Tetris Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Contents
• Setup
• How to Play
  • 1. Move the Top Tetris Card to the Play Space
  • 2. Drop That Tetrimino
  • 3. Check for Achievement
  • 4. End of the Turn
• End of the Game
• The Advanced Game
• Achievement Cards

Contents

• 112 Tetriminos (16 each of the light blue I, dark blue J, orange L, yellow O, green S, purple T, and red Z pieces)
• 24 Minos (single square playing pieces)
• 4 Matrix Towers
• 4 Matrix Bases
• 12 Achievement Cards
• 28 Tetris Cards (4 for each of the 7 Tetrimino shapes)
• 1 Tetris Game Board
• 8 Player Tokens

Setup

1. Sort all the Tetrimino and Mino playing pieces by shape and place them in the center of the table, in reach of all players.

2. Place the Tetris Game Board next to the playing pieces.

3. Shuffle all the Tetris Cards together. Return 1 random Tetris Card to the box without looking at it. It will not be used in the game.

4. Place all remaining Tetris Cards face up on the NEXT space of the Tetris Game Board so the Tetrimino on the card is visible. This will be the draw pile.

5. Place the "6 completed rows" Achievement Card near the Tetris Game Board. Leave all the other Achievement Cards in the box — they are only used in the Advanced game.

6. Each player takes a Matrix Tower and a Matrix Base. Choose which end of the Tower will be the bottom for the game and insert it into the Base as shown (so the fit is snug). This will create a seal to catch the pieces during play.

   Each player should position the Tower in front of them, so its bonus icons appear behind their Matrix.

7. Each player takes 1 Player Token and puts it beside their Tower. Each player should choose their own color. Leave any unused Player Tokens in the box.

8. Each player takes 1 Mino (single square playing piece) and puts it beside their Matrix Tower.

Now, you're ready to play!

How to Play

The game is played in a series of rounds. In each round, everyone plays at the same time and in the following order:

1. Move the Top Tetris Card to the Play Space

Choose a player to draw the top Tetris Card from the NEXT deck and place it face up on the PLAY space of the Tetris board. This is the Tetrimino all players must play.

2. Drop That Tetrimino

All players take a Tetrimino from the center that matches the one shown on the card in PLAY. At the same time, each player chooses where to drop it into their own Matrix Tower, by inserting it into the top and allowing it to slide down.

• Tetriminos may be rotated and played in any orientation.
• Tetriminos may not be flipped over and played backwards. That is an illegal move, and the piece will not fit into the Matrix.
• If any part of a Tetrimino sticks out above the horizontal line, or Skyline, at the top of the Matrix Tower then it may not be placed.
• If a player cannot place a Tetrimino legally, they are out of the game until final scoring.
• Once per game a player may choose to HOLD a Tetrimino. Holding a Tetrimino can help you out of a sticky situation! Instead of playing the current Tetrimino, players may skip playing that piece and place it next to their Matrix for the rest of the game. This indicates the player has used their one HOLD move in the game.

Playing Minos — Before dropping the Tetrimino for their turn, a player may drop any number of Minos from beside their Matrix Tower. They are dropped into the Matrix Tower like a Tetrimino.

• Minos may be played in any column, and do not have to touch the Tetrimino about to be played.
• Minos must be played before the Tetrimino is played for the turn.
• If the player chooses to HOLD a Tetrimino on a turn, they may not play any Minos on that turn either.

Bonus icons on a Matrix Tower — There are several bonus icons shown on the back of each Matrix Tower. These icons contain the shapes for each type of Tetrimino played in the game.

If a Tetrimino covers a square with a bonus icon of the same shape, that player will score 1 bonus point at the end of the game!

If a Tetrimino covers a square with a diamond icon, that player takes a Mino playing piece from the center of the table and puts it beside their Base. They may use it in a later round of their choice.

3. Check for Achievement

Players now check to see if they have fulfilled the Achievement Card of having completed 6 lines in their Matrix Tower — that is, having any 6 horizontal rows completely filled by blocks without any gaps.

If a player has done this, they announce it to the group, and place their Player Token next to the highest value space on the Achievement Card that does not already have a Token next to it.

The next player to fulfill this achievement will then place their Token next to the next highest value space on the card to earn those points. The third player to fulfill this achievement then places their Token next to the third and final value space.

• If multiple players complete the achievement on the same turn, they all place their Token on the next vacant space, sharing that space.
• In a 2-player game, the top-most space on the Achievement Card is never used. Both players begin with the second highest space instead.
• In a 4-player game, it is possible that one player will be unable to score the achievement, as there are only 3 spaces on the Achievement Card.

Keep an eye on the next card! — By looking at the Tetris Card on top of the deck in the NEXT space, the players can see which Tetrimino will be played next. This may help players choose where to drop their current Tetrimino and strategize a series of moves to score more points or obtain Achievement Cards.

