For 3, 4, 5 or 6 Players

INTRODUCTION
You are about to play the most unusual game that has appeared in many years. It is not difficult, but, because it is so different, you will find it worthwhile to read the rules completely through before starting play. No attempt has been made to teach strategy, as each player will develop his own, as he becomes familiar with the game.

OBJECT
The object of the game is to occupy every territory on the board, and, in so doing, eliminate all other players.

EQUIPMENT
A. Six sets of playing pieces, each set of a different colour, consisting of approximately 70 cubes and several shaped pieces to each colour set. Each cube represents one army, and each shaped piece is equivalent to ten armies.
B. A playing board showing a map of the six continents, each of which is subdivided into a number of territories.
C. A pack of 44 cards, plus one title card, which is not used in the play of the game.
D. Five dice, 3 of which are Red, and 2 of which are White.

PREPARATION
The board is placed on a card table or some other flat surface. Each player selects a set of playing pieces of the colour that he chooses, to represent his armies during the game. One player is selected to act as the dealer.

THE CARDS
Two of the cards in the pack are printed with three figures: a foot soldier, a horseman, and a cannon. These two cards are jokers. Each of the other forty-two cards bears only one of the three figures, along with a territory that approximates the shape of one of the territories on the board. There is one, and only one, card for each territory.

THE BOARD
Before starting the actual play of the game, players should study the board, which represents a map of the world. The sizes and boundaries of the territories are not accurate, but have been set to facilitate the play of the game. As an example, the territory marked Peru includes, in addition, the country of Bolivia. In a like manner, Alberta includes the provinces of British Columbia and Saskatchewan. It should be noted also that Greenland, Baffinland and a section of the Canadian mainland make up the territory marked Greenland. Iceland, Great Britain, Madagascar, Japan and New Guinea each are separate territories. The territory labelled Indonesia is made up of Borneo and surrounding Islands.

There are six continents, which are composed of several territories of the same colour. These continents are:

A. North America, consisting of the following 9 territories:
Alaska, Northwest Territory, Greenland, Alberta, Ontario, Quebec, Western United States, Eastern United States and Central America. The colour of all these territories in this continent is Yellow.

B. South America, consisting of the following 4 territories:
Venezuela, Peru, Brazil and Argentina. The colour of all these territories in this continent is dark Green.

C. Europe, consisting of the following 7 territories:
Iceland, Great Britain, Scandinavia, Northern Europe, Western Europe, Southern Europe and Ukraine. The colour of all these territories in this continent is Blue.

D. Africa, consisting of the following 6 territories:
North Africa, Egypt, East Africa, Congo, South Africa and Madagascar. The colour of all these territories in this continent is Pink.

E. Asia, consisting of the following 12 territories:
Ural, Siberia, Yakutsk, Kamchatka, Irkutsk, Afghanistan, China, Mongolia, Japan, Middle East, India and Thailand. The colour of all the territories in this continent is light Green.

F. Australia, consisting of the following 4 territories:
Indonesia, New Guinea, Western Australia and Eastern Australia. The colour of all these territories in this continent is Purple.

PREPARATION FOR PLAY
The dealer removes the Title Card and the two jokers from the pack of cards. He shuffles the remaining cards thoroughly, and deals them one at a time to each player, starting with the player to his left. All cards must be dealt. When four or five play, some players will have one more card than others, but this will not affect the play of the game.

When all the cards have been dealt, each player turns his cards face up in front of him, and places one army on each territory on the board for which he has the corresponding card. All players do this simultaneously. When each player has placed his armies, there should be one army, and only one, on each territory. Players now return all cards to the dealer, who puts the two jokers back in the pack. The dealer shuffles the pack again, and places it face down alongside the board.

THE PLAY
(a) ACCUMULATION OF ARMIES:
ON EACH OF HIS TURNS THROUGHOUT THE GAME A PLAYER IS ENTITLED TO ADD TO HIS ARMIES ON THE BOARD. THE NUMBER OF ADDITIONAL ARMIES TO WHICH HE IS ENTITLED IS EQUAL TO A TOTAL ARRIVED AT BY METHODS DESCRIBED BELOW. THESE ARMIES ARE USED TO CONSOLIDATE AND EXPAND HIS HOLDINGS ON THE BOARD.

