GRIDBLOCtm
BASIC OR ADVANCED GAME?
Basic Games are between two players and no special powers are allowed. Advanced Games have two or more players and special Powers for runners and/or blockers.

(If all players agree to an advanced game, see Playing With Powers.)

PLAYING A BASIC GAME
1. The Game Board.
GridBloctm can be played on gameboards that are
quite simple grids, or complex multi-dimensional polygonal shapes. Some are simple and some quite challenging. This electronic version contains a simple 9 x 9 grid. It contains a "Start Space", marked with a star, and an arbitrary set of existing walls, called "original walls".

Additionally, in the AlphaTestBook (http://www.gridbloc.com/downloads), there are blank gameboards you can prepare with your own "original walls" and "Start Space" after you are familar with the game. Preview some maps?

2. Basic Game Play.
Player One will block in the first round, and Player Two will run first. Choose either a prepared or blank game board. On a blank gameboard, Player One places as many or as few "original walls" wherever they desire. Round one begins when the first runner takes the first step off the Start Space. The runner may move up, down, left, right, or in any diagonal direction to any adjoining grid tile that is not blocked by a wall. The runner takes one step per turn. The runner may not pass through a wall, but may move around a wall as described in diagram 1. After the runner has moved, it is the blocker 's turn to place one wall. All walls must follow the grid lines of the game board as described in diagram 2 and diagram 3. Game play alternates between runner and blocker. Round one is over when the runner has been trapped by the blocker and can no longer score additional points. Players switch roles for Round Two. Original walls are "reset" as in diagram 6 so that all non-original walls (walls placed by the blocker) from the previous round are removed or ignored, and all scored tiles are erased or ignored for round two. Round Two is played with the same rules used in Round One. Round Two is over when the runner has been trapped by the blocker and can no longer score additional points.

TIP:When playing GridBloctm on paper, it is a good ideas to use a light colored pen or pencil, like yellow or green, to place the first walls, as light colors are easier to ignore in round two.

3. Basic Scoring.
The starting tile has no point value. For every round each tile of the gamespace can be scored only once. Each "unscored" tile on which the runner lands is worth one point. A runner may back track onto a previously scored tile at any time, but will not earn a point since the tile has already been scored. The game is over when both players have played one round as blocker.
( In a basic or advanced game you will be blocker only once. In an advanced multiplayer game you will be a runner in every round in which you are not the blocker.)

THE PLAYER WITH THE HIGHEST SCORE WINS!