Tako Judo
Tako Judo Rulebook
Table of Contents
Setup
Tako Judo includes rules, playing board and four octopi, each a different color. Each octopus consists of one head and eight tentacles. Assemble the playing area with the darker rows on the outside border. Place the octopi on the board…
Transcriber note: the printed "2 Player Setup" and "4 Player Setup" diagrams give the starting square of each octopus, and the rules text does not restate them. The 2 Player Setup leaves the spaces marked "X" unused. The 4 Player Setup uses all spaces. Consult the printed diagrams for the exact starting positions.
Playing
The youngest player moves first, and play proceeds clockwise until all opposing octopi are entangled and cannot move. Each turn a player may move one piece (head or tentacle) as shown:
Diagram caption: "Tentacle moves"
Diagram caption: "Head Moves"
All heads and tentacles move similar to a queen in chess. Heads and tentacles can move any number of spaces up, down, across or diagonal in a straight line, until they encounter another head or tentacle.
Then movement must stop. You cannot move through a head or tentacle (including your own). There is no "jumping over" or piece capture in Tako Judo.
Movement
Tentacles: In order to move a tentacle, you must be able to draw an unbroken "line of sight" between your tentacle and any one of the four spaces occupied by octopus' head. Lines of sight must be up, down, across or diagonal in a straight line. Line of sight can be blocked by another head or tentacle (including your own). If your head cannot "see" your tentacle, that tentacle cannot move until the line of sight is restored.
Diagram: "Head has no line of sight to boxes marked 'X'" (the head's line of sight does not reach the spaces marked "X").
You cannot move a tentacle that has line-of-sight broken by an opponent's tentacle or head. It is considered "entangled".
Blocked, Entangled, Overreached (diagram examples): The orange tentacle "entangles" the green tentacle since the head cannot "see" it.
You cannot move a tentacle that has line of sight blocked by your own tentacle or that is in one of your head's "blind spots" (out of direct line-of-sight). It is considered "blocked". In the example above, the green tentacle close to the head blocks the green tentacle that is further away from the head.
You CAN move a tentacle that is in your line-of-sight at the start of your turn to a space on the board that is not in your line-of-sight at the end of your turn. This is known as "overreaching".
Whether a tentacle is "entangled", "blocked" or "overreached" the effect on gameplay is the same – you cannot move that tentacle until a direct line-of-sight is restored between the tentacle and the head.
Heads: Heads occupy a 2x2 square (four spaces). Although octopi can get pretty squishy, your head cannot move in a given direction unless there is a clear path in all four squares it has to move through. What this means, is that a head can only move to a place if there is an open path that is "two rows wide" up, down, across or diagonal.
Heads cannot "squeeze" between two tentacles if they are only one row apart. You cannot move your octopus' head "over" or "through" any tentacle, even your own.
Twiddling
You may not move a head or tentacle back and forth between the same spaces in consecutive turns. This is known as "twiddling" (moving to one space, then reversing back to the space you just came from). You may move a head or tentacle back and forth between the same spaces on non-consecutive turns.
Four Player (Team Play)
All rules for the four player game are the same as the two player game plus:
In a four player game, the two players seated directly across from each other form a team. The objective is to pin both of the opposing players' octopi. Each octopus is considered "independent". This means that your tentacle can block your partner's.
In the four player game, when an octopus is pinned, it is considered "exhausted". The player may no longer move their exhausted octopus, but the pieces representing that octopus stay on the board and will continue to block the other players as per the movement rules. An exhausted octopus may not move, even if another player's move results in the exhausted octopus having a legal move. All octopi on the opposing team must be pinned in order to achieve victory.
Victory
When your opponent(s) are completely entangled (cannot move head or tentacles), or when the only move available to them is "twiddling" you have won the game. A big "high-eight" to your cephalopod!
Variant
No Teams: In a four player game, it's each octopus for itself. When an octopus is pinned, it becomes "exhausted" as per the regular four player game rules. The last octopus to remain free is the winner!
Strategy
Overreach only when you have to – sometimes it's a good idea but don't squander an arm unless it's for a clear advantage. Give your head some room to maneuver. A mobile head usually has better line-of-sight. If you stay on a side or in a corner, it's easier to get pinned. Always move forward, push your opponent into a corner, if they will let you.