Components
- 1 game unit
- 100 chips (25 per color)
- 1 label sheet
- 4 rubber feet
- Rulebook
Object of the Game
Be the first player to get 4 chips of your color in a row (one chip on each ring).
Setup
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Peel the 4 rubber feet off the foam strip, and press one onto the bottom of each leg, inside the ribbed border.
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Applying The Labels: First, apply the four rectangular Round Four labels to the legs of the game unit. See the photograph on the box top for label placement.
To apply the labels, peel them off the label sheet, one at a time, and press each one onto any of the legs.
Next, peel the round blue label off the label sheet and apply it to the top of the game unit, in the center. This label is also shown in the box top photograph.
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Remove the chips from the bag. Separate the chips by color, and place them in the storage compartments (there's a storage compartment at the base of each leg). It doesn't matter which color goes in which compartment.
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Line up the four rings so that the holes in the top level are directly over the holes in the bottom level. You can do this by turning the rings clockwise.
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Before the game begins, make sure the chip release lever (on the side of the unit) is all the way over to the closed position. Figure 1 (lower right) shows how to operate the chip release lever.
Game Play
Choose your chip color, then sit in front of the storage unit holding that color chip. All players do the same. Choose a player to go first. After the first player's turn, play continues to the left in a clockwise direction.
On your turn, you can either play a chip or turn a ring. The option you choose depends on your strategy. Your main objective is to get four of your chips in a row - but you must also try to prevent your opponents from doing the same thing!
So take a good look at the chip arrangement on the board before you decide, and then do either of the following:
Either play a Chip...
If you decide to play a chip, drop one of your chips into any hole in any one of the four rings. Some holes are one level deep, and others are two levels deep. You can drop your chip in any one of the following places:
Into an unoccupied hole that's one level deep.
Into the bottom level of an unoccupied hole that's two levels deep.
Into the top level of an occupied hole that's two levels deep. You can only make this play if there's already a chip at the bottom level. You can play on top of another player's chip, or your own chip.
Note: Think carefully before you play a chip! Once it's dropped into a ring, a chip can't be removed until the game is over!
....or Turn A Ring.
Instead of playing a chip, you can turn any ring one position. To turn a ring, just move it clockwise, slowly, until it clicks into place.
Tabletalk is allowed - even encouraged! For exam- ple, if one player is close to winning, you and the other players can discuss ways to block that player's moves.
End of the Game
Be first to get four of your color chips in a straight line, from the center out (as shown on the box top and bottom) - and you wit1
Operating The Chip Release Lever: After the game is over, clear the board by sliding the chip release lever counterclockwise as far as it will go, and turning the rings clockwise until all of the chips fall out. Then slide the lever back clockwise.
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