Shacru Rules

Shacru Rules copyright Mike Wellman

Each player is represented by one colour: and they use the pieces and tiles of that colour.

The order of play between the different colours is a matter of choice. You can decide which player is using which colour, and the order of play, by any reasonable means.

Make sure the board has only the two shades of neutral tiles on it arranged in diagonal lines across the board. If there are three or four players in the game, then each player has three pieces to start: for the two player game each has four.

Take it in turns to move one piece at a time. You cannot pass on a turn unless you cannot move. You can move any of your pieces one space straight ahead, or at a 45 degree angle to the direction it is pointing. After a move, leave the piece pointing in the direction you've moved it. This is the only way that pieces move from tile to tile.

Each time you move a piece you replace the tile you are arriving on with your own colour tile.

When you move a piece across a border, you can set it down as normal after the move (leaving the piece pointing in the direction you've moved it) or choose to twist the piece forty five degrees to the the left or to the right as part of your turn.

You may not move onto a tile that is another player's colour. You may not move onto a tile where another piece is sitting

A game ends when there are no players left who can make a move, or the only remaining players who can move can only move in such a way that they will not be able to acquire any more tiles in the future. The winner of the game is the player with most tiles on the board at the end of the game. It is possible to use the number of tiles on the board of each player as a score and then play several games as a set, totalling the score from each game.