Description

This game of French origin derives its name from the French names of the wind directions West-North-East (Ouest-Nord-Est) and is played on a circular board showing four arms, like the vanes of a windmill. Each such arm consists of three paths of seven cases, leading up to a eighth case (one per path) which is located on a mounted, turnable disc in the middle of the board.

Each player sits at the end of one arm and places one her own three playing pieces (marbles) on the first case of each path. A neutral playing piece is put on the eighth case of each middle path (so four in total, one per arm). The goal of the game is to move the own pieces to the opposite cases, one in each arm. (The color coding on the board makes clear which path to use in which arm.)

Note however, that the other players' pieces can be passed but that neutral pieces form an obstacle to all players.

On each turn a standard six sided die is rolled on each turn. The player can then either move one own piece over the according number of spaces or make one of the following alternative moves instead:

• When a even number was rolled, the disc in the middle of the board may be turned 180° (thus relocating all pieces - neutral and owned by the players - on it).
• When an odd number was rolled, the disc in the middle of the board may be turned 90° - clockwise or counterclockwise.
• When a 6 was rolled, the player may take one of the neutral pieces in play and move it to any free space on the board.

When making a normal move and landing exactly on an other playing piece (neutral or belonging to an other player), the active player may also move that piece any free space on the board.

In a two player game, each player plays with two colors. In a four player game, the two players sitting opposite to each other can play as teams.