The player to the left of the dealer has the first turn. He counts the number of territories that he occupies with his armies. He is entitled to use one additional army from his set of playing pieces for each three territories that he occupies. Fractions do not count. Thus, if a player occupies fourteen territories at the start of his turn, he is entitled to only four armies, and must occupy fifteen territories to be entitled to five armies. On each turn a player is entitled to a minimum of three armies, even when he occupies fewer than nine territories.

If, at the start of his turn, a player occupies all of the territories of a continent, he is entitled to extra armies, in accordance with the following table:

He gets these bonuses every time that he is in complete possession of one or more continents at the start of his turn. For quick reference during the play of the game, the circles around the sides of the board, printed in the identifying colours of the continents, indicate the number of armies to which a player is entitled for complete possession of each continent. If a player is in complete possession of more than one continent he is, of course, entitled to the extra armies indicated for each of them.

There is a third way to get additional armies through the use of the cards, but, since it does not come into play until later in the game, it will be explained in paragraph (h) under play of cards.

At the start of every turn a player first determines how many additional armies he is entitled to, according to the above rules.

(b) PLACING OF ARMIES:
Once a player has determined the total number of armies to which he is entitled, he must place them on the board on one or more of the territories that he already occupies. He may elect to place of his extra armies on one single territory, or he may divide them among several territories in any way that he thinks best. Since the object of the game is to capture territories occupied by opponents, since only adjacent territories can be attacked, and since armies, once placed, cannot readily be moved, it is usually best to build up territories that are adjacent to an opponent, and which are on continents where several territories are already controlled.

(c) HOW TO ATTACK:
THE PURPOSE OF AN ATTACK IS TO ELIMINATE OPPONENTS’ ARMIES FROM ADJACENT TERRITORIES, AND TO OCCUPY THESE TERRITORIES WITH ONE’S OWN ARMIES.

A player is never forced to attack, and, after collecting and placing the extra armies to which he is entitled, may end his turn. The actual attack against an opponent’s territory is made by throwing dice, and comparing them with dice thrown by the player whose territory is being attacked. The attacker must state from which territory he is attacking, and against which adjoining territory he is making his attack. An attacker must have at least one more army than the number of dice that he throws. If he has two armies on the territory, he may throw only one die. If he has three armies, he may throw one or two dice. If he has four or more armies, he may throw one, two or three dice. Under no circumstances may he throw more than three dice. The attacker uses the Red dice.

At the same time that the attacking player rolls his dice, the defending player, that is, the player whose territory is being attacked, also rolls, using the White dice. If the defender has two or more armies in the territory he is defending, he may roll either one or two dice. If he has only one army he may roll only a single die. Normally the attacker will roll more dice than the defender, but in some cases the defender may roll two dice against one die of the attacker.

Once the dice have been rolled, the attacker first compares his highest die with the highest die rolled by the defender. If the attacker’s die is higher, the defender removes from the board one of the armies that is on the territory under attack, and returns it to his box. If the defender’s die is equal to, or higher than that of the attacker, the attacker must remove one of his armies from the territory from which he is attacking. The defender always wins the ties. When the attacker rolls two or three dice, and the defender rolls two dice, the attacker also compares his second highest die with the lower die of the defender. If it is higher, the defender must remove an army; and if equal or lower, the attacker must remove an army. When the attacker or the defender rolls only one die, the extra dice are not considered, and only one army can be lost. When the attacker rolls three dice, against one die by the defender, only his highest die is considered, and only one army can be lost. At no time may a player lose more armies than the number of dice that he rolls.

Listed below are some examples:

HIGHEST DIE OF ATTACKER IS ALWAYS MATCHED AGAINST HIGHEST DIE OF DEFENDER. WHEN THE ATTACKER AND THE DEFENDER BOTH THROW MORE THAN ONE DIE, THE SECOND HIGHEST DIE OF ATTACKER IS ALWAYS MATCHED AGAINST SECOND HIGHEST DIE OF DEFENDER. TIES ALWAYS GO TO THE DEFENDER.

