TACTIKI is an board game with a strong memory aspect for two players, recommended for ages 10+ with an average game time of 30 minutes. Tactics and planning are the lifeblood of this game, which will fascinate and attract players from all over the world - all securely contained in a mysterious box!

OBJECT OF THE GAME

Make your way to the opposite side of the board and construct a TAC or TIKI statue with 5 of your pieces on one of your opponent’s start fields. The first player to make a 5-high statue wins the game!

GAME BOARD

The square, 5x5 board tile is the island where the war of the gods will happen. The first row of fields on opposing sides represent the starting points, while the three rows in the middle make up the battlefield.

SETUP

Both players put each of their ten pieces on their own start fields, put exactly two figurines on each field. You may position the pieces as you wish on the start fields in any combination of ranks, including two of the same rank on a single field.

Based on your game strategy, there are thousands of possible ways to set up and arrange the figurines.

On the back of every piece there is a number (rank) ranging from 1 to 5. At the start of the game, the players should place their pieces so that the ranks are only visible to them, and not to their opponent.

STRENGTH OF THE PIECES

The number on the back of every piece represents its rank.

The rank ranges from 5 to 1 - with the unexpected twist that a rank of 1 is stronger than a rank of 5.

GAMEPLAY

During the game, you move and stack multiple pieces on top of each other, forming columns and initiating attacks against your opponent. Since TIKI has started the war, the player controlling TIKI takes the first turn.

On your turn, you can either move pieces or reincarnate a defeated piece.

HOW DO YOU MOVE?

You may move a piece 1 field forward, left, or right, but not backwards or diagonally:

Every player’s turn consists of two moves:

When a piece moves into a field with 1 or more already existing pieces, it is always stacked directly on top of the other piece(s).

Also, once a piece has reached an opponent’s start field, it cannot be moved anymore, neither by you nor by any action of your opponent.

Note: If choosing to move on your turn, you must utilize both of your moves! If there is only 1 possible move, the second move is omitted.

REINCARNATION

Once defeated, a piece is not necessarily out of the game. On your turn, you may select to reincarnate a defeated piece by placing it on one of your empty start fields.

However, reincarnation has a price - you may NOT move any pieces this turn if you reincarnate a defeated piece. If you have multiple defeated pieces, your choice of which one to reincarnate is secret and the rank of the piece is kept secret as in the initial setup.

Note: You cannot reincarnate a defeated piece on top of another active piece - the start field must be empty.

ATTACKING

When you move one of your pieces directly on top of an opposing player’s piece(s), an attack occurs and is immediately resolved.

To resolve the battle, rotate the top 2 pieces of the column 180 degrees to expose the hidden ranks. The piece with the lower rank is defeated and removed from the board. The stronger piece is then rotated back to again conceal the piece’s rank.

If you attack a field with multiple pieces stacked on top of each other, the entire column has been attacked and each attack is resolved one at a time. For example, if your rank 4 piece attacks a column consisting of a rank 3, a 1, and a 5, it will be stronger than the 3 and the 1, thus rotating and removing them one by one from the column and the board. However, since it is weaker than the 5, the attacking number 4 will also have to leave the battlefield. Column combat is always resolved from the top to the bottom.

When two pieces of the same rank meet, both pieces will stay on the board, but the defending piece is now blocked and may not be moved again until the top piece moves or is defeated in a subsequent attack.

HOW TO WIN

You win by being the first player to build a statue of 5 pieces on an opponent’s single start field.

STRATEGY TIPS

The game board of TacTiki may appear small and the rules may be easy to understand, but there’s an incredible amount of depth and new strategies to discover with every play.

You can aim to play offensively or defensively at various points in the game, use your memory of your opponent’s piece ranks to create tactics, or plan a counterattack, but you can also win the game by simply bluffing - it all depends on your strategy and memory!

Here are some strategy ideas to think about during your next game:

THE INITIAL SETUP

You’re free to arrange your starting pieces however you wish, so finding good combinations and predicting how they will move are very important.

OCCUPY YOUR OPPONENT’S START FIELDS

If you’re able to occupy all of your opponent’s start fields, they will be unable to reincarnate defeated pieces and bring them back into the game. They’ll be effectively blocked and you’ll be in a much easier position to build your statue and claim victory!

THE ROLE OF MEMORY

Each player keeps the rank of their pieces facing only to themselves until two opposing pieces clash on the same field. However, it’s in your best interest to try to remember the revealed rank of the exposed pieces.

From this moment on, the MEMORY component of the GAME kicks in! The more ranks you can remember, the better strategy you can develop.