Ink
Ink Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 5 Starting tiles
- 95 Ink tiles
- 100 Colored Ink bottles
- 15 Black ink bottles
- 10 Palette cards
- 1 Quill wheel
- 1 Bonus Action display
- 14 White Spot tokens
- 15 X tokens
- 20 XX tokens
- 12 Bonus Action tiles
- 1 Ink tile bag
- 1 X tokens bag
- 8 disks for color blind players (2 of each color)
- 1 First player quill token
- 1 Rulebook
- 1 Solo mode rule
- Bonus Actions reference sheet
Setup
Follow these instructions for the game set up.
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Place the Quill wheel in the middle of the table.
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Each player receives a random starting tile and Palette card and reveals them. Return the remaining starting tiles and Palette cards to the box.
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Put all 95 ink tiles in the INK bag.
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Draw tiles from the bag and place one in front of each quill of the wheel.
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Sort all X tokens and all XX tokens into separate groups. Put 3 X tokens per player randomly in the X bag. Put the rest of the X tokens in the game box. Keep all XX tokens aside for later in the game.
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Place the Bonus Action display in the middle of the table. Put all 12 Bonus Action tiles face down and sort each color. Draw 2 Bonus Actions tiles per color (2 red and 2 blue). Reveal them and fill the four slots by placing them in increasing order.
If you're playing INK for the first time, fill the four slots of the Bonus Action display with Bonus Action tiles #1, 5, 6 and 11.
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Each player receives 25 ink bottles of their chosen color and places:
- 1 bottle on the STARTING space of the Wheel (X) which becomes your Lead bottle.
- 12 bottles ON their Palette card
- 12 bottles NEXT TO their Palette card
If a color blind person is playing: remove all players' lead bottles and replace them with a disk of their color. In addition, each player places a disk OVER their palette.
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Place all required components based on Bonus Actions played (see Bonus Actions reference page). For your first game, place all white spot tokens next to the Bonus Action board.
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Put the black ink bottles within reach of all players.
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Put all unused components back in the box.
The last player who wrote or painted using ink is the starting player and takes the first player quill token.
Idea of the Game
- Be the first to play all your ink bottles to win the game!
- On your turn, move onto a quill to pick a tile from the wheel.
- Add that tile to your painting.
- When an area is large enough, play your ink bottles and trigger a Bonus Action.
Goal of the Game
Be the first to play all of your ink bottles!
Gameplay
Players take their turns in clockwise order. The game starts with the first player.
On your turn, you MUST (A) TAKE A FULL TURN or (B) PASS.
A. Take a Full Turn
Follow these 4 phases:
- PICK A TILE from the Quill wheel
- ADD THE TILE to your painting
- COMPLETE OBJECTIVES and play ink bottles onto your painting
- REPLENISH the Quill wheel
1. Pick a Tile
You MUST move your Lead bottle clockwise around the wheel and place it on any of the 6 quills. You may move your bottle onto any quill, even the one you just left. After you've moved your bottle onto a quill, take the tile in front of that quill.
NOTE: Whenever you move your lead bottle beyond the STARTING space of the wheel, you MUST pause before you continue your normal turn (see Moving beyond the STARTING space).
IMPORTANT: A quill can be occupied by any number of Lead bottles.
2. Add the Tile
Add the tile to your painting, ensuring that at least one of the colored squares of the tile connects with at least one square of your painting, no matter the color connections.
NOTE: A tile can be flipped to its backside before being placed. The backside is always the reverse of the frontside.
Area
By adding tiles to your painting, you will often aim to create areas of adjacent squares of the same color. The size of the area depends on the number of adjacent squares in it. Squares with empty spots and numbers are also counted as their color, but if they later contain an ink bottle, they do not count as any color and may cut an area into separate areas.
- Adjacent: All adjacent squares of the same color are counted. Example: one yellow area of 7 adjacent squares and one light blue area of 3.
- Non-adjacent: Don't count squares with bottles on them. Example: two purple areas of 3 squares each.
3. Complete Objectives
Objectives are represented by numbers (from 3 to 7) appearing on the ink tiles.
Completing an Objective is the way to play bottles on your painting and trigger Bonus Actions.
You MAY complete several Objectives in a turn. There is no obligation to complete an Objective, you always have the choice to complete it or not.
