The Colony
The Colony Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 19 Logs (14 x 1 Arrow, 4 x 2 Arrow, 1 x Center Log)
- 12 Ants (6 x Red, 6 x Black)
- 57 Eggs (black)
Setup
Lay the log ends between the players as shown. Place three eggs on each log space. Each player takes one set of 6 ants, but does not place them on the logs (yet). Red player starts first.
Playing
A player's turn consists of the following phases.
- Select Log Space – select a log space with at least one egg on it. No ants of either color can be protecting (occupying) the space chosen.
- Move Eggs – pick up all the eggs on this space and distribute them one at a time onto the next log space in the direction of the arrows. Some logs give a player a choice of direction. When moving through the center log, there is no choice of direction and movement is made according to the arrow the player entered from. If a player picks up eggs from the center log, they may then choose which direction to move. Do not place the last egg on that log just yet. Instead, execute the Action phase according to the following table:
| ANT | Number of eggs | Action to take |
|---|---|---|
| Yours | Any number | Collect that egg and stop moving eggs. |
| Opponent's | 0 eggs | Stop moving eggs |
| Opponent's | 1 or more eggs | Pick up all eggs in this space and start distributing them again to the next log |
| No ant | 0 eggs | Stop moving eggs |
| No ant | 3 eggs | Collect that egg and place an ant of your color on that space and stop moving eggs |
| No ant | 1, 2 or more than 3 eggs | Pick up all the eggs in this space and distribute them again. |
- Move Ant – move an ant of your color one space in any direction (ignoring arrows) to any space not already occupied by an ant. This action is optional. But once a player chooses to use this option, it becomes mandatory for all players that have ants on the board to move one each turn for the rest of the game.
Ending the Game
If a player cannot select a valid log space, or cannot move an ant after it becomes mandatory, the game ends.
Players count up all the eggs they have collected and add all the eggs on logs that their ants occupy.. The player with the most eggs wins. In the event of a tie for the number of eggs, the last player to successfully took their complete turn wins.