2.8 KiB
Boop
Game Overview
"boop." is a deceptively cute, oh-so-snoozy strategy game. Players compete to place their cats on a quilted bed, pushing other pieces out of the way.
- Players: 2
- Ages: 10+
- Play Time: 15–20 minutes
Components
- 1 Quilted Fabric Board (the "Bed") — 6×6 grid
- 8 White Kittens and 8 White Cats
- 8 Black Kittens and 8 Black Cats
Objective
Be the first player to line up three Cats in a row (horizontally, vertically, or diagonally) on the 6×6 grid.
Setup
- Each player takes their 8 Kittens into their personal supply.
- Cats are kept off to the side until a player "graduates" their Kittens.
- The board starts empty.
How to Play
On your turn, perform the following steps:
1. Placing Pieces
Place one Kitten from your supply onto any empty space on the bed.
2. The "Boop" Mechanic
Placing a piece causes a "boop." Every piece (yours or your opponent's) in the 8 spaces immediately surrounding the piece you just played is pushed one space away from the placed piece.
- Chain Reactions: A "booped" piece does not cause another boop. Only the piece being placed triggers boops.
- Obstructions: If there is a piece behind the piece being booped (i.e., the space it would be pushed into is occupied), the boop does not happen — both pieces stay put.
- Falling off the Bed: If a piece is booped off the edge of the 6×6 grid, it is returned to its owner's supply.
3. Kittens vs. Cats (The Hierarchy)
- Kittens can boop other Kittens.
- Kittens cannot boop Cats.
- Cats can boop both Kittens and other Cats.
Graduation (Getting Cats)
To win, you need Cats. You obtain Cats by lining up Kittens:
- Three in a Row: If you line up three of your Kittens in a row (horizontally, vertically, or diagonally), they "graduate."
- The Process: Remove the three Kittens from the board and return them to the box. Replace them in your personal supply with three Cats.
- Multiple Rows: If placing a piece creates multiple rows of three, you graduate all pieces involved in those rows.
- The 8-Piece Rule: If a player has all 8 of their pieces on the board (a mix of Kittens and Cats) and no one has three-in-a-row, the player must graduate one of their Kittens on the board into a Cat to free up a piece.
How to Win
A player wins immediately when they get three Cats in a row on the bed (horizontally, vertically, or diagonally).
Note: If you line up three Cats during a Kitten graduation move (e.g., three Cats are moved into a row because of a Kitten being placed), you also win.
Strategy Tips
Because every move pushes other pieces away, players must think several steps ahead to "trap" their own pieces into a row while knocking their opponent's pieces off the board or out of alignment.