Stonehenge and the Sun Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Contents
• Setup
• Progress and Goal
• Turn Structure
  • 1. Stand a Stone or Make a Gate
    • Standing a Stone
    • Making a Gate
  • 2. Move Your Marker
    • Marker Movement Examples
  • 3. Pass the Iron Ball
• End of the Game and Victory Conditions

Contents

• Stones: 8, 16 and 8 (three shapes, as printed; 32 in total)
• Fishing line: 1
• Hook: 1
• Markers: 2 yellow, 2 green, 2 orange, 2 pink
• Base: 1
• Sun (the iron ball): 1

Setup

1. Hang the iron ball (the sun) from the ceiling using the hook and fishing line. Adjust it so that there is a gap of about 1 cm between the base and the ball, and so that the ball is centred over the base.
2. Place all the stones face down around the base. These are called the field stones (場のストーン).
3. Each player chooses a colour and places a marker of that colour along the outer edge of the base. Markers should be spaced evenly from the opposing player's marker.

Progress and Goal

Players take turns standing stones on the base and passing the iron ball over them, swinging it like a pendulum. A pass succeeds if the ball travels from the player's own side of the base to the opponent's side. If a player knocks over a stone that is already standing on the base, or pushes a stone out of the base, that stone is taken as a penalty stone.

The game ends when there are no stones left in the field, or when all stones have been placed. The player with the fewest penalty stones wins.

Turn Structure

Each turn consists of the following three steps, performed in order:

1. Stand a stone or make a gate.
2. Move your marker.
3. Pass the iron ball.

On the first turn, you do not need to move your marker. Place a stone anywhere you like, then pass the iron ball to end the turn.

1. Stand a Stone or Make a Gate

Standing a Stone

Take one stone from the field and either stand it along the inner edge of the base, or stack it on a stone that is already standing.

• Stand the stone so that it touches the inner edge of the base.
• Do not stack stones on their sides.
• You may stack at most two levels high.
• A stacked stone can also be removed (see Making a Gate below).

Making a Gate

When two stones standing on the base are close to each other, you may take one other stone that is standing on the base and lay it horizontally across the top of those two stones. This creates a gate (ゲート).

• A stone taken from the field cannot be used to make a gate.
• Once a gate has been made, it cannot be taken apart and moved to another place unless the iron ball knocks it down.

2. Move Your Marker

The outer-edge area that connects the two stones on either side of your marker is called the mark area (マークエリア).

• After standing a stone, you must move your own marker and change your mark area.
• The new mark area must involve the stone you just stood. It cannot be a mark area that is already another player's, and it cannot be an area the iron ball cannot pass through.
• Your marker may be placed at any position within the mark area. However, think about where you will stand stones on your next and later turns.

Exception: When you have made a gate, your marker does not move; the mark area stays as it is.

Example: If another player has made a gate over your mark area before your turn, you must give priority to moving your marker so that the ball can pass through. Therefore you cannot make a gate.

Notes:

• You cannot remove a stone if doing so would cause two different players' mark areas to overlap.
• You cannot move your marker onto another player's mark area.

Marker Movement Examples

1. There are two candidate mark areas. Move your marker to one of them.
2. Because you must change your mark area after standing a stone, in this example there is only one candidate mark area.
3. A mark area is valid only if the iron ball can pass through it.
4. You cannot move your marker onto another player's mark area.

3. Pass the Iron Ball

Pass the iron ball through the mark area. Swing the ball like a pendulum, from your side of the base toward the opposite side. The point at which you release the ball must be at least the width of your spread hand away from the base. The next player waits on the opposite side to catch the ball after it has passed through the base.

• It does not matter whether the mark area lies on the ball's path before or after the point the ball reaches in its swing.

If the ball passes through safely, the pass is a success. If the ball knocks over a stone on the base, or pushes a stone out of the base, that stone is taken as a penalty stone. A penalty stone is not used again for the rest of the game.

End of the Game and Victory Conditions

The game ends when either of the following occurs:

• There are no stones left in the field.
• A mark area cannot be created and one of the players is stalemated (手詰まり, has no legal move).

The player with fewer penalty stones is the winner.