High Voltage
High Voltage Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 48 High Voltage cards (the back is illustrated in the picture)
- 32 Score cards (the back is illustrated in the picture)
- 4 Power Company cards (the back is illustrated in the picture)
- 36 Energy tokens (High Voltage on one side; Danger on the other)
- 20 Action tokens (back and front are the same)
- 4 Special Action tokens (back and front are the same)
- 20 Point tokens (back and front are the same)
- 4 wooden Score markers
Aim of the Game
Each player acts secretly for one of the four power companies indicated by different colours (red, yellow, green and blue).
Turn after turn the players place the High Voltage cards, so that they form electric lines with the coloured segments on the cards.
Whenever two power stations are connected via an electric line, points are assigned to the companies according to the colour of the segments (such points are indicated by the coloured score markers); the player also receives points, according to the length of the line (such points are indicated by the point tokens).
At the end of the game the players reveal the colour of their company and add the points in their possess to the score indicated by their score markers. The player with the highest score is the winner.
Setting Up
Each player picks one the four Power Company cards (back illustrated on the side), looks at it privately and puts it face down before himself/herself.
The colour of the card indicates the power company that the player represents. Such colour will remain secret until the end of the game.
Each player receives 5 Action tokens and 1 Special Action token.
Lay the 48 High Voltage cards face down, so that they form a 7x7 square, with a free central square (picture 1).
Lay the 32 Score cards face up around this square so as to encircle it. Place the "0" card in a corner of the perimeter and the others according to numeric order, clockwise.
The coloured parts of the lines must be facing the inside of the square (picture 1). Each Score card, except those in the corners, represents a power station, where the power lines start and arrive.
Picture 1: Initial settings. The 48 High Voltage cards are surrounded by the 32 Score cards with the coloured electric line facing towards the inside. At the beginning of the game place all 48 cards, leaving the central spot free. Only the 4 cards highlighted by the red edge must be face up.
Flip over the four cards indicated by the red edge in picture 1.
Place the four wooden Score markers on the "0" score square, even if there are fewer than four players.
Draw lots for the first player. The players will take turns in clockwise order.
Playing Turn
Taking turns, each player can perform one of the following actions:
- PICK one of the covered cards. The player looks at the card and places it in one of the two free spaces in the square. The card must be placed face up and oriented at will;
- ROTATE an upturned card. The card cannot be moved. The coloured parts of the electric line must be in a different position at the end of the rotation;
- SPEND an Action token and:
- MOVE an upturned card to a Free space
- OR
- SWAP two upturned cards.
In both cases it is possible to rotate the cards at will.
During a game, the High Voltage cards are used to close electric lines.
Each time an electric line is closed, Energy tokens are placed on the cards that were used. These tokens represent the load on the power lines.
A card with an Energy token with the Danger side up on it cannot be moved, turned or swapped, unless a Special Action token is used.
The cards with an Energy token, High Voltage side up can be moved, rotated or swapped normally.
Please note: Four High Voltage cards have the Danger symbol instead of the electric lines (see picture on the side). Such cards are exactly the same as a High Voltage card with an Energy token on them, Danger side up. When a player picks one of these cards, he/she places it normally onto one of the two free squares.
If a player spends an Action or Special Action token, this is eliminated from the game.
Special Actions
Each player has only one Special Action token per game. The Special Action token allows to:
- move or swap a High Voltage card that has an Energy token, Danger side up on it; OR
- play a double move. The player must declare that he/she is going to play a double move before he/she lets the next player move.
Closing an Electric Line
When a player connects two power stations using at least four High Voltage cards (even with segments of different colours), he/she can declare that the electric line has been closed, and then calculate the score as explained in the paragraph Score Count.
Two power stations on the same side of the square cannot be connected, as this would short-circuit the line.
When the score has been calculated, the players put an Energy token on each card of the closed line. The Energy tokens are to be placed with the High Voltage side up. If an Energy token is already lying on a card, it must be flipped over so that the Danger side is up.
An electric line cannot be declared closed if it contains one or more cards with an Energy token Danger side up.
An electric line cannot be declared closed if it contains more than three cards with an Energy token High Voltage side up.
It is possible to close two electric lines with one action. In this case the player who declares them closed decides which score will be calculated first, then he/she places/flips over the Energy tokens on the cards of the line and then, if it is still possible, he/she checks the score on the other line.
Please note: a line can pass only once on the same High Voltage card.
In a Nutshell
In order to be valid and to be worth points, an electric line must:
- consist of at least four High Voltage cards;
- connect two power stations on two different sides of the square;
- not have more than three Energy tokens High Voltage side up on it;
- not have any Energy token Danger side up on it.
If all of these requirements are met, it is possible to calculate the score for the line.
Score Count
Each closed line receives points two ways:
-
Power companies: each company receives one point for each segment of its own colour, including the power stations segments. The score is indicated by the wooden markers, which are advanced along the path formed by the Score cards.
Please note: the colours assigned to the players are secret, and in games with fewer than four players, some colours will not be associated with any player. Before closing a line, it is advisable to make sure that you are not giving too many points to your opponents!
-
Length of the line: the player who has declared the line closed will receive Point tokens according to the length of the line itself:
- 4 High Voltage cards: 0 points;
- 5/6 High Voltage cards: 1 point;
- 7/8 High Voltage cards: 2 points;
- 9 or more High Voltage cards: 3 points.
If there are no Point tokens left, the player receives no score.
Please note: after calculating the score, do not forget to place the Energy tokens on the line cards!
If a player closes a line but does not declare it, the player receives no score. Another player can declare the line closed during his/her turn, but he/she must modify it by rotating, moving or swapping at least one of the High Voltage cards that make up the line.
End of the Game
The game ends immediately when at least one of the following conditions occurs:
- The last Energy token has been placed;
- The last High Voltage card has been turned and placed into the square. If this action closes a line, the player can declare it and calculate its score;
- It is not possible to close any more valid lines.
At the end of the last turn, each player reveals his/her own colour (by uncovering the Power Company card, that had been kept secret so far) and adds the points he/she possesses to the points indicated by his/her company's Score marker.
The player with the highest score is the winner.