Jishaku

Jishaku Rulebook

Table of Contents

Game Components

18 magnets and a storage bag. Playing field with a special foam insert. The foam insert is deliberately asymmetrical and may have 22 or 23 "nests," depending on which game variant you are playing.

Preparation

Prepare paper and a pencil if you plan to keep score (variants 2 and 3).

Strategy

In JISHAKU™ it matters not only WHERE you place a magnet, but also HOW you position it. Each magnet has a north and a south pole and a magnetic field. Study the influence a magnet has on the magnets around it: some it will attract, and some it will repel.

Goal of the Game

Use the force of the magnets to your advantage!

How to Play

Choose one of the three game variants.
Choose the player who will move first.
With three players, turns pass clockwise. You may play in teams.

Note: all magnets that have joined together, whether or not they stuck to your magnet, count as the result of your turn. Your turn begins at the moment you pick up a magnet and start moving it toward the playing field.

Game 1 — "I'm Out!"

Preparation

At the start of the game, each player has 9 magnets (or 6 in a three-player game). If playing with 9 magnets seems too complicated, take 8 magnets each.

Play

Players take turns placing one magnet at a time into any empty nest on the field. If one or more magnets join your magnet, or join any magnet on the field, you take your magnet and all the joined magnets. Now all of these magnets must also be gotten rid of!

Win

The player who first manages to place all of their magnets wins.

Game 2 — "Elimination"

Preparation

At the start of the game, each player has 9 magnets (or 6 in a three-player game).

Play

Players take turns placing one magnet at a time into any empty nest on the field.

Scoring

For each magnet that joins another magnet on your turn, you score one point. For example: you place a magnet, and at the same time one magnet joins yours and two other magnets join each other on the field. You score three points.

All magnets played remain on the field. Continue placing new magnets until they run out for one of the players. Then clear the field and count the round's total.

Win

The game continues until some player reaches 10 points. In a three-player game, keep playing until a second player reaches 10 points. The remaining player wins.

Game 3 — "Capture"

Preparation

Deal the magnets evenly among the players. Players take turns placing one magnet at a time on the playing field until there are 10 magnets on it. In a three-player game, 9 magnets are placed on the field.

Play

On your turn, place one of your remaining magnets on the field so that it attracts as many magnets as possible. Remove your "capturer" magnet together with all of its "prisoners." Write down one point for each attracted magnet (not counting the capturer, which is the magnet moved on your turn). Your turn ends.

The game continues until all the magnets placed on the field (the original 10 plus any additional magnets placed on the field) have been captured. The round ends. Set up the field again, placing 10 magnets on it.

Win

A round ends when one of the partners has placed all of their magnets, even if the field has not yet been cleared. Play as many rounds as needed until one of the players scores 12 points (12 prisoners) to win the game.

Game 4 — "Solitaire"

One player tries to place the maximum number of magnets on the field so that they do not join together. Only a few have managed to place all 18 magnets on the field!

Story

Chinese characters (kanji) are very popular in Japan. Each kanji is an ideogram that conveys a particular meaning or idea. This kanji means "magnet," and the word "Jishaku" also means "magnet" in Japanese. The primary ore of Jishaku magnets is hematite (red iron ore). In ancient Egypt, healers used hematite to reduce inflammation and to treat obsessive fear. The ancient Romans used it as a talisman that brought good luck! Today it is used in magnetotherapy and as a "foundation" stone that helps keep the mind, body and spirit in balance.

Safety Warnings

IMPORTANT: The game is intended for teenagers over 14 years old and adults. DO NOT PLAY this game without adult supervision if there are small children in the home, or if any player, regardless of age, has a habit of putting objects in their mouth.

WARNING: This game contains small magnets (18 pcs.). If swallowed, magnets can attract each other through the walls of the intestine and cause serious infection or death. If one or more magnets are swallowed or lodged in the airways, seek medical help immediately.

WARNING: The game is not recommended for children under 3 years old. Contains small parts.