New players may find that learning the Kabetopo ruleset can be overwhelming. It’s equally challenging for experienced players to teach the game to newbies. Outlined below is a step-by-step process that, if followed, will help experienced Kabetopo players teach the multiplayer game to newbies, making their learning curve as short as possible. There’s a lot of shorthand in this outline as it assumes that you’re already familiar with the ruleset. Gradually introduce game concepts, and explain edge cases only if necessary.
STEP 1 – Start with a game of monoliths ONLY.
For now, no portals and locks. Also, no scoring. Resource pool = 3 walls, 2 monoliths.
Before the game:
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During the game:
STEP 2 – Play a few games (1 or 2 more) of monoliths only.
STEP 3 – Play a first game with both monoliths AND portals.
No locks. No scoring. Resource pool = 3 walls, 2 monoliths, 1 portal.
Before the game:
STEP 4 – Play another game of monoliths and portals.
STEP 5 – Play a 3rd game of monoliths and portals WITH advanced mechanics.
Resource pool = 3 walls, 2 monoliths, 1 portal, 1 lock.
Before the game:
STEP 6 – Play a 4th game of monoliths and portals WITH scoring.
Resource pool = 3 walls, 2 monoliths, 1 portal, 1 lock.
Before the game:
STEP 7 – Continue with a full 4-game match.
Before the game:
SCRIPT OUTLINE
SCRIPT
“So this is Kabetopo, and abstract strategy game for two players. The objective is simple. One, maneuver your runner to the center mountain to obtain a stone. Two, make a mad dash to any corner square other than your starting square. Simple, but here’s the catch: you’re racing against opponents who are trying to do the same thing. There are walls in your way. Your opponents can throw even more walls your way, but you can return the favor. And in the middle of all this…portals!
“So this is how the gameplay goes. On your turn, you can either move or use a resource. First, lets discuss moving. There are three types of moving. One, basic moving: you can move orthogonally – up or down, left or right. You can’t move diagonally. You also can’t move onto a square that’s already occupied. The exception is the four corner squares. Multiple runners can be on those squares.
“Two, leapfrogging: If two runners are on touching squares, one can leapfrog the other. You can even leapfrog multiple runners.
“Three, teleporting: If you’re at the entrance to a portal, you can teleport to any other portal and exit any side. Both sides are considered an entrance and an exit.
“These are your resources. This is a wall. You can drop it anywhere to impede your opponents. You just can’t drop a wall if it blocks off a corner, or if it ends up trapping a runner.
“This is a monolith. It’s like a wall, but after you drop one, you get an extra move.
“This is a portal. It acts like any other portal, but you can drop it anywhere except along corner squares or the edge of the board. If you drop one, that’s your turn. But if you drop one along an edge of your immediate square, you get to teleport in the same turn.
“This is a lock. If you drop a lock on a portal. It locks that side of the portal for the rest of the round. But it just locks that side of the portal. The other side is still usable, unless the portal gets double locked. If you drop a lock, you also get an extra move.
“This is the mountain
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