How to Play The Game of Ur
by WE Games, a Wood Expressions, Inc. brand
Game Set Up:
The Game of Ur game-board has two
sets of squares, one containing four 'rows' of three squares
each, and the other containing two 'rows' of three squares
each, joined together by two stacked squares at their
center 'columns'.
The game is played using two sets of seven game pucks,
of different colors, each puck having five dots of
contrasting color. Pucks are sent onto
the game board at the START position, and exit at the END
position.
Object of the Game:
The object of the game is for a player to move
all seven of their pieces along the course and off the
board before his or her opponent does so.
Gameplay:
Movements of the pucks on the game board are
determined by players alternating throws of a set of four
tetrahedral (pyramidal) dice. Two of the four corners of
each die are marked in a contrasting color and the other
two are not, giving each die an equal chance of landing
with a marked or unmarked corner facing up.
The number of marked ends facing upwards after a
player's roll of his four dice indicates how far a player may
move during that turn, ranging from a minimum of zero
to a maximum of four spaces.
Pucks are sent onto the game board at the START position, and exit at the END
position.
Only one puck is allowed to remain in any square.
Any puck may jump over any other puck so long as
the square it lands on is unoccupied by another puck.
When a puck is on one of the player's own six squares
(the two START or END 'column' squares), it is safe
from capture, but when it is on one of the eight
squares in the middle of the board (the 'war zone'), an
opponent's puck may exile it by landing on the same
space, sending the puck back off the board so that it
must restart the course from the beginning.
There is an exception in the 'war zone': If a piece is
located on the center-column space with the rosette,
no other puck may land there. It is therefore safe from
exile.
Landing on any of the five rosettes on the board
entitles the player an additional throw; this may
entitle a player to make more than just one additional
throw, if other rosettes are landed on after subsequent
throws in the same turn.
When a player rolls a number using the dice, he or
she may choose to move any of his or her pieces on
the board or add a new piece to the board if he or
she still has pieces that have not entered the game.
A player is not required to capture a piece every time he
or she has the opportunity. Nonetheless, players are
required to move a piece whenever possible, even if it
results in an unfavorable outcome.
In order to remove a piece from the board, a player
must roll exactly the number of spaces remaining until
the end of the course, plus one.
If the player rolls a number any higher or lower than this number, he or
she may not remove the piece from the board.
Winning the Game:
The first player to move all seven of their pieces along the course
and off the board wins the game.
Click to buy The Royal Game of Ur
Click to buy The Royal Game of Ur Extra Game Pieces
Printable Game Instructions for Royal Game of Ur
Wood Expressions Inc. | Phone: (310) 329-9143
Los Angeles, Fax: (310) 327-7772
California 90248 www.woodexpressions.com
