Inner Circle Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Object
• Contents
• How to Set Up the Game
• How to Play the Game
• How to Win the Game

Object

Get your pawn into the innermost circle.

Contents

• 1 plastic gameboard unit
• 4 colorful cardboard gameboards
• 28 plastic pawns
• 3 rubber feet

How to Set Up the Game

1. Peel off the three rubber feet (packaged with the pawns) and attach them to the three indentations on the bottom of the plastic gameboard unit.

2. Punch out the four cardboard gameboard levels. Make sure all of the interior holes on all the gameboards are also punched out. Place the gameboard levels in the plastic gameboard unit face-up like this...first, the smallest pink/purple board, then the slightly larger orange/red board, then the larger blue/green board and finally the largest yellow/blue board right on top. PLEASE NOTE, when setting up the gameboard, the boards may be turned in any direction as long as they are face-up. This feature changes the number of dots in the Survival Spots to provide interesting play variations for future games.

3. Each player is assigned a certain number of pawns depending upon how many people are playing the game.

   • If 4 people are playing...each player is assigned 4 pawns of the same color...either 4 red, 4 blue, 4 green or 4 yellow.
   • If 3 people are playing...each player is assigned 6 pawns of the same color...either 6 red, 6 green or 6 blue.
   • If 2 people are playing...each player is assigned 9 pawns of the same color...either 9 red or 9 green.

   Unused pawns are returned to the box.

How to Play the Game

1. How to Position Your Pawns: a player is chosen to go first. Play continues clockwise. The first player places one of his or her pawns on any one of the outer edge spaces on the yellow/blue 1st Level Gameboard. The following players do the same on their turns. Players continue to position their pawns in the above manner along the outer edge...one pawn per turn, always alternating turns. IMPORTANT: All pawns must be placed along the outer edge before the first move is made.
2. What the Dots Mean: as you place your pawns on the outer edge of the gameboard, notice the number of dots on the spaces where each one of your pawns rests. These dots, from 1 to 4 in number, determine the number of spaces that a particular pawn may move. For example, if one of your pawns is resting on a 4 dot space, you may move that pawn 4 spaces on your turn. IMPORTANT, remember how many spaces each one of your pawns may move...to do this, you must know the number of dots under each one of your pawns.
3. No Peeking: you may not lift up one of your pawns during the game just to check the number of dots underneath it. Once you lift up a pawn, you must move it if you can or lose your turn!
4. How and Where to Move: each player is trying to get his or her pawns into the holes or "Survival Spots" on the gameboard. On your turn, pick up one of your pawns and move it IN A STRAIGHT LINE the number of spaces indicated by the number of dots on the space it was resting on (move it 1, 2, 3 or 4 spaces). You may move in any direction as long as you move in a straight line. Always move the full amount indicated. You must land in a Survival Spot by exact count. Once you move one pawn, your turn is over. The player who moves first should be the same player that was chosen first to position a pawn (back in Rule 1). Play then continues to the left. PLEASE NOTE: it might take you several moves in order to maneuver one of your pawns into a Survival Spot. But remember, your opponents are trying to land in the same Spots, so plan ahead before moving...to do this, you must remember the number of dots under each one of your pawns. Once a pawn is in a Survival Spot it cannot be moved from it until play begins on the next gameboard level.
5. The Inner Circles: take a look at the inner circle spaces (in the center of the boards) on the top three level gameboards. Notice they have no dots on them. These are special spaces that could be very beneficial to you. If you move one of your pawns BY EXACT COUNT into such a space, you MUST immediately move that same pawn again either 1, 2, 3 or 4 spaces (whichever move is best for you) in a straight line in any direction. If this play does not land you in a Survival Spot, it surely can set you up to land in one on your next turn!

How to Win the Game

Whoever gets their pawn into the only Survival Spot in the Inner Circle on the 4th Level Gameboard wins the game. Be sure to lift up the final gameboard when this happens and you will see that the winning pawn is the sole survivor and has reached the innermost circle.