Scorpion
Scorpion Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components and Setup
The game consists of:
- a track
- a smoked plastic cover
- 2 dice in a suede bag
- 4 sets of 4 Scorpions (blue, red, green, white)
Before playing, each participant chooses a colour and takes the 4 Scorpions of that colour into hand. Decide who starts the game.
[Figure 1 shows the track, labelled ENTRY at the yellow start and EXIT at the black finish.]
Goal of the Game
Be the first player to get all 4 of their Scorpions around the track. Each Scorpion must enter the track through the first yellow square and leave it through the last black square.
Sequence of Play
Players take turns, clockwise, rolling the 2 dice.
1) Rolling the Dice
To move a Scorpion that is on a yellow square, the dice must be rolled on the yellow launch track.
Conversely, to move a Scorpion that is on a black square, the dice must be rolled on the black launch track (fig. 2).
[Figure 2 labels the BLACK LAUNCH TRACK at the top and the YELLOW LAUNCH TRACK at the bottom.]
First turn: each player, in turn, rolls the 2 dice on the yellow launch track, adds the points of the 2 dice, and enters their first Scorpion onto the track by advancing it to the square matching the total of the 2 dice.
(Example: the blue player rolls 3 and 2 with the dice, so places his first Scorpion on the 5th yellow square of the track.)
Later turns: players may combine or separate the dice. That is, they may either move one Scorpion by the total of the 2 dice, or move 2 Scorpions, each by the value of one die.
A player may therefore roll one die on the yellow launch track and the other on the black launch track, if he decides to move one Scorpion onto a yellow square and one onto a black square.
CAUTION: Players must decide, before rolling, which colour they want to play. A player loses his turn if he rolls on the black launch track, for example, when he has no Scorpion on a black square.
Players do not have to roll both dice at the same time. For example, a player may roll one die on the yellow launch track and then decide, based on the result, which launch track to use for the second die.
2) When a Scorpion Stings Another
The real interest of the game begins when one Scorpion stings another.
a) If a Scorpion arrives on the same square as another, it stings it. The stung Scorpion may then pass to the other side of the track, onto the opposite square, and the attacking Scorpion takes its place (fig. 3).
CAUTION:
A Scorpion may not move one of its own Scorpions that is on one of the first 6 yellow squares over to the other side of the track.
A Scorpion may sting another regardless of colour.
The stung Scorpion passes to the other side only if the opposite square is free and the attacking player decides it should.
It is obvious that a player will only choose to move Scorpions from a yellow square to a black square when they are of his own colour (to bring them closer to the exit).
Likewise, he will only choose to move Scorpions from a black square to a yellow square when they belong to opponents (to push them away from the exit).
In every case, a player who lands on an occupied square stings the Scorpion present and immediately rolls one extra die to advance his Scorpion again, whatever strategy he has adopted.
If he lands again on an occupied square, he stings again (whether or not the stung pawn is moved to the other side) and rolls another die.
This continues until the attacking Scorpion lands on a free square.
Two Scorpions can therefore never stay on the same square.
[Figure 3, caption: "Blue rolled 2 with the die and landed on the square occupied by Red. Blue stings Red." Second panel, caption: "Red moves onto the yellow square, Blue takes its place and rolls one extra die."]
b) If a Scorpion, advancing on the yellow path (except on the first 6 squares), lands on a yellow square facing a black square occupied by an opposing Scorpion, the opposing Scorpion is stung and they swap places (fig. 4). In addition, the attacking Scorpion immediately rolls one extra die and advances its Scorpion again.
If a Scorpion lands on one of the first 6 yellow squares facing a black square occupied by an opposing Scorpion, the opposing Scorpion is stung and they swap places. But the attacking Scorpion does not roll an extra die.
[Figure 4, left panel caption: "Blue rolled 2 with the die and landed on a yellow square facing a black square occupied by a Red opponent." Right panel caption: "Blue and Red swap places, and Blue rolls one extra die."]
3) Strategy
A player may bring his Scorpions onto the track at any time he wishes, each time it is his turn to play.
It is worth not bringing all your Scorpions onto the track at the start, but keeping at least one in hand to try to sting opponents just before they leave the track.
The first player to get all 4 of his Scorpions off the track wins the game.
Variants
2 Players
Each player chooses 2 colours and so plays with 2 sets of 4 Scorpions. In this case, a player's 8 Scorpions move as if they were all the same colour, and the goal is to be the first to get all 8 of them off the track.
4 Players
Each player chooses a colour and a partner with whom to play as a team. Each of the 4 players, on his turn, advances the Scorpions of his own colour, trying to help his partner's Scorpions as much as possible.
The goal is for the first team to get both sets of 4 Scorpions off the track.