Yin Yang
Yin Yang Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Presentation
Yin Yang is a game of pawns in which the players themselves establish the rules of combat and reproduction. To do this, dominoes are used, on which the laws of evolution are secretly defined, and which are then played like cards.
Material
- 1 game board of 16 boxes,
- 16 two-color pawns,
- 8 dominoes,
- 65 tokens (including 30 white, 30 black and 5 red).
Setup
The pawns are set up as shown in the diagram: the board is a 4x4 grid of 16 boxes, and all 16 boxes are occupied by a pawn from the start. The leftmost column is filled entirely with black pawns, and the rightmost column entirely with white pawns; in the two rows nearest Black's own edge, the three boxes closest to Black are black pawns and the last one is white; in the two rows nearest White's own edge, only the box in the leftmost column is black and the other three are white.
Two corner boxes of the board carry the yin-yang symbol: the corner box deep in White's side of the board (occupied by a white pawn at setup) and the corner box deep in Black's side of the board (occupied by a black pawn at setup).
Objective
To win, a player must reach the corner of the opponent's camp (where the yin and yang symbol is) with a pawn, or prevent the opponent from playing at all.
Movement
Pawns move one box (no diagonals) onto a free box.
Turn Order
Black plays first, then White. Each turn consists of one or two actions. The player may, as they choose:
- Move one of their pawns;
- Apply one of their laws;
- Move one of their pawns then apply one of their laws (they may not perform these actions in the reverse order).
If a player is unable to perform either of these actions, they lose the game.
Laws of Destruction, Population, and Adaptation
Each domino is used to define a law. A domino represents 4 boxes, followed by an arrow that points to 4 other boxes. In each of the first 4 boxes, a player may place a white token, a black token, or leave it empty. This set of 4 boxes defines a cause. In the other 4 boxes, which define an effect, the same combination of tokens is copied over, with one of the following changes:
- a token has disappeared (but all the others are in the same place), in which case it is a law of destruction;
- two tokens have appeared (all the others are in the same place), in which case it is a law of population;
- there is no longer any token in the four boxes, except for one red token, in which case it is a law of adaptation.
Creating Laws
Before the game begins, each player secretly composes 4 laws. They then place the dominoes in front of them in such a way that the opponent cannot read the laws.
Placing a Law
When a player decides to apply a law for the first time, they turn it face up and place it to the right of the game board (from their own point of view), with the arrow also pointing to the right. It is forbidden to place a law without applying it in the same turn. Once placed, the law may be used at any time by its owner.
Applying a Law
A law is applicable when a set of 4 adjacent boxes can be isolated on the game board where the arrangement of pawns is identical to that of the cause part of the law. For this comparison, the law must be oriented with the arrow pointing to the right; it cannot be rotated. Applying the law consists of modifying the configuration of these 4 boxes so that it matches the effect part of the law. In a single turn, a law is applied in only one place. A law of destruction will therefore make one pawn disappear; a law of population will make two appear. Applying a law is not mandatory.
Law of Adaptation
When a law of adaptation (red token) is applied, the configuration of pawns on the board is not modified; instead, the configuration of the tokens on a domino is. That is, the player chooses one of their own laws, whether still secret or not, and modifies it as they wish. It is then kept face down until its first use. A player may modify the law of adaptation itself, like any other law. A player may not modify a law placed by the opponent. A player may not modify a law and apply it in the same turn, since the modification counts as the application of the law of adaptation.
Contradictory Laws
Two laws are said to be contradictory if they have the same cause but two different effects. They cannot coexist: it is therefore forbidden to place a law that contradicts a law already placed. However, a player may modify it using the law of adaptation. The situation is trickier if the player cannot place a law of adaptation.
Worked Example
The diagram illustrates a case of contradictory laws: Black plays a law of disappearance on a group of four boxes near the middle of the board. White holds a law with the same cause but a different effect (a law of population); because it is now contradictory with the law Black just played, White can no longer play that law.
Credits
Rules established and game created by Gauthier Fourcade.
Layout and online publication: François Haffner.