Qwirkle

01Discover the game

Qwirkle offers a common table of coloured tiles. Each line must keep either the same shape or the same color, without ever repeating an identical tile. Dots are marked by widening lines and making new ones appear. The big blow, called qwirkle, consists of bringing together the six possibilities of a line.

We follow classic Qwirkle, French booklet IELLO edition 2022, without Super Powers, cubes or cards. Two to four players participate; plan about 45 minutes, duration given in the booklet. The overall difficulty is Medium: the basic rule is short, but reading the crosses, managing its tiles and preparing the right locations requires practice.

02Equipment

The game contains 108 wooden tiles: six shapes in six colors, each colour-form couple exists three times. There are therefore 36 different models multiplied by three. Add the cloth bag and booklet. A sheet and pencil are required to note the points in the edition of the chosen booklet; some boxes include a block, but the booklet 2022 indicates them not provided.

A valid line can contain a maximum of six tiles. The drawing uses words in addition to colors to make the examples readable. This helps to understand, but you have to distinguish the six colors from the real game to check the combinations.

03The goal

Accumulates the most points during the game. Laying a lot of tiles at once is not the only way to succeed: only one tile well placed can count in a horizontal line and a vertical line.

All the tiles on the table remain common and available for future connections. One line you created is not your property. Others can extend it and mark the new length in their turn. So you have to compare the points now earned to the pitches offered afterwards.

04Preparing for departure

Put the 108 tiles in the bag and mix them. Each player pulls six and places them standing in front of him, faces hidden from the opponents. Each announce the size of his greatest possible combination, same shape or even color, by spreading the strict duplicates.

The person who has the greatest combination of the center pose. At the same time, the oldest person among the ex æquo starts according to this notice. It marks a dot by tile placed and then reconstitutes his hand to six. The part continues to the left. The preliminary turn does not allow a series containing two same shapes of the same color.

05Choose between pose and exchange

Respect all lines

In your turn, choose a single action: play tiles or exchange them. If you play several tiles, they must all have a common feature, and they must be placed on the same straight line. They are not obliged to touch each other: you can extend both sides of a line already present.

Each horizontal or vertical line must remain valid. A line of round contains different colours; a red line contains different shapes. Two red rounds in the same line are prohibited. One cannot start a red line with a star and then add a green round on the pretext that the second tile shares another characteristic: all tiles in this line must share the same characteristic.

The connections are made by the sides. A diagonal contact alone does not connect your pose to the game. The tiles do not overlap and the old ones are never moved. A line of six is complete: you cannot make a line of seven, even with a color or shape already present on the table.

Mark the lines concerned

Count one point for each tile of each line created or extended by your pose. The old tiles of these lines also count. A new tile at a crossing can count once in the horizontal line and once in the vertical line. On the other hand, the same line extended by two tiles does not count twice.

Completing a line of six adds six bonus points to the six points of its length: this qwirkle is therefore worth twelve points, to which can be added the perpendicular lines created by the same pose. If there are two lines of six legally completed in one stroke, each receives its bonus; check each line separately.

After scoring the score, pick up six tiles if the bag allows. You don't choose to wait until you see your Stock before deciding your pose.

Exchange tiles

If you prefer to improve your hand, set aside one or more tiles. Pull the same number of replacements in the bag, then only after putting the old ones back in the bag. L-order avoids immediately repainting the tile you return. You do not mark anything and you do not pose anything during this round.

You can't trade more tiles than there are left in the bag. When it is empty, the exchange is no longer possible. If no blow is possible, you must pass; this way of pursuing without inventing tiles keeps the game state. The normal end remains the exit of one hand after exhaustion of the bag.

06An example of points

A horizontal line contains four rounds: red, orange, yellow and green. You place a blue round at one end and a purple round at the other. You used two tiles of the same shape on the same line, without doubling: the six-point line earns six points and the six-point bonus, that is, twelve. You do not have to count five points for the first pose, then six for the second: the two tiles belong to the same round and the line counts once in its final state.

In a second independent example, a red star completes a red horizontal line of four tiles and a vertical line of three stars. The shot is worth 4 + 3 = 7 points. The new star is counted in both lines; this is not an error.

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07Finishing the game

When the bag is empty, you continue with the tiles already in the hands. The person who lays his last tile immediately wins six extra points and triggers the end. It is not automatically winning: compare the accumulated totals.

The highest score wins the game. In case of equality, the people concerned share the victory. The exit bonus normally adds to the points of the last pose, including a possible qwirkle. Do not subtract the remaining tiles from the others: this penalty scale does not belong to the classic Qwirkle. The chosen booklet does not fully specify the total blockage with empty bag and hands not emptied. In order not to rotate indefinitely, our family agreement is to stop after a complete round of passes: then compare the scores already obtained, without any exit bonus or hand penalty. This practical exception must be announced before the game.

08Frequent errors

• Place several tiles on different lines during the same round.
• Check only the main line by forgetting a small irregular perpendicular line.
• Repeat a colour-form couple in one line or exceed six tiles.
• Count only the new tiles and forget the old ones of the extended line.
• Count several times the same line because several tiles have been added.
• Put the old tiles back in the bag before pulling the replacements.

09Tips for starting

Before placing, name the feature of your line: "rounds of different colors" or "reds of different shapes". Then inspect each side contact. This small check eliminates many errors.

Don't just look for the largest number of tiles to be laid. Compare the crosses and lines of five that you could leave to an opponent. Sometimes keep a tile that completes two directions. A chosen exchange costs one turn, but can avoid several rounds of weak poses.