Description

This two player abstract strategy game is played on a standard eight by eight Chess board, though the board is oriented diagonally. Each player is given an equal force of pieces in a different color -- five tall hexagonal Wall pieces, ten numbered Zin pieces (four 2's plus one of each of the other numbers between 1 and 7), and an unnumbered Rogue Zin piece. All of the Zin pieces are portrayed as stacks of four hexagons of decreasing size.

The object of the game is to capture the opponent's 1-Zin piece.

The board is set up with the player's numbered Zin pieces behind a row of five Walls, with the Rogue Zin to the player's left near the center of the board. Players take turns moving one piece per turn, starting with the Black player. All pieces move in a straight line through unoccupied spaces, horizontally, vertically or diagonally. Zin pieces may end their turn on top of Wall pieces. The numbers on standard Zin pieces determine the maximum number of spaces that they may move. Rogue Zins can move up to three spaces and have some special powers which make them more flexible than standard Zins. Walls move only one space per turn, and only if they are unoccupied.

Pieces are captured by being landed on by an opponent's piece. Regular Zins may only capture opponents on the same or a lower plane (i.e. they can't capture an opponent on a wall if they are on the surface of the board). Walls may be either captured or landed upon at the player's discretion. They may also be promoted to other types of pieces of they reach the opponent's side of the board. In capturing, as in movement, Rogue Zins have some special rules which make them more powerful than their standard counterparts.

As a special gimmick, the game includes a special extra 1-Zin piece called a zinK featuring a serial number sticker on the bottom. Players are encouraged to play special games where the winner keeps the opponent's zinK, with the ultimate goal to collect a zinK with as low a serial number as possible.