Description

A tile based game of building and scoring closed loops
for 2 or more players

CONTENTS:
The game consists of 144 square, double sided tiles, each containing an image of a unique arrangement of one to four white strands. Each strand connects any two of eight positions spaced equally around the perimeter of the square, with no two strands sharing edge positions. The images on the two faces of each tile are mirrors of each other. In addition to the 144 unique tiles there are 6 single stranded tiles that each appear twice, forming a 150 tile set. Tiles have a colored background that indicates the number of strand crossings contained on the tile:
Blue - no crosses - 50 tiles, 44 unique
Green - one crossing - 40 unique tiles
Yellow - two crossings - 30 unique tiles
Orange - three crossings - 10 unique tiles
Red - four crossings - 6 unique tiles
Purple - one each of five, six, seven or eight crossings

OBJECT OF GAME:
The object of the game is to have the highest total points when the game ends.

HOW TO SCORE POINTS:
(1) Each player scores points whenever they arrange one or more tiles, alone or in conjunction with other tiles already played, such that some of the strands on the tiles meet up to form a closed loop. Points scored are equal to the number of times the loop crosses itself or any other strand.
(2) Bonus points are awarded when tiles are placed in such a way as to form a ring of tiles enclosing an empty space. Bonus points scored are equal to the number of free strands pointing into the empty space, but only if it is an even number.

HOW TO PLAY:
1. Each player draws twelve tiles at random from the box.
2. Players attempt to arrange their tiles to form a closed loop. The first to succeed places his loop in the center of the table, counts his score, and then draws enough tiles from the box to return his pile to twelve.
3. Play continues to the left until some player reaches an agreed upon value or until the last tile in the game has been drawn.

RULES OF PLAY:
1. Adjacent tiles must always be placed edge-to-edge and corner to corner, and strands along touching edges must always line up - no dead ends or jogs are allowed.
2. If you cannot build a loop you must forfeit your turn.
3. You may build more than one loop on a single turn, but you cannot place any tile that is not part of a closed loop.
4. If you forfeit your turn you may set aside one or more tiles from your pile and draw new tiles to replace them, returning the others to the box.
5. You may, before placing tiles, swap any tile in your pile with any other tile on the board as long as the swap does not break any closed loop or strand.