First, look if an Objective meets all requirements to be completed:
- The colored area has at least one Objective.
- The colored area has at least as many adjacent matching squares as the Objective number.
- The colored area size has been increased at least once during this turn (by placing a tile, moving or discarding a bottle, moving a tile, etc.)
- You have at least one bottle in stock that you can play on an area of that color.
Then, proceed with the following steps:
a. Play as many ink bottles as possible. b. Trigger a Bonus Action (optional). c. Extend your turn if any other objectives can be completed!
a. Play as many ink bottles as possible
Ink bottle stock
Your ink bottles are divided into 2 different stocks: one represented by two colors (your palette space) and NEXT TO your palette space, your non color space.
Bottles ON your palette are considered filled with either color representing the two colors featured on the card. These bottles can only be played on areas of either color on your painting. They MUST be played on areas of either of these 2 colors.
Bottles NEXT TO your palette are considered Joker bottles and can be played on an area of any color on your painting. They MAY be played on areas of ANY color.
EXAMPLE: The dark blue area meets all requirements to complete Objective 4: the area has at least one Objective, and you have at least one ink bottle in stock that you can play on this color (this ink bottle must come from your Joker stock since you do not have this color on your palette). The dark blue area has 5 adjacent squares. It needed a minimum of 4 to complete the Objective. By placing a new tile during this turn, the area size has been increased from 3 to 5 adjacent squares.
From your corresponding stock:
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Play one ink bottle upside-down on the objective number you've completed. ONLY on that one, even if the area has more objectives.
Note: Once played, an upside-down bottle may never be moved from that space for the rest of the game.
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Place one ink bottle on EACH white spot in the area. If you don't have enough bottles, then leave the rest of the white spots empty; choosing the ones you want to leave blank.
EXAMPLE: You complete Objective 6. From your stock, place 1 upside-down ink bottle on that objective (NONE on Objective 4). Then, place 1 ink bottle on EACH spot of that area.
b. Trigger a Bonus Action (optional)
The 4 bonus actions available for the game are located on the Bonus Action display.
Each completed objective corresponding number has on its right a Bonus Action that can be triggered.
The bonus action must be used immediately and cannot be performed later. (See the Bonus Actions reference sheet for more details).
c. Extend your turn
Look if any other objectives can be completed and extend your turn by proceeding in the same order.
Moving beyond the STARTING space
Every time you move your bottle beyond the STARTING space of the wheel, you MUST pause and complete these steps before you continue your normal turn:
- Rest your ink bottle on the STARTING space
- Draw an X token from the X token bag
- Add that token onto your painting
- Move your bottle to the desired quill and proceed with your turn.
Draw an X Token
Draw an X Token from the X token bag and reveal it. If you've taken the last one, fill the bag with all XX tokens.
When the XX tokens bag is empty, no more tokens are drawn when players cross the STARTING space.
Place an X or XX Token on your painting
Each X or XX token you draw MUST be placed on your painting and cover 2 colored squares.
When one X is present on the token, it must be placed to cover at LEAST one square of the matching color. If you do not have that color present on your painting, you may choose to place it anywhere onto your painting.
When two XX are present on the token, it must be placed to cover 2 adjacent squares of the same color from the 2 options shown on the token. If you do not have either of those colors present on your painting, you may choose to place it anywhere onto your painting.
You MAY place a token onto a square with an ink bottle on it. In that case, return the bottle to your Joker bottle stock next to your Palette card.
If you play an X or XX token over any other game component (see Bonus Action reference sheet), simply remove the component from the game.
EXAMPLE: This X token MUST be placed on at least 1 red square. The player has 3 options. This XX token MUST be placed on 2 adjacent purple squares OR 2 adjacent light blue squares. The player has 3 options. If you choose the option to place it elsewhere, you must return the bottle to your Joker bottle stock.
4. Replenish
At the end of your turn, draw new tiles from the INK bag and replenish the Quill Wheel. In case more than one tile has been taken due to a Bonus Action, fill clockwise from the STARTING space.
B. Pass
You may pass and not move your Lead bottle forward on the Quill wheel. Instead, move up to 2 of your ink bottles from your stock ON your palette to your Joker bottle stock next to your palette.
Next Turn
After a player has finished their turn, it is the next player's turn, going clockwise.