(d) WHERE TO ATTACK:
A player may attack any opponent, who occupies a territory that is adjacent to one of his own. For example, a player occupying Venezuela may attack an opponent in Central America, in Peru or in Brazil. In addition, a player may attack across water, wherever two territories are connected by parallel lines. As an example, a player occupying North Africa, in addition to attacking Congo, East Africa, or Egypt, may also attack Brazil, Western Europe, or Southern Europe. It is particularly important to note that a player may attack Alaska from Kamchatka, or may attack Kamchatka from Alaska. Greenland may be attacked from Iceland, Quebec, Ontario or Northwest Territory.

(e) OPTION OF ATTACKER:
A player may continue to attack any adjacent territory, as long as he has at least two armies on the territory from which he makes his attack. During a turn, a player may attack on each throw with a different number of armies, a different adjacent territory, or from a different territory into any opponent’s territory that is adjacent to it. Before each throw, however, the player must state the number of dice he is using, the territory from which he is attacking, and the opponent’s territory that he is attacking. The defender then indicates the number of dice be will roll. The attacker has complete flexibility. He may attack one or more times from one territory, then shift his attack to another area, and still return to attack again into the original territory, if he wishes. He may continue to attack, even when he loses on any roll or rolls of the dice. He may also discontinue his attacks, end his turn, and pass the turn to the player on his left, whenever he feels it is to his advantage to do so.

(f) CAPTURING TERRITORIES:
When an attacker has caused the last army of an opponent to be removed from a territory, he captures that territory. He must move into that territory immediately at least as many armies as the number of dice he rolled on his last throw. These armies must be moved from the territory from which the last attack was made. He may move additional armies from this same territory into the captured territory, provided that he always leaves at least one army behind. No territory may ever be left unoccupied at any time during the game.

(g) THE FREE MOVE:
When a player does not wish to make, or cannot make, any further attacks, his turn ends, and he is entitled to a Free Move. On this move, he may, if he wishes, move one or more of his armies from just one territory that he occupies to any one adjacent territory that he also occupies. For example, if a player has eight armies in Argentina, and also has one or more armies in Peru, and in Brazil, he may move any number of these armies, up to seven, from Argentina into one of these adjacent territories. He may not divide these armies by putting some into Peru and some into Brazil. Because no territory may be left unoccupied, he must always leave at least one army behind in the territory from which he moves.

The purpose of the Free Move is to permit a player to move armies from a territory where they may be useless into a territory where they can be used. Except when attacking, this is the only time that players may move armies from one territory into another.

(h) PLAY OF CARDS:
If a player has captured one or more territories on his turn, he is entitled to take the top card from the pack that has already been placed face down on the table. He puts this card in front of him, and does not disclose it to his opponents. He can never take more than one card on a turn, regardless of how many territories he has captured. The capture may be made at any time during the turn, and does not have to be made on the last throw of the dice. HE GETS NO CARD IF HE HAS NOT CAPTURED A TERRITORY ON THAT TURN.

These cards are extremely valuable, because, after a proper combination has been collected, they may be used at the start of a future turn to acquire additional armies. For this purpose the territories on the cards are ignored, and players concern themselves only with the black figures (foot soldier, horseman, and cannon). Before a player can use his cards, he must have at least three cards, and these cards must consist of one of the following five combinations:
1. three Horsemen
2. three Cannon
3. three Foot Soldiers
4. one of each kind
5. any two cards and a joker
(Since a joker bears all three symbols, it will always make one of the other combinations, when used with any two other cards.)

A player is not required to turn in his cards for armies on the first turn after getting one of these combinations. He may hold them in the hope of acquiring a larger number of armies on a subsequent turn. A player, however, may never hold more than five cards, and must turn in a set of three cards at the start of any turn on which he holds five cards. It is not possible to have five cards without being able to make one of the combinations described above.

The first set of cards turned in is worth 4 extra armies. These armies are in addition to any others to which that player is entitled. The second set of cards, regardless of which player turns them in, is worth 6 extra armies.

