Mine Shift Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Object
• Getting Started
• Game Setup
• Rules of Play
• Winning
• Game Variations

Object

Be the first player to move all 4 of your jewels onto your opponent's Home Tile.

Getting Started

Shuffle and place all 27 Game Tiles face down in a stack. You will only use 10 tiles for each game. (The additional tiles allow the board to be different every time you play.) Each player collects 4 jewels of the same color.

Game Setup

One player draws the top 10 tiles from the deck and places them face down in the starting configuration as shown in the diagram. The second player flips over all tiles without looking at them or changing their position. Once the tiles are flipped over, they may not be rotated until the game begins. Each player places their 4 jewels in the 4 spaces of their Home Tile.

To determine which player moves first, one player places a jewel of each color in his or her closed fists. The other player selects a fist to determine which color goes first. Alternating play continues.

Rules of Play

Each player makes 3 moves per turn in any combination of the following move types, as long as each turn consists of at least one Jewel Step.

1. A Jewel Step: the movement of a jewel one space onto a vacant space on the same tile or on an adjacent tile.

   A jewel can jump over any other jewel on an adjacent space, either on the same tile or adjacent tile, provided the landing space is vacant. A player may make several jumps with one jewel in one move if they so choose. Jewels that are jumped stay on the board and in play.

   A jewel can move forward, backward, or sideways, but not diagonally. You are NOT ALLOWED to cross any rock walls.

   Diagram captions: Move to a vacant space on an adjacent tile. Jump over jewels. Move to a vacant space on the same tile. A jewel can not move over a rock wall. A jewel can not move diagonally.

2. A Tile Turn: a quarter turn of a tile, with or without a jewel on it.

   You can turn any tile including your Home Tile and your opponent's Home Tile. Once all of your jewels have been moved off your Home Tile you can no longer turn that tile, but your opponent still can. You can rotate a tile either clockwise or counterclockwise.

   Diagram captions: The jewel above can not move to Tile B because a rock wall is blocking the path. Rotate Tile A a quarter turn (90 degrees) to open the path.

3. A Tile Shift: the movement of a tile to an adjacent vacant space.

   The initial layout of the tiles represents the perimeter of the playing area, and tiles cannot be moved outside of it at any time. You cannot move your Home Tile to a different location.

   Diagram caption: Shift one tile to a vacant space.

• Your jewels cannot occupy both Home Tiles at any one time.
• If you cannot make a Jewel Step on your turn, you automatically lose the game.

Winning

The first player to move all 4 of their jewels onto the opposite Home Tile wins the game.

Game Variations

During Setup, players alternate drawing Game Tiles, looking at each tile as it is drawn and strategically placing it face up in the starting configuration.

During Setup, use more than 10 tiles to form your game board. Try a 4 x 4 grid, a 5 x 5 grid, or any configuration you desire.