Магнитус (Magnitus)
Магнитус (Magnitus) Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 4 triangular playing fields
- 20 magnets of various shapes
- Rulebook
Setup
Assemble a galaxy on the table from the 4 triangular fields. For your first game we recommend arranging the fields so that their sides fully touch. Going forward, you may follow this rule instead: playing fields may touch along any part of their edges, including only at their corners.
Distribute the magnets. With 2 players, each player receives 10 magnets. With 3 players, each player receives 6 magnets; the remaining 2 are returned to the box. With 4 players, each player receives 5 magnets. Extra magnets may also be distributed among more experienced players.
Game Turn
Magnets in the game represent various cosmic objects: asteroids, comets, planets, etc. — so in the rules below we will call them celestial bodies.
Choose the first player — for example, the one who most recently looked at the stars. Players take turns clockwise, starting with the first player. On his turn, each player places one of his celestial bodies into the galaxy. Celestial bodies may hang over the table but must not touch it.
If at any moment during a player's turn, or after he has placed a celestial body in the galaxy, one or more magnets end up on the table or are attracted to each other and collide, the player takes all such celestial bodies for himself, and his turn ends.
Important: During his turn, a player may move celestial bodies in the galaxy without touching them (this can be done with the magnet that the player plans to place in the current turn). If as a result of such manipulations any celestial bodies end up on the table or are attracted to each other, the player's turn ends, and he takes these celestial bodies for himself.
End of the Game
As soon as one of the players places his last celestial body (if at that moment the magnets themselves do not end up on the table and are not attracted to each other), the other players receive as many penalty points as the number of celestial bodies they have left. The player who reaches 15 penalty points is declared the loser. If there are no such players, play another game. Penalty points are cumulative. If you want to lengthen the game, play until 30 points.
Game Variants
Black Holes
If as a result of a player's turn celestial bodies are attracted to each other, leave them in the galaxy — this is a black hole. The player who created it receives a number of penalty points equal to the number of celestial bodies that were attracted. This variant is intended for advanced players, since black holes will pull in more and more celestial bodies and award more and more penalty points.
Galaxies
If you have several copies of the game Magnitus, you may combine them. To do this, during setup join all the playing fields into one large galaxy and divide all the celestial bodies evenly among the players (return the extras to the box).
Solo Play: "The Single Creator"
You can play Magnitus alone. Create a galaxy, take all 20 magnets, and begin placing them one after another. The game ends if at least one celestial body ends up on the table or celestial bodies are attracted to each other. At that moment, count how many celestial bodies you have left:
The printed table has no column headings; the left column is the title and the right column is the number as printed.
| Title | Number |
|---|---|
| Imitator of the Creator | 15 |
| Novice Creator | 10 |
| Master of the Galaxy | 5 |
| Lord of the Universe | 3 |
| Lord of Space | 1 |
| Unattainable Ideal | 0 |
Universe
Under the standard rules the game ends when one of the players receives 15 penalty points. In the "Universe" variant you may determine a single winner: to do so, continue the game. Each player who receives 15 penalty points is eliminated from the contest. The winner is the last Creator remaining in the game.
Important! The situation can be saved in every game: the player who first places all of his celestial bodies reduces the number of penalty points he has previously received by 3.