Additional sets are worth extra armies in accordance with the table listed below:

Each additional set turned in increases the number of armies by five. Thus, the 12th set turned in is worth 45 armies. It should be particularly noted that the value of the sets of cards goes up each time a set is played, regardless of which player plays them. For example, if a player, who himself has been unable to play a set of cards, turns in a combination after three sets have been turned in by other players, he is entitled to 10 armies. It is the total number of sets of cards that have been played, regardless of who plays them, that determines the number of armies a player gets. It is advisable to make one player responsible for keeping a record on paper of the number of sets of cards turned in.

Cards that are turned in are placed face up alongside the draw pile to form a discard pile. If the draw pile is used up, the cards in the discard pile are reshuffled, and placed face down, to form a new draw pile.

Because one shaped piece is equivalent to 10 armies, it may be exchanged for 10 cubes (or vice versa) at any time during the game. These exchanges will be a convenience as a larger number of armies come into play in the later stages of the game.

(i) ELIMINATION OF OPPONENTS:
One of the important plays of this game is the elimination of an opponent. A player who, on his turn, is able to take from the board the last remaining piece of an opponent, receives at once all cards which that opponent has in his possession. He may combine them with the cards that he holds, and, if he can make a set, he may turn it in immediately on that same turn to collect additional armies. If, as occasionally happens, he can make two or three sets, he may also turn them in, receiving the regular increase for each set. This situation can arise, only when the total of the cards that a player holds, when added to the cards of a player whom he has eliminated, equals six or more. He must turn in enough sets to reduce the number of cards that he continues to hold to four or fewer. These new armies must be placed on the board in the usual manner. The player may then continue to play if he wishes, or he may pass the dice to the next player.

SUMMARY OF PLAY
To facilitate play, the following is a brief summary of what each player does on every turn throughout the game. The steps should be followed in order.

1. He determines how many armies he is entitled to by
(a) counting up the territories (not armies) he occupies, and dividing by 3;
(b) checking to see if he is entitled to extra armies because he completely occupies any continent or continents;
(c) checking his cards, to see if he has a combination that he wishes to turn in for additional armies.

2. He places these armies on the board on territories that he already occupies. This is the only time that a player may place armies during his turn except when he eliminates an opponent.

3. He makes any attacks he wishes. He may attack as many times as he wishes on a turn, provided that he has at least two armies on one of his own territories that is adjacent to an opponent’s territory.

4. He ends his attack when he wishes, or when be is forced to as a result of running out of armies.

5. He makes his free move, if he can, and wishes to.

6. He takes one card, if he has captured one or more territories on his turn.

7. He ends his turn by passing the dice to the next player.

SUGGESTIONS
Players should not spread themselves too thinly by exhausting all their extra armies by making too many attacks. The player who builds up his armies, and moves forward from one area slowly, is apt to do better than the player who spreads his armies thinly, and attempts to attack from many areas. It is better to concentrate on one area, advance slowly, and forget about those armies that are far from your main lines. Remember that this is a game of defence as well as offence, and be prepared to protect the areas that you occupy.

In the final stages of the game it is likely that two or three players, each with large numbers of armies on the board, will be left in the game to fight it out. As only one army is lost for each losing die thrown, a battle between territories, each occupied by 20 armies or more, will take several minutes to resolve, and it is suggested that, in such circumstances, if both the attacker and the defender agree, the throw of each die could be on the basis of 5 armies instead of the usual 1 army, i.e., 1 die thrown represents 5 armies engaged.

The agreement to throw for 5’s must be made before the battle commences, however, and can continue to apply only until either the attacker chooses to break off the engagement, or the number of armies in either one of the two territories involved is reduced to 11, whereupon play will revert to the normal basis of 1 army per die thrown.

As soon as the attack switches to a new territory, play will revert to the normal basis of throwing for 1 army per die, unless both the players involved have more than 20 armies in the territories concerned, and both agree to throw for 5’s before the battle commences.

The rules for moving armies into captured territory after any battle will, of course, be unchanged, i.e., the attacker must move at least 1 army per die used in his last throw.

WINNING THE GAME
The player who occupies every territory on the board, by eliminating his last opponent, wins the game.

© John Waddington Ltd.

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