Whirlclocks

Rough rules sketch below.

Setup

We have this huge deck of tiles showing a circle, with smaller and smaller circles inside. Within each “ring” there are “locations”. (Think worker placement spots on a clock.)

We place 2 or 3 of these “whirlclocks” faceup on the table.

Each player places one pawn (wooden cube) of theirs on a space in each outer ring.

Objective

The game ends once all clocks in the deck have been scored. (You decide game length by deciding how many clocks you add!)

Each clock scored states how much it’s worth. Each pawn scored is worth +1 point. Highest score wins!

Gameplay

On your turn, you may move 1, 2 or 3 spaces, clockwise or counter-clockwise.

However, all your pawns must move identically. (If you pick 2 spaces clockwise, then all pawns on all clocks move that way.)

If you pass other pawns along the way, you take them with you (on the rest of your journey).

You execute the action of each tile on which you landed. (Handle clocks in the order you want.)

If a location ends up with X pawns or more (4? 5?), you move inward immediately.

Move all these pawns to the next biggest ring, if there’s a connection that makes this possible. (Question: Do you execute the action there too?)

Once pawns reach the lone center position, the player who has the majority wins that circle. (Remember that pawns take others with them as they move, so you’ll probably arrive with a few pawns of your own color but also lots of pawns from other players. The majority in that final group wins the clock.)

You get it (worth points); it’s replaced by a new one from the deck.
All pawns that reached the center may be placed on the outer ring of the new circle; all other pawns go back to their owner’s supply. (We might say “you score the pawns”, but that quickly becomes messy—which pawns are scored and which are supply?)

You cannot lose your last pawn on the board? You cannot have any clock without a single pawn of yours??

Actions

Some locations simply have no action. But most do.

By default, an action triggers a power that is true for the rest of your turn ( = all clocks you still need to evaluate)
If the action has a “!”, it is instantly executed and only related to the clock on which you just moved.

Split these actions into base game, expansion 1, expansion 2. Also provide backup token chips for people who don’t provide their own colored pawns.

They’re really important here, and many can show up.

(Good) Move inward (despite not meeting the criteria)
(Good) Teleport / skip over others / move more this turn.
(Good/Bad) Skip your next turn / don’t move the other clocks anymore / move the other clocks in the opposite direction (or just however you want?)
(Good) “Score” this pawn => each scored pawn is +1 point at the end. Keep them clearly separate from your supply?
(Good) Add a pawn to the board (on the outer ring).
(Bad) Lose a pawn on the board
(Bad) Move outward
(Bad) Lose a scored pawn?
(Bad) Lose a won circle? (The first time it happens, turn it facedown. The second time, you lose it. So you have two chances to save it.)

The most interesting actions are those that allow doing something cool on the other clocks (which you still have to evaluate).

Already have a few above …
(Good/Bad) On the other clocks, skip over squares that already contain (other player’s?) pawns.
(Good) On the other clocks, also take pawns with you if they started on the same square as you.
(Good) On the other clocks, you only need 2 pawns to automatically move inward.
(Good) On the other clocks, moving into a space that contains opponent pawns destroys them.
(Bad) On the other clocks, you cannot move inward.

@IDEA (expansion): We can obviously give the clocks different permanent powers in how they work. Such as “A player can have at most 5 pawns on this clock” or “Movement always gets a +1 here” or “you only drag other players with you if you move the full 3 spaces”

Alternative Names: Or Wurlclocks. Whirlpool. Carousel. Something like that.

Rough rules sketch below. ## Setup We have this huge deck of **tiles** showing a **circle**, with smaller and smaller circles inside. Within each "ring" there are "locations". (Think worker placement spots on a clock.) We place 2 or 3 of these "whirlclocks" faceup on the table. Each player places one pawn (wooden cube) of theirs on a space in each outer ring. ## Objective The game ends once **all clocks** in the deck have been **scored**. (You decide game length by deciding how many clocks you add!) Each clock scored states how much it's worth. Each _pawn_ scored is worth +1 point. Highest score wins! ## Gameplay On your turn, you may move **1, 2 or 3 spaces**, clockwise or counter-clockwise. > However, **all your pawns** must move identically. (If you pick 2 spaces clockwise, then _all_ pawns on all clocks move that way.) If you pass other pawns along the way, you _take them with you_ (on the rest of your journey). You execute the action of each tile on which you landed. (Handle clocks in the order you want.) If a location ends up with X pawns or more (4? 5?), you move **inward** immediately. > Move all these pawns to the next biggest ring, if there's a connection that makes this possible. (Question: Do you execute the action there too?) Once pawns reach the **lone center position**, the player who has the majority **wins** that circle. (Remember that pawns take others with them as they move, so you'll probably arrive with a few pawns of your own color but also lots of pawns from other players. The majority in that final group wins the clock.) * You get it (worth points); it's replaced by a new one from the deck. * All pawns that reached the center may be placed on the outer ring of the new circle; all other pawns go back to their owner's supply. (We might say "you score the pawns", but that quickly becomes messy---which pawns are scored and which are supply?) You cannot lose your last pawn on the board? You cannot have any clock without a single pawn of yours?? ## Actions Some locations simply have no action. But most do. * By default, an action triggers a power that is true for the rest of your turn ( = all clocks you still need to evaluate) * If the action has a "!", it is instantly executed and only related to the clock on which you just moved. Split these actions into base game, expansion 1, expansion 2. Also provide backup token chips for people who don't provide their own colored pawns. They're really important here, and many can show up. * (Good) Move inward (despite not meeting the criteria) * (Good) Teleport / skip over others / move _more_ this turn. * (Good/Bad) Skip your next turn / don't move the other clocks anymore / move the other clocks in the opposite direction (or just however you want?) * (Good) "Score" this pawn => each scored pawn is +1 point at the end. Keep them clearly separate from your supply? * (Good) Add a pawn to the board (on the outer ring). * (Bad) Lose a pawn on the board * (Bad) Move outward * (Bad) Lose a scored pawn? * (Bad) Lose a won circle? (The first time it happens, turn it facedown. The second time, you lose it. So you have two chances to save it.) The most interesting actions are those that allow doing something cool on the **other clocks** (which you still have to evaluate). * Already have a few above ... * (Good/Bad) On the other clocks, skip over squares that already contain (other player's?) pawns. * (Good) On the other clocks, also take pawns with you if they _started_ on the same square as you. * (Good) On the other clocks, you only need 2 pawns to automatically move inward. * (Good) On the other clocks, moving into a space that contains opponent pawns _destroys_ them. * (Bad) On the other clocks, you cannot move inward. @IDEA (expansion): We can obviously give the clocks different permanent powers in how they work. Such as "A player can have at most 5 pawns on this clock" or "Movement always gets a +1 here" or "you only drag other players with you if you move the full 3 spaces" _Alternative Names: Or Wurlclocks. Whirlpool. Carousel. Something like that._