as cones with captives beneath.)
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To Move a Man or a "Stack": a. You move one of your Men or "Stacks" as many spaces as the number shown on the cube, after pressing "POP-O-MATIC".
b. When moving your Men or "Stacks", all spaces on the playing board are counted whether they are empty or occupied. All Men or "Stacks" which are by-passed remain undisturbed. Before moving your Man or "Stack," check whether the move is possible.
c. If you land one of your Men or "Stacks" on a space occupied by an opponent's Man or "Stack" you capture it.
d. You must not land on your own Single Men or your own "Stacks." If all moves available would result in landing on your own Men or "Stacks", repeat "POP".
e. Single Men can be moved clockwise only (as indicated by arrows). "Stacks" can be moved either clockwise or counter-clockwise.
f. Each move must be completed in one direction only.
g. The game board has an OUTER TRACK (solid black) and an INNER TRACK (black with dividing line). At each CROSS-OVER SPACE (marked with a cross-in-a-circle symbol) the player has the choice of remaining on the same track or crossing over to the other track. (Single Men and "Stacks" may land on Cross-Over Spaces.)
Turn Sequence for Entering Men
At each turn, the player will:
- 1st. Set one Man on his STARTING SPACE before pressing "POP-O-MATIC".
- 2nd. Press down "POP-O-MATIC".
- 3rd. Move the Man just entered as many spaces as "POP-O-MATIC" directs.
Note: A player MUST NOT land on an opponent's STARTING SPACE UNTIL that opponent has all of his Men on the playing board. The player at the starter's left is next to play.
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Once all of his Men have entered the playing board, a player has free choice as to which of his Men or "Stacks" he wishes to move at each turn.
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A player is eliminated and retires from the game after he has lost all of his Men and "Stacks". Other players continue until one player has captured all of his opponents' Men and "Stacks". He is the WINNER of the game.
For Added Strategy
Follow the general rules except that all CROSS-OVER SPACES (marked with a cross-in-a-circle symbol) become "Safety Spaces" on which Men and "Stacks" CANNOT be captured.
Diagram Examples
(Figure: a board diagram with spaces lettered A through S, the outer and inner tracks, the cross-over spaces "A", "E", "I" and "M", and the starting spaces for Yellow (A) and Blue (I).)
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Example No. 1: Player "pops" 4. A Single Man positioned on space "G" can either move to space "K" or space "S".
A "Stack" positioned on space "G" has a choice to move to "K", "S", "C" or "N".
A "Stack" positioned on space "G" CANNOT move clockwise to "I" and continue counter-clockwise to "P".
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Example No. 2: Player with YELLOW Men MUST ENTER ALL OF HIS MEN from his STARTING SPACE "A". Player with BLUE Men MUST ENTER ALL OF HIS MEN from his STARTING SPACE "I".
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Example No. 3: Player with YELLOW Men MUST NOT land on space "I" UNTIL the player with BLUE Men has all of his Men on the playing board.
Note on the diagram: the printed figure marks spaces "A", "E", "I" and "M" as the cross-over spaces.