Game End
When a player places their last ink bottle, it triggers the end of the game. The game continues as normal until all players have played the same number of turns.
NOTE: On their last turn, each player who plays their last ink bottle may continue to place ink bottles if needed. To do so, they take extra bottles from the black ink stock.
After each player has played an equal number of turns, the winner is the one who played all their own ink bottles, but if several players did that, the one who played the most black ink bottles wins!
In the case of a tie, all players who are tied play one more round and so on, until there is a winner!
Credits
- Game design: Kasper Lapp
- Producer: Sophie Gravel
- Illustrations: Chris Quilliams
- Graphic Design: Tarek Saoudi, Danik Renaud
- Developer: Martin Bouchard
Special Thanks: Final Score would like to thank Stephen Yau for his contribution and input in the development of the game components.
© 2025 Final Score Games inc. 5, Fair Street Maxville, Ontario, Canada K0C 1T0
Example of Gameplay
This example shows Kim playing in a 3-player game. See what she plays at three different stages of the game.
On her 2nd turn
Kim decides to play a full turn. She moves her Lead bottle forward on the wheel. She places her Lead bottle on the next quill and takes the tile in front. She adds the tile to her painting, thus creating a larger dark blue area. She cannot complete objective 6 as there are only 4 adjacent squares in that area.
Later in the game
Kim must cross the starting space to move her Lead bottle to the quill she wants. She rests her bottle on the starting space and takes an X token from the X token bag. She draws a purple X token. She must cover two squares including at least one purple square from her painting.
She then continues her normal turn by placing her Lead bottle on the quill corresponding to the tile she wants to add to her painting. She creates a dark blue area containing objectives 4 and 6. The area has 6 spaces, large enough to complete either one of the objectives.
She chooses to complete Objective 6. She plays 3 ink bottles from her joker stock. She plays 1 upside-down bottle on objective 6 and 2 more bottles on the white spots. She may not place a bottle on Objective 4.
Then, she uses the Bonus Action triggered by the Objective 6. She moves two ink bottles on her painting to free spots. These moves increase the dark blue area to 5 adjacent squares. Kim may now complete her objective 4.
She chooses to do so and plays 3 bottles from her stock, placing 1 bottle on Objective 4 and 1 bottle on each free dot in the area (2). She triggers the Bonus Action of Objective 4 and puts a white spot on a light blue square.
Her turn ends as she cannot complete any other objective.
At the end
Kim plays a tile and completes Objective 3. She can play a total of 4 ink bottles. She only has 2 bottles on her palette and no more Joker bottles. She takes 2 bottles from the black ink stock and plays all 4 ink bottles on her painting.
This triggers the end of the game. Each player will play an equal number of turns. After each player has played an equal number of turns, if no other player has at least 2 black bottles on their painting, Kim wins the game!
Bonus Actions
General Rules
Limited stock — Some Bonus Actions have a limited stock. An option may no longer be available during the game. If this happens, you don't get a Bonus Action for the Objective you've completed.
Flip — When you take or move a tile, you can flip it to the other side, even when that tile has game components on it. If you do, every component must be replaced in the exact same position.
No obligation — You always have the option to trigger a Bonus Action or not.
Reminder: No components can be placed on top of an X or XX token.
Move and Remove Ink Bottles
Only bottles with their cap on top can be moved or removed.
Remove — Only ink bottles on your painting can be removed. Any bottle you remove doesn't go back to your bottle stock. It is discarded.
Move — For any single ink bottle you can move, you have these two options:
- Move an ink bottle from your painting onto a free spot OR
- Move an ink bottle from your palette to your Joker stock.
White Spot Bonus Action
Set Up: Put all 14 white spots on the table when you play with this Bonus Action.
Your ink bottle can be placed on any free spot of a tile around the wheel but must come from your corresponding stock.
A bottle placed on a tile of the wheel remains on this tile. Later in the game, if a player adds this tile to his board, he considers the bottle as his own, even if the color is different.
Objective Number Bonus Action
Set Up: Put all 16 Objective numbers on the table when you play with this Bonus Action.
Can only be placed on a free Objective with a different number.
That tile is added immediately to your painting.
Colored Square Bonus Action
Set Up: Put all 20 colored squares on the table when you play with this Bonus Action.
