Splut!

• Board and Pieces
• Objective
• Play
  
• External Links

Splut! is played on a special board with squares forming a diamond shape (see below).

There are two to four players in the game: Red, Blue, Green and Yellow. Each player initially has three pieces:a Stonetroll, a Dwarf anda Sorcerer.

There are 4 special pieces used in the game: - Rocks.

The initial position of all pieces is shown on the following picture:

When the game is played with less than 4 players, unused "teams" (a Sorcerer, a Dwarf and a Stonetroll) are removed from the board but all 4 Rocks remain on the board.

The object of the game is to kill all opposing Sorcerers by throwing a Rock on their heads. Once a Sorcerer dies, his entire team is removed from the board.

One of the players begins and players move in turn. Each turn a player must make 3 steps. However, the first player on his first turn must make only 1 step and the second player on his first turn must make only 2 steps.

Each step includes choosing one of the player's pieces and moving it to an horizontally or vertically adjacent square. A step may result in moving some other pieces (including Rocks) depending on the type of the chosen piece.

All possible moves for each type of piece are explained below.

A Stonetroll can perform two kinds of special steps that result in moving Rocks: pulling a Rock and throwing a Rock.

A Stonetroll may pull a Rock that was located on the square right behind the Stonetroll, i.e. on the horizontally or vertically adjacent square on the same line as the Stonetroll's movement. After the pulling a Rock moves to the square where the Stonetroll moved from.

Pulling a rock is optional, i.e. a player may decide to move his Stonetroll without pulling a Rock.

The Red Stonetroll can pull the adjacent Rock when moving in the left direction.		After the move.
The Red Stonetroll cannot pull this Rock because they are not adjacent to each other.		The Red Stonetroll cannot pull this Rock because it is not on the same line as the Stonetroll's movement.

A Stonetroll can move to a square occupied with a Rock. In this case the Stonetroll throws the Rock in a horizontal or vertical direction. The thrown Rock flies over empty squares and Dwarves until it hits an obstacle: edge of the board, a Stonetroll, a Sorcerer or another Rock.

If the thrown Rock hits a Sorcerer then it lands on its square, the Sorcerer with all other pieces of the same color are removed from the board and the game continues without the corresponding player.

Otherwise the Rock lands on the last square before the obstacle (edge of the board, a Stonetroll or another Rock). If this square is occupied by a Dwarf then the Dwarf is removed from the board.

Throwing a Rock immediately ends the player's turn even if he made less than 3 steps.

The Red Stonetroll moves up and throws the Rock in the left direction. The Rock flies till it hits the obstacle (Blue Troll) and lands on the last cell. Note that the Rock flies above the Green Dwarf.		After the move.
The Red Stonetroll moves to the left and throws the Rock in the upward direction. The Rock flies till it hits the Blue Sorcerer and lands on his head. SPLUT!		After the move the entire Blue team is removed from the board.
The Red Stonetroll moves down and throws the Rock in the left direction. The Rock hits the edge of the board and lands on the previous square - on the Blue Dwarf's head. SPLUT!		After the move the Blue Dwarf is removed from the board.

When making his step, a Dwarf can push any number of consecutive pieces of any color (including Rocks) standing on his path in a straight line if there is an empty square after the last piece. All these pieces move one square in the direction of the Dwarf's movement.

The Blue Dwarf pushes the Red Troll and the Rock in the upward direction.		After the move.

When making his step, a Sorcerer can levitate any Rock that wasn't moved (i.e. pushed, pulled, thrown or levitated) on the previous player's turn.

A Rock can be levitated  in the same direction as the Sorcerer's movement to an empty square only. Once a Sorcerer starts levitating a Rock, he can continue levitating the same Rock (but not other Rocks!) on subsequent steps during the same turn. The levitation is optional, i.e. a player may decide to move his Sorcerer without levitating a Rock. A player is not allowed to make a non-continuous levitation, i.e. if after making a levitation step the player makes a step without levitation  then he cannot do another levitation step during the same turn.

The Blue Sorcerer can levitate the shown Rock. The levitated Rock "copies" every step of the Sorcerer.		After the move.
The Blue Sorcerer can levitate the adjacent Rock in the direction of the Sorcerer's movement.		After the move.
The Blue Sorcerer cannot levitate the shown Rock in the upward direction because the target square is not empty.		The levitation must be continuous! If the Blue player moves the Blue Sorcerer and levitates the Rock as the 1st step and moves the Troll as the 2nd step then he cannot continue levitation on the 3rd step. However, the player can still move the Sorcerer without levitating the Rock.

• Splut! rules on author's site.