Play simultaneously — Remember, all players must take their turns at the same time. This means a player cannot wait for an opponent to drop their Tetrimino first.

4. End of the Turn

When these 3 steps are complete, the round is over, and the next round begins by moving a new card to the PLAY space on the Tetris Game Board.

Play continues in this order until the end of the game when the final Tetris Card is played.

End of the Game

After the final Tetris Card is played and that Tetrimino is dropped, the game ends. All players calculate their score by adding together the following:

• 2 points for each completed line in their Matrix Tower. That is, rows completely filled by blocks without any gaps.
• 1 point per each bonus icon in their Tower covered by its matching Tetrimino.
• Any points from the Achievement Card based on where the player's Player Token is placed.

The player with the most points wins! In the case of a tie, the player that completed the most lines in their Tower is the winner. If the players are still tied, they share victory.

The Advanced Game

After playing a few times, try playing the advanced game for an extra challenge. Gameplay is the same, but with the following differences:

• During setup, each player takes 2 Player Tokens of the same color.
• Shuffle the Achievement Cards together, including the "6 completed rows" card, and randomly choose 2 Achievement Cards to play for the game. Place them face up near the Tetris Game Board.
• In step 3 of gameplay, be sure to check both achievements. A player may only ever place 1 Player Token on a card (in case an achievement is completed again later in the game).
• At the end of the game, the players may score points for both achievements, based on where their Player Tokens are placed.
• Remember, in a 2-player game, the top-most space on all Achievement Cards is never used. Both players begin with the middle space instead.

Achievement Cards

These are the 12 Achievement Cards used in the Advanced game (the "6 complete lines" card, listed first here, is also the one card used in the standard game). Each card's three scoring spaces are listed high value to low value.

Complete a Tetris Line Clear on a turn (8 / 5 / 2 points): On this turn, a player placed a light blue I-Tetrimino so that 4 horizontal rows become fully completed without any gaps. The player may have placed Minos on this turn, but the light blue I-Tetrimino must be part of all 4 completed rows.

6 complete lines (7 / 4 / 1 points): At the end of the turn, a player has 6 horizontal rows completely filled by blocks without any gaps. The rows may appear anywhere and do not need to touch one another.

Complete 3 rows during 1 turn (8 / 5 / 2 points): On this turn, a player placed an orange L or blue J-Tetrimino so that 3 rows were fully completed. The player may have placed Minos on this turn, but the orange L or blue J-Tetrimino must be part of all 3 completed rows.

Complete 2 rows during 1 turn (8 / 5 / 2 points): On this turn, a player placed a yellow O-Tetrimino so that 2 rows were fully completed. The player may have placed Minos on this turn, but the yellow O-Tetrimino must be part of both completed rows.

Each Tetrimino type touching 1 side of the Matrix (7 / 4 / 1 points): At the end of the turn, a player has at least 1 square of each of all 7 Tetriminos touching 1 side of their Matrix Tower. It does not matter how the Tetriminos are positioned as long as at least 1 block of each Tetrimino touches the side of the Matrix. Minos are excluded and do not count.

1 complete column (7 / 4 / 1 points): At the end of the turn, a player has at least 1 vertical column completely filled by blocks without any gaps or any Tetriminos appearing above the Skyline, or top, of their Matrix Tower.

5 bonus icons (7 / 4 / 1 points): At the end of the turn, a player has 5 bonus icons on their Matrix Tower covered by its matching Tetrimino playing piece.

4 diamond icons (7 / 4 / 1 points): At the end of the turn, a player has 4 diamond icons covered by any playing piece (Tetriminos or Minos).

4 pairs of matching Tetriminos (8 / 5 / 2 points): At the end of the turn, a player has 4 pairs of matching Tetriminos in their Matrix. Each pair must be connected, having at least one block adjacent to each other. Touching diagonally by corners does not count.

Connect 4 orange L or blue J-Tetriminos (8 / 5 / 2 points): At the end of the turn, a player has connected any mix of 4 orange L and/or blue J-Tetriminos. Tetriminos must have at least one block adjacent to another piece to connect. Touching diagonally by corners does not count.

Connect 4 red Z or green S-Tetriminos (8 / 5 / 2 points): At the end of the turn, a player has connected any mix of 4 red Z and/or green S-Tetriminos. Tetriminos must have at least one block adjacent to another piece to connect. Touching diagonally by corners does not count.

Connect 4 light blue I or yellow O-Tetriminos (7 / 4 / 1 points): At the end of the turn, a player has connected any mix of 4 yellow O and/or light blue I-Tetriminos. Tetriminos must have at least one block adjacent to another piece to connect. Touching diagonally by corners does not count.