Can be placed on any free square, free spot or even any free objective.
Once placed, this square is treated like any other free square of your painting and obeys the same rules.
A colored square can be placed on top of a previously placed colored square.
None of the rules can be ignored while you're moving a tile from the edge of your board and after you've placed it elsewhere. This means that the rest of your tiles must stay connected as a single painting while you're moving the tile and after.
This also means that a tile with an X token partly on it can't be moved.
This tile must be kept aside and NOT added to your painting in this turn. There is no limit to the number of tiles you may have on the side. On a later turn, you may place a tile from your stock instead of one from the wheel. If you do, you don't move your lead bottle and play the rest of the turn as normal.
Draw-Tile Bonus Action
Players draw clockwise, starting with the player on the left of the one who triggered the Bonus Action.
Solo Mode
In this mode, you will face Sumi, a skilled opponent who owes her name to a certain type of black ink with exceptional qualities. Defeating Sumi will not be an easy task.
Setup
Follow the same set up as a normal game with these exceptions:
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Sort all X tokens and all XX tokens in separate groups.
- 5a. Place 1 X token facedown in front of the STARTING space and keep the rest of X tokens face down, for later.
- 5b. Put all XX tokens in the X tokens bag.
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Place the Bonus Action display in the middle of the table.
- 6a. Put Bonus Actions #9 and #12 back in the box.
- 6b. Turn all 10 other Bonus Action Tiles face down and sort them by color. Draw 2 Bonus Action tiles per color (2 red and 2 blue). Reveal them and fill the four slots by placing them in increasing order.
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Choose a difficulty level. Place the corresponding number of X tokens randomly, in 2 columns as evenly as possible.
Difficulty Level Bottles & tokens Master 10 Expert 11 Confirmed 12 Novice 13 Beginner 14 - 9a. Prepare Sumi's ink bottle stock by placing 1 black ink bottle on the left of each X token, starting with a bottle with cap on top and alternating with upside down bottles.
- 9b. Place 1 black bottle on the STARTING space of the Wheel (X) which becomes Sumi's Lead bottle.
Your Goal
Play all your ink bottles!
Gameplay
The game is played clockwise, as normal. Sumi always starts.
Sumi's turn
The number of black ink bottles in Sumi's stock represents the number of turns she will play. Each turn, Sumi plays 1 ink bottle starting from the top left and continuing down the rest of the column before taking bottles from the next column.
On Sumi's turn, follow these 3 phases:
- Reveal Sumi's choice.
- Move Sumi's lead bottle on the Wheel.
- Replenish the Quill wheel (if needed).
1. Reveal Sumi's choice
Reveal Sumi's token placed next to her current turn ink bottle. That combination is Sumi's choice for the turn.
- The revealed token shows the chosen color.
- The bottle position indicates if she chooses to play on a spot or an Objective.
If the bottle is right side up, she's playing on a spot. If the bottle is upside down, she's playing on an Objective.
2. Move Sumi's lead bottle on the Wheel
NOTE: Sumi's lead bottle moves on the wheel as a normal player and follows the same rules. Unlike other players, Sumi doesn't take an X token when she crosses the STARTING space.
Sumi's choice matches a tile: place 1 of Sumi's ink bottles. Sumi's choice doesn't match any tile: remove the next tile.
If at least one tile around the wheel matches Sumi's choice:
- Move Sumi's lead bottle to the quill that is the closest tile in clockwise direction matching Sumi's choice.
- Place Sumi's ink bottle of the current turn on the square of the tile matching her choice.
EXAMPLE: Sumi's choice is revealed. Sumi's ink bottle of this turn must be placed on a purple spot. Her lead bottle doesn't pause on the STARTING space and moves clockwise onto the next quill matching Sumi's choice. Her ink bottle is then placed on the purple spot of the tile.
If none of the tiles match Sumi's choice:
- Move Sumi's Lead bottle onto the NEXT quill in clockwise direction.
- Remove from the game the tile in front of that quill, any ink bottles on it AND Sumi's ink bottle turn.
3. Replenish the Quill wheel (if needed)
Game End
You win the game if you play your last ink bottle before Sumi plays her last turn. After Sumi plays her last bottle, you still have one last turn. If you succeed to play your last bottle, you win!