Obelus
Obelus Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Overview & Components
Obelus is a light-weight, 2-player abstract strategy game, playable in 10-15 minutes. Taking on the role of a powerful Mensor, you will summon obelisk shaped dice onto conflux cards, shift your obelisks according to the number showing, and banish your opponent's obelisks. Through clever maneuvering, banished obelisks may be reformed, creating a rift that prevents further summoning on that conflux.
You win when your opponent cannot legally summon or shift an obelisk!
Components:
- 8 conflux cards
- 8 obelisk dice
- 8 rift tokens
Two Game Modes
There are two ways to play Obelus: Pure mode or Chaos mode. Chaos mode involves some dice rolling, adding an element of randomness to the game, whereas Pure mode offers "perfect information" with no randomness. We recommend Chaos mode for your first game.
Game Setup
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Place the 8 conflux cards in a circular pattern.
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Place 1 rift token on any one of the conflux cards. Place the rest to the side.
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Assign each player a color, black or white.
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Pure mode: Each player rolls a die. The player who rolled higher decides which player will go first (reroll in the case of a tie). Place the 8 dice in the center of the conflux cards (it does not matter what values are facing up).
Chaos mode: Each player rolls their 4 dice into the center of the conflux cards. Reroll any 4s until all dice are numbered 1-3. The player who rolled the higher combined total decides which player will go first (reroll in the case of a tie).
Game Overview
Players take turns either summoning or shifting one of their obelisks. You win if your opponent is unable to either summon or shift an obelisk.
Summoning an Obelisk
To summon, take one of your obelisks from the center and place it on a conflux card that does not have another obelisk on it or a rift token (banished obelisks do not prevent summoning).
- Pure mode: Set the summoned obelisk to a value of your choice. You may not set it to a 4 if you already have another summoned 4.
- Chaos mode: Leave the summoned obelisk at the exact value it had in the center (from when it was previously rolled).
If you have no available obelisks in the center, you cannot perform the summon action.
Example: with banished obelisks on the table, only two conflux cards are ones to which a new obelisk may be summoned (the others hold an obelisk or a rift token). The obelisks in the center are those available to be summoned.
Shifting an Obelisk
To shift, move one of your summoned obelisks, either clockwise or counterclockwise, a number of cards equal to the value showing on the obelisk. The movement must follow these rules:
- You may freely pass over and/or land on cards with banished obelisks and rifts.
- You may pass over your own summoned obelisks, but you may not land on one.
- You may not pass over your opponent's summoned obelisks, but you may land on one (see Banishing an Obelisk).
- You must move the full amount of cards. If you cannot move the full amount, you cannot perform the shift action with that obelisk.
After moving, you must change the value of that obelisk to a different value from what it was. You may not set it to a 4 if you already have another summoned 4 (see 4-Value Obelisks).
Example: The black 2 obelisk cannot move clockwise, because the white 1 is blocking it. However, it can move counterclockwise, passing over the black 3 obelisk, landing on the white 2. It must then be changed to a value of 1, 3, or 4.
Banishing an Obelisk
After shifting an obelisk, if you landed on an opponent's summoned obelisk, banish it by moving it above its conflux card. Banished obelisks cannot be summoned or shifted. They are effectively out of play until they are reformed.
Reforming an Obelisk
After summoning or shifting an obelisk, if you summoned to or landed on a conflux card where one of your obelisks was banished, reform it:
- Pure mode: Move the reformed obelisk to the center of the conflux cards (it does not matter what value is facing up).
- Chaos mode: Roll the reformed obelisk into the center of the conflux cards (rerolling 4s until they show a value of 1-3).
Then place a rift token on that conflux card. If there is already a rift token on that card, instead place a rift token on the nearest conflux card that does not have a rift token (you choose which card in the case of a tie).
Important reminders:
- Banishing and reforming are independent events. Either or both may occur on a turn.
- A new rift token is placed whenever an obelisk is reformed (not banished).
- Rift tokens block summoning only (they do not affect shifting, banishing, or reforming).
Example: It is the black player's turn. The black player shifts their black 2 obelisk to the white 2. The white 2 is banished and the previously banished black 1 that's there is reformed. That conflux card already has a rift token, so the new rift is instead placed on the card to its left.
Example: Now let's assume it's the white player's turn instead. The white player summons an obelisk to a conflux card where a white 3 was banished. The white 3 is reformed and a rift token is placed on this conflux card.
4-Value Obelisks
Obelisks with a value of 4 have these special rules:
- Each player can only have one summoned obelisk with a value of 4 at a time.
- Obelisks with a value of 4 cannot be landed on or banished, except by another obelisk with a value of 4. This means an opposing obelisk of value 4 needs to be on the exact opposite side of the circle and be legally able to shift (in either direction, following all normal shifting rules), in order to banish the other one.
End of Game
If your opponent is unable to summon or shift an obelisk on their turn, the game ends immediately and you are the winner!