Instructions for Playing Parcheesi
Parcheesi dates back hundreds of years to the country of India. Known variants include "Ludo," "Game of India" and "Pollyanna." Similar to the "Sorry!" board game, Parcheesi is all about getting your four pawns from the "Start" zones to "Home." Players can capture enemy pawns by landing on their spaces and can set up blockades to prevent opponents from gaining ground. Designed for two to four players, Parcheesi incorporates luck, strategy and clever tactics.
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Instructions
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Setting Up the Game
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1
Position the game boards so that the "Home" triangles connect to form a square.
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2
Select the color of your game pawns. Place your pawns in the "Start" space of the corresponding color.
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3
Position both spinners within comfortable reach of all players.
Playing the Game
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4
Flick one of the spinners to determine who goes first. The player that spins the highest number receives the first turn, and play moves clockwise for the remainder of the game.
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5
Move your pawns out of the "Start" area by spinning a five on one of the spinners. If you spin two fives, you can remove two pawns. Alternatively, you can add both spins together to obtain a five. For instance, if you spin a one and a four, you can move one pawn out of "Start."
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6
Place your pawns on the "Enter" space once they move out of the "Start" area. Play passes to the player on your left.
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Flick the spinners during your turn and move your pawns accordingly toward the "Home" space at the center of the board. You can add the numbers that you spin together and move one pawn the sum amount, or you can move one pawn for each spin.
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8
Arrive at the same number on both spinners to earn a Doublet. Not only are you allowed to move your pawns according to the numbers spun, but also according to the numbers across the dial. For instance, if you spin two sixes, you also can move your pawns the numbers across from six on the dial, which are ones.
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9
Take another turn if you earn a Doublet. If you earn another Doublet, take a third turn. If you earn a third Doublet, take your pawn closest to the "Home" space and return it to "Start."
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10
Capture enemy pawns by landing in the same square. Captured pawns are returned to their "Start" space, and you are rewarded with 20 moves that must be taken by one of your pawns. You cannot split these moves between pawns.
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11
Set up a blockade by positioning two of your pawns in the same space. Blockades prevent any opposing pawn from moving past. When you "break" your blockade and separate the two pawns, they cannot move together to another space.
Winning the Game
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12
Move your pawns into "Home" with an exact number from the spinners. For instance, if your pawns are four and five spaces from "Home" and you spin two threes, you cannot move any pawns into "Home." You can, however, move two pawns three spaces closer.
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13
Move a pawn into "Home" to earn 10 free moves for one of your other pawns. These 10 moves cannot be split between multiple pawns.
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14
Move all four pawns into "Home" before any other player to win the game.
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Tips & Warnings
Blockades can impede your opponents' progress, but they also prevent your own. Therefore, it usually isn't wise to keep blockades in place more than a few turns.
Exercise caution if there are small children near the playing area, as they can potentially choke on the small pawns used in the board game.
