Recess!
Recess! Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
Recess is a strategy board game designed for 3 to 5 players, ages 8 and up. Play time is 10 to 30 minutes, and it contains the following pieces in addition to this rules sheet: 4 game board sections, 2 L-shaped entrances, 2 safety squares, 1 clock with pointer, 2 boy figures in each of 5 colors, 2 girl figures in each of 5 colors, 2 nun pawns, 50 coin tokens, 1 sand timer.
Setup
Before playing, first follow these steps:
Arrange the four game board sections into a square in the center of the table.
Place the boys' entrance on the table so that it wraps around one corner of the combined board. Then place the girls' entrance at the opposite corner.
Players each choose a color and take the 2 boys and 2 girls of that color. They then place their boys on the boys' entrance and their girls on the girls' entrance.
Lay each safety square over one of the corners of the combined board that has an entrance. The circle in the corner of the square should face towards the entrance. Place one nun on each circle in the safety squares.
Assemble the Recess clock and set the pointer to the line between "30" and "1," then place the clock near the combined board along with the sand timer.
Each player receives 10 coins.
The person who has gone to school the longest goes first, and turns progress clockwise around the table.
Game Play
There are only 30 minutes in Recess. Every round, players each get one of those minutes for their turn. At the beginning of each turn, move the Recess clock forward by one minute and flip over the sand timer. (You may not actually need to use the sand timer until later in the game, when turns start to take longer.) If a player can't complete his turn in time, then he must leave his pieces where they were when time ran out.
Each player's turn follows a "3, 2, 1, nun" sequence:
- Move the clock forward 1 min. and flip the timer
- Move one of your children 3 spaces
- Move one of your children 2 spaces
- Move one of your children 1 space
- Move a nun
- Pass the sand timer to the next player
A player can choose to pass his entire turn, but can't skip just one or more of his movements.
Movement
The school yard spaces on the board are open for movement, while the obstacle spaces marked by playground equipment may not be moved through.
In each turn, players move three of their children and then one nun. The first child must move exactly three spaces, the second child exactly two, and the last only one space. After the children have been moved, then a nun is moved any number of spaces. No child may be moved twice in the same turn. However, a child can be shoved by a nun in addition to moving, even if that child and the nun are controlled by the same player.
Children may move in any orthogonal direction — horizontally and vertically, like a rook in Chess — to a distance of 3, 2, or 1 space and may change direction or backtrack in mid-move. Children can't move diagonally. Children may freely move through a space that's occupied by another child or a nun. They can only land on the same space as another child if they initiate a fight with that child, or land on a nun if they can tattle on a fight, unless they're in a safety square; the spaces in a safety square are shared peacefully by multiple children or nuns, with no shoving or fighting allowed. If a child lands on a space where two other children are fighting, the fight is broken up.
Nuns may move any number of spaces in one direction either diagonally or orthogonally — like a queen in Chess. A nun may move freely through a space occupied by a child or another nun. If a nun lands on a space occupied by a child or nun, that piece is shoved, unless they're in a safety square. If a nun lands on a fight's space, she breaks up the fight.
Shoving
If, at the end of a movement, a player lands a nun on a space with a nun or child already on it, that piece is shoved out of the way. The shoved piece may be moved to any open adjacent space at the discretion of the shoving nun's player. If there is no open space to move the piece onto, then pick any of the occupied adjacent spaces to put the piece and shove the old child or nun out, using the same rules. Shoving should follow the path of least resistance, so the second shoved piece should be moved toward an open space. No shoving is allowed in a safety square.
Starting Fights
Whenever one child lands on another by exact count, the moving player initiates a fight. The moving player then becomes the attacker, and the player controlling the child under attack becomes the victim. Lay the victim's child down on its side in the space and stand the attacker's child on top of it. The attacker immediately takes one coin from the victim.
When the victim's turn comes around, his child under attack may not be moved. If a victim has multiple children under attack, he chooses which of his "3, 2, 1" movements to allot to his remaining children. He is, for example, not required to move three spaces.
On each of his subsequent turns, the attacker may either use a movement to walk away from the fight, or choose to remain on the victim's child and take one more coin. If he stays, the attacker's movement is reduced to "2, 1, nun." He effectively uses his "3" movement to keep his victim pinned. If a player decides to keep two attackers engaged, then his movement becomes "1, Nun." The most children that can be committed to attacking on behalf of one player at one time is three, at which point the attacker can only move a nun on his turn.
Children belonging to the same player can't start fights with each other.
No child may initiate a fight within direct line of sight of a nun. Line of sight covers the same spaces as does the nun's movement — orthogonally or diagonally from the nun. Obstacles block line of sight, but nuns can see over the heads of children.
No fights may break out in a safety square.
Breaking Up Fights
Any child may break up a fight by landing on the skirmish by an exact count. That child then shoves both of the other children into separate, adjacent spaces, and the victim's child is placed upright so that it can be moved on his next turn.
If a nun moves into line of sight of a fight in progress, she doesn't immediately break up the fight. Another player taking his turn before the attacker can move the nun out of line of sight with no consequences for the brawlers, move her anywhere along the line of sight, or move her onto the fight's space. But if on the attacker's turn a nun is within line of sight, he must either walk away from the fight using a movement, or choose to squeeze one more coin out of his victim by staying in the space. If he stays, the attacker may not move the nun out of line of sight at the end of his turn; instead, he must move the nun onto the skirmish as his "nun" movement, regardless of whether his time has run out or not. If a player is the attacker in two or more fights that are simultaneously in line of sight of one or both nuns, he decides which fight to break up with his "nun" movement.
If a nun lands on a fight, the victim's child is shoved and placed back upright so it can be moved on his next turn, while the attacker's child is sent to detention at either the boy's or girl's entrance, depending on that child's gender. The attacker's child is laid down on its side on the entrance and is on a "time out" for the attacker's next turn, during which it can't be moved. Having one child in detention only allows "2, 1, nun" movement. If a player has two children in detention, he takes a "1, nun" movement. Having three or more children in detention means he can only move a nun. After one turn spent immobile, the detained child may be placed upright; it can be moved out into the safety square on the attacker's following turn.
Tattling
Any time there's a fight on the board, a child may land on a nun by exact count. That nun immediately appears on the fight's space, regardless of normal movement restrictions. If there are multiple fights, the tattler chooses which one to tell on. The fight is broken up by the nun as per the normal rules for a nun landing on a fight.
End Game
The game ends when one of two things happens:
- The Recess clock marks the end of the 30th turn (30 minutes).
- A boy and a girl controlled by the same player make it to the same spot for a kiss, while staying outside the nuns' line of sight. Each of the other players must then give those children's player two coins.
Whoever has the most coins at the end of the game wins, and is declared "Ruler of the Blacktop!"
In the case of a tie, the kisser wins. If there's no kisser, the one with the most children currently in detention loses the tie. If there's still a tie, it remains tied unless someone wants to arm wrestle for it.