OrthoGnomes
OrthoGnomes Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Overview
Players take turns placing their blocks on the board. They then look at the figure they have built from several sides and score victory points for every group of cells of their own colour connected horizontally, vertically or diagonally. The player with the most victory points wins.
Players: 2
Components:
- 12 blocks (6 per player, each block has a light cell, a dark cell and a light or dark mark)
- 1 board sticker
- 1 rotating base
Before the first game, peel the board sticker and apply it to the top of the rotating base. The sticker shows a 4x4 grid with the starting cell marked on it.
Setup
-
Determine each player's colour (light or dark). On the square side of each wooden block there are small marks:
- Blocks with a circle mark (light marks) go to the player playing Light.
- Blocks with a triangle mark (dark mark) go to the player playing Dark.
Each player receives 6 blocks, containing a mix of light and dark cells.
-
Determine the first player by playing rock-paper-scissors or by any other convenient method.
How to Play
The first player takes one of their blocks and places it on the board. After that, the players take turns placing their blocks one at a time until all of them have been placed.
Once all blocks are placed, the players count their victory points (see Scoring). The blocks are then returned to the players and another round is played. The winner is the player who has the most victory points in total across the two rounds.
Block Placement Rules
First Block
The first player must place their first block so that one of its cells lies on the starting cell drawn on the board. Place the block so that it lies within the 4x4 area, with the cells of the block matching the cells of the board.
Any orientation of the first block is acceptable, as long as it covers the starting cell.
Second and Subsequent Blocks
The second and each following block must touch one of the blocks already placed, and must form a 90-degree angle with all of the blocks it touches.
Placement Restrictions
Boundaries of the Placement Area
Blocks must be placed within the board, which is a 4x4 area. There is no height limit, but a block may not extend beyond the edges of the board.
Parallel Placement
Blocks must not be placed in the same orientation as the neighbouring blocks (be parallel to them). After placing a block, always check how it is positioned relative to its neighbouring blocks.
Two blocks are considered parallel even if they touch each other with only one cell.
If, during play, a block is found to be placed in violation of the placement rules, the round is replayed.
Collapse of the Figure
If the figure collapses, the game ends immediately. The player who placed the block that caused the collapse loses the figure. Place the blocks so that the figure stays in balance.
A stable figure is one that stays standing on its own. An unstable figure is one that falls over.
Note: the sheet does not state how the collapse affects the scoring of the round or the second round; the rule above is transcribed as printed.
Scoring
Look at the figure from five sides: north, south, west, east and top. On each side, count the number of groups of 4 consecutive cells of your colour lying in a row vertically, horizontally or diagonally. The depth of a cell (how far it is from the viewer) is not counted.
- The sum of the groups counted on all five sides is the final score for the round.
- For convenience, count starting from the mark on the board (the circle mark, north) and go around the figure.
Example from the sheet: viewed from the east, the light player has a diagonal line of 4 light cells, which gives 1 victory point to Light.
Worked example from the sheet (figure shown in the illustration): Light scores 2 VP and Dark scores 4 VP for the round.
Notes
- The victory point abbreviation used on the sheet is ПО (победные очки), i.e. victory points.
- The sheet does not give tie-break rules.