Setting Up the Game Area
The game can be played by up to six players. Each player chooses a color and then places the ten marbles of that color into the triangle of the same color:
Two players - Each player moves to the opposite triangle on the board. For a longer game, each player can play two or three sets of marbles.
Three players - Each player moves to the opposite triangle on the board. For a longer game, each player can play two sets of marbles.
Four players - Two pairs of opposing triangles are used. Each player moves to their opposite triangle.
Five players - Four players move to the opposite triangle on the board. The fifth player moves to the unoccupied triangle.
Six players - Each player gets a set of marbles and moves to the opposite triangle on the board.
The goal of the game is to be the first player to move all ten of their marbles into the opposite triangle.
Basic Rules of Play
A marble can:
Never be removed from the board
Be moved into any hole on the board, including holes in triangles belonging to other players
Be moved around in the opposite triangle, but it cannot be moved out of the opposite triangle
Getting Started
The game starts with one player tossing a coin and a second player guessing heads or tails. The winner of the coin toss makes the opening move. Players take turns going clockwise around the board, moving one marble of their chosen color. The player can either:
Move into any adjacent, vacant hole
Make one or more hops into a vacant hole; the moves can be in any direction over any adjacent marbles, including the marbles of the player who is taking the turn
Finish moving after one hop or can continue to hop over marbles as long as it moves to vacant holes that are available
Only move in straight lines and can change direction; however, cannot move to the side of a peg or hop over two pegs in one jump
Hop through a triangle that is not their home or destination triangle, so long as they do not end their turn in that triangle
Winning the Game
The game ends when a player has placed all ten of their marbles in the destination triangle. A player cannot be prevented from winning because an opposing player's marble occupies one of the holes in the destination triangle. If this happens:
The player can swap the opposing player's marble with their own marble.
The game is won when a player has placed nine of their ten marbles in the destination